Do hot shot company drivers pay their own hotel rooms

We provide our drivers with a room every night since our trucks don't have sleepers. It does get a bit expensive but a happy and well rested driver is more productive and safer driver. And since we are paying we don't let them sit around for days waiting for a load. If there's no load available it's cheaper in the long run to deadhead them.

 

I’m currently running hotshot and and I still have not seen a dot approved sleeper.My first company was paying for cheap hotels but went out of business claiming the hotel fees were being to be a bit much so now they are just brokering . My new company has agreed to also pay for hotels until they get this so called dot approved sleeperin the ram 3500. I actually choose to sleep in the truck and lounge at the hotels with showers and truckers lounge for some tv . I want the new company to make a decent profit before we start doing hotels . I was actually thinking about splitting the rooms with him on a 50/50 deal so we both would make decent money although he makes way more than my 20% . But I consider in the fact he dishes out a lot more than me so as a team player I could
Split the hotel bill when hotel is needed . Me personally I can go a night skip a night it’s the shower I be needing the most and most times I get those free with my members card at either pilot/flynj or loves.

 

Woodhouse

There you go, a DOT approved sleeper berth for 1 ton trucks.

 

Just log off duty and sleep in your truck. You can shower at the truck stops or get a hotel every couple nights to break up your routine.

 

That has got to be miserable though doing Hot Shot and having to sleep on that little bitty mattress...

 

The Woodhouse kit was brought up so I will ask. In the pics some of the consoles are left in. I need at least an arm rest. Is that acceptable access to the driver compartment?

 

Most hotshot guys don’t have sleepers added to there trucks I’m out there everyday and would say maybe 25% have them. Why spend the money on a Woodhouse sleeper when all you habe to do is log off duty. Just my .02

 

Because most drivers beyond 35 have bad backs, hips etc. That seat is for young uns

 

There is a FAQ on their site. In a nutshell yes. You will loose the passenger seat, but that's enough to have the required access to the bunk. The console will be find it stay there.

 

I would say simply get a piece of plywood, make a platform and toss an air mattress on it. No need to sleep on the actual seat.
Of course my main concern is enough room to lay down without having to bend and still not be touching either door....