Hotshot Questions Answered....

Well guys, I have "trolled the forums" for a few years and gathered valuable information from some of the old-timers here. So I feel it's only right to answer some questions for others to pay back some of the excellent knowledge I have gotten from these forums.

Almost every time I pull in for fuel I get asked these questions over and over, so here are my answers.

1) Are hotshots required to have the ELD's? YES, YES, YES, It does not matter your weight, registered, plated, whatever. Unless your truck is older than a 2000 Year Model, get an ELD.
2) Who makes ELD's for Hotshots? Big Road is working on a 16 pin version for OBD Ports. They are trying to have it available before the mandate comes into effect.
3) How much do we make per mile? Our average as of Jan 2016 to right now is 2.91 per mile.
4) How do we average 2.91 per mile? Simple answer is, refuse cheap freight, deadhead up to 300 miles if need be, don't negotiate with bad brokers, use a factoring company that approves brokers, get your NMFTA, get your CDL, get your IFTA, comply with FMCSA/DOT Rules, we don't try and skirt by staying below the 26k CDL requirement rule, maintain your equipment, be respectful during DOT inspections, get your T.W.I.C, get approved to carry US Military equipment and vehicles, maintain and keep clean your equipment, maintain and keep clean your person, have tarps, straps, chains, ramps, dunnage, maintain your logs. All this leads to Reputation! You have a good reputation, you don't need to look for loads. Brokers and shippers will call you all day long non-stop with the loads they get in that never hit the boards. Something I had to figure out on my own was, drivers who take loads off load boards don't realize they are leftover loads. If you want the good freight it takes an excellent reputation. If brokers and shippers know there load (freight or auto's) are going to be delivered on time by clean, professional, no excuses, not put out of service risks of being detained, or damaged, they will call you every time before that load get's on the board. It has been our experience over the past 19 months Auto Brokers and Load Brokers (The ones With The Good Paying Freight) will refuse to risk good customers by carriers that "skate by". That being said here is how we moved into good freight.

1) We got our CDL's. Our 3 biggest clients require it before you can even sign a contract with them, and this is why. A carrier a year ago had a light load of 8k lbs from Atlanta to San Antonio. He had a 1 ton Ram dually and a 40 ft Big Tex. He was well within his "LEGAL LICENSED WEIGHT" but his trailer had a GVWR of 28k lbs. That's right the police are starting to go by what the rating is on your equipment if you haul commercially (Youtube McAllen Police hotshot). I am not here to argue or dispute whether or not it's legal or right that his equipment and the load was impounded, I am just telling you we will not risk our reputation or our customers reputation on the interpretation of a Police, DOT, or HP that may interpret the law or rules in a way that slows down our bank deposits. Now the driver may have taken it to court and won, but that's not the issue is it? The issue is YOUR CUSTOMER! Avoid, anyway you can for things like this to happen. Don't leave it in the hands of the DOT or Police on the roadside. The laws and Rules by the FMCSA, DOT & States are subject to interpretation. Why take the risk?

2) Our Equipment, we took months to decide. We have bought and traded every 1 Ton truck & Hotshot trailer you can name. Here is what works for us. Why we left Chevy/GMC & Ford. 2016 Ram 3500 HD Mega Cab 4x4. Why 4x4? Simple, Hotshots go alot of places without pavement and the one time your stuck in the snow you will get it, like we did. Pay no attention to the extra weight and just get the CDL. Rams have a 2 Speed Setting engine brake, while it's not an absolute must to have, it sure makes it alot safer and easier to go north and west. The reason we go with the Mega Cab is pretty simple also, the length. With our 40 ft Gooseneck PJ we are 63.5 long. Why PJ? It has held up the best, and we load up to 19k on it regularly all over the lower 48. We have the Hydraulic Dove Tail which allows for much more freight options, and that is key to getting loads. We went with the flatbed and customized it for our needs. 17.5k Winch, Air Ride, Upgraded tires, side ratchet straps, etc;. Air hitches, we use Shocker Gooseneck Hitch. We have tried all of them. Cody Cushion, Air Safe, and Shocker has held up thru the heavy loads and horrible roads conditions, not to mention the ride is awesome. Cody Cushion pin cracked after the first 15k load. Air Safe hitch was ok, but not worth the money. The Shocker provides the same quality ride as far as "we" are concerned for less than half the cost. We will not tow a trailer without an air hitch period! We found out the hard way that your chiropractic bill will cost way more than an air hitch.

3)IFTA, IFTA, IFTA- Get it. Register your vehicles for the manufacturers GVWR.

4) Cameras, get them, mount them on the front windshield and rear window, trust me they will save you many times over and are well worth the cost. Our insurance company loves us because we sent them video of a car owner who was trying to claim damage to a front bumper. We pulled the footage off the camera and sent it to the broker, insurance company and the police dept where he filed the report. He was charged with filing a false report and insurance fraud. So this investment is a MUST if you want to stay profitable and keep your good clients.

5) Air Ride, we use Air Rite with Firestone bags and in cab on the fly wireless controllers. It allows us to adjust weight for each load going down the road and adapt to different road conditions in different cities and states. It is a must have. Plus it opens up alot more freight options if you have Air Ride.

6) Electronics, we only use Apple products. Again, it's our choice and we are not here to argue which is better (We did not like Android or Windows Products). It works well for us because we like the security and ability to print, scan and Icloud at the touch of one button, everything is stored in one place and downloaded to all devices we choice at the drop of the hat.. We can sign a new contract, condition report, Bill Of Lading, and scan our Transflo within a few seconds and all this boils down to time and efficiency. The more efficient the more money.

7) We chose our equipment after trying just about everything and monitoring the Auto and Freight markets over a 12 month period. I know this can change at the blink of an eye, but so far it works very well for us. We swap between freight an flatbed loads daily and WOW does it offer up so many options. We are not stuck with just moving auto's or loads. Anything up to 19k lbs is fair game for us.

I hope this can help someone else. If you have any questions feel free to send me an email.
Like I said it's only right we give back, and thanks to all the guys and gals on this forum who have helped us with the info over the past few years.


MP

 

Hi Greos2,

If you go with a truck more than 3 years old, a lot of the big carriers don't like to sign you up as an approved carrier. You want all options open. So the newest truck you can afford is the best. You do not want to let brokers or carriers run you like a semi.
You are not a semi, don't even try to compete with them. You are going to be in a "niche market" that semi's usually can't get the big rigs into. We refuse to take loads that a semi can take generally because if you get caught in that trough it's hard to get out of, ie; sitting at Truck stops, needing a load to get into a better paying freight area. It's a hassle and you shouldn't be set up like that if your hotshotting. I know a lot of Hotshots who do it that way, and they don't last running like a semi. Pick your equipment wisely, it could make the difference between succeeding and failing in the first couple of years.
As far as trailer, we just ordered another one and here is what works best with the highest and most available freight for us.
--PJ 40 ft air ride (ProMaxx Generation 3 Ridewell Airbags) Hydraulic Dove Tail with the following options
Dunnage Rack, 2 Undermount 48 inch toolboxes, winch plate for (17.5k winch) , hydraulic jacks, ratchet rail, 14ply upgraded tires, 17.5 upgraded wheels.

We were @ 21k when ordered but got a discount for paying cash.
Make sure your GVWR is @ the very least 24.9k
If you need any other pointers feel free to let us know.

Michael