Hotshot Questions Answered....

33 Trucker · Mar 23, 2018

That is some very helpful information, Thank you very much.

Im pretty new in moving hotshot loads we run 2 3500 dodge 3500 quadcabs with 1 40 foot flat and 1 36 foot flat.

I have a couple of questions maybe you can help me out with.

whats the permitted overhang from these would you know, ive gotten several opinions?

Who are the best brokers to work with for hotshot loads? are loadboards a decent option and if so which are the best for hotshots?

How is the best way to negotiate the rates and what can we base them on? i want to know if were doing alright or leaving some money on the table i know it all depends on the routes but any intelligent insight is very helpfull and greatly appreciated.

If you can help me out with this information i would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very mcuh.

Lite bug · Mar 24, 2018

tnpete said: ↑

Last year I turned down a hot shot dedicated Run. $4500. per week. Worked out to $2.42 for every mile the truck ran. Loaded 9 miles from the house. And return loaded to within 19 miles of the house. All loads were less then 10,K but had to be tared both ways.
It my be coming back up again. And I may just grab hold of it for sure.
Click to expand...

Hard to turn down these loads?

namelessend · Apr 13, 2018

I`m looking to move from OTR Big rigs to OTR hot shots. I will have a year OTR in roughly two months so im doing research now. Im trying to narrow down the truck list, Im looking at the 3500 MC DRW at your advice, does a actual model matter? Big horn, Laramie, LH Laramie matter? What about tires? Any special one you find that does the best? Some might find tires to be not be a big deal, but when you run 2K miles a week, tires can become a huge matter.

Aamcotrans · Apr 13, 2018

Run 22.5 wheels and tires, same as the ones on the semis..
Google it, plenty of options out there

namelessend · Apr 13, 2018

I would worry about rolling mass and such, that would change the rear end ratios more then likely and throw everything out of whack. And MP, what rear end ratios are you running in your trucks? 4.10 or 3.73?

Lite bug · Apr 14, 2018

namelessend said: ↑

I`m looking to move from OTR Big rigs to OTR hot shots. I will have a year OTR in roughly two months so im doing research now. Im trying to narrow down the truck list, Im looking at the 3500 MC DRW at your advice, does a actual model matter? Big horn, Laramie, LH Laramie matter? What about tires? Any special one you find that does the best? Some might find tires to be not be a big deal, but when you run 2K miles a week, tires can become a huge matter.
Click to expand...

People will have different opinions on tires. I use Transforce by Firestone. They are inexpensive and you can get them at a lot of places. A good tire.

namelessend · Apr 14, 2018

I was actually on the phone talking to a friend of mine who runs maintenance for a company, he runs the same tires on all their fleet trucks to so that must be saying something.

TexasHarleyBoy · May 10, 2018

MP-Ctek said: ↑

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
Click to expand...

What a great trove of advice and info for those of us considering this route! Thank you for taking the time and effort to compose this. With over 30 years of driving a company truck, I'm trying to get things lined up to pull the trigger on becoming a small business owner, running a 40' hotshot operation.

Like the say, 'you've GOT to risk it, for the biscuit'!

bturner · Aug 9, 2018

MP-Ctek said: ↑

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
Click to expand...

Hi my name is bryan and I’m currently driving over the road for a company but I’m looking to start my own business doing hot shot loads. What’s the chances you guys can contact me with some answers that might help me out. I read your response and you guys seem very nolegable about what needs to be done. It’s hard to get answers out of the guys I see at truck stops. They seem to think completion is a bad thing. Anyways my email is Bryan.turner83@gmail.com any help would be greatly appreciated.

strikertransport · Aug 24, 2018

This is an old but great post. Thx MP..

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