So you want to hot-shot? (Will be updated/edited frequently)

I'd also recommend using a dually's. And unless you have a customer with plenty of 30' loads you should also consider getting a 40' trailer. That extra q0' of deck space makes a big difference.

 

Thanks everyone. I have decided to go with the dually and 40'. Pretty much decided to go with 32,000 for weight also. I just didn't want to fool with the IFTA quarterly reporting but I want to have as many load options as possible. Thanks again for the replies.

 

Do your homework and pick your equipment wisely.

 

This is a really good thread, i have always been interested in the inner working of the hotshot side of things

 

This thread has been going for a while and is loaded with great information!

Just a little background info - mid 40's married dual income household with 2 college students making a combined $90k per year.

I have a family member that lives in the New Orleans area that was forced to leave the oilfield last year and resorted to running Hot Shots with a Ram 3500 and a 40ft trailer. He says he is making as much or more money than he made offshore and is home every night with weekends off. This has more than peaked my interest as I started laying the groundwork to do the same having filed my LLC with LegalZoom and am slated to take my written CDL exam next week. I am looking for a carrier to work with to book my loads before I go out and finance a truck and trailer. I am currently 6 years into my employment as a project manger and estimator in a construction related business and make a decent living @ $60k but am at the top of the food chain and will never realize my financial dreams staying with the status quo.

Question for all of you Hot Shot O/O along the gulf coast that are in touch with the state of the business - *Would you recommend leaving my current career with its illusion of stability and security to go immediately $60k into debt on a truck, trailer, insurance, licenses, and fuel? Can I as newbie, with a reasonable amount of work and effort; make enough $$ to cover my overhead and still make more than I am in my current career?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

If you're planning on being home every night, I'd say highly unlikely and you should probably stay right where you're at. I have guys here that I work with grossing $20,000 a month and above, always have. BUT here's the thing, in order for them to make that much money they have to stay out on the road for two, three, and even four weeks at a time. What we see here, is our "Independent" Owner Operators Net approx 60% to 65% of what they gross. That's after all expenses and they get 100% of what the loads pay. And if there was easier money to be made in this type of business I'd have found it by now. Been in and around trucking for over 32 years now. You can make a really good living but you will likely give up a lot of home time to do it.,

I'd hate to see you go $60,000 , $70,000 in dept thinking local work is abundant in the New Orleans area. It's not, and what's going on one day likely won't be going on the next. This is a ever changing business. There will come a time when your relative will have to step out further. Sure your relative may be doing what he's saying he's doing ( at the moment ) but the big questions are, #1. how long will that last, and #2. will you be able to do the same? Unless you have a lot, and I mean a lot of connections for local loads yourself, or you find a well established Dispatch Service who has, it's a big gamble.

I know this probsbly isn't what you were wanting to hear but it's the truth about the business. Best of luck to you.

 

Last week we loaded all our guys home for a weeks vacation. For my vacation I took a couple of model T trucks to Blackwell, OK, and then I dropped down into Texas and picked up a brand new tilt trailer. I'm at a desk most of the time so I enjoyed being out there on the road again. Seen some interesting things out there.

Here's a picture of the load I took to Blackwell, and of the trailer I purchased in Texas.

 

Here's some recent loads we've moved.