Newbie Team Hotshot Questions

No one follows those strict guidelines. When you cross the scales, have the other driver lay across the bunk, until you're back on the highway.

 

Laying down, no, just in the sleeper berth to be 100% compliant. The Woodhouse units give you enough room to sit up and move around a little but most hotshots just remove the rear seat and door panels, installing a twin size mattress and restraint system which doesn't leave any room to do anything but lay down. Combine that with the ingress/egress from the driver's compartment rule for sleeper berth access and often that means removing the passenger seat from the truck leaving nowhere to really sit up anyhow. Team driving in a pickup truck is possible but not practical unless you go all out and install the big bunks like Woodhouse.

 

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If you both don’t have CDL’s, even with having your own authority, assuming you do, it will still be difficult to find loads that pay well. It’s rough for hotshots with new authorities. No CDL means you’ll likely be hauling partials because you can’t haul anything of substantial weight. Which isn’t bad, just a bit more work. You’ll also need 1mil liability insurance for brokers to consider you. Honestly team driving in a hotshot setup isn’t practical at all. It’d be very advantageous for you both to wait until you have your CDL’s and your own trucks and trailers, that way you can both make some good money.