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

What brand of trailers do y'all like? What brands don't you like? Pros and cons on any brand would be a huge help. I'm thinking about a Gatormade 40ft 30k deckover. How important is air ride? Any info would be greatly appreciated as I want to buy one this week. Just bought a 2011 ram 5500 with an 11ft flatbed 65k miles Cummins and Asian.

 

It depends on what you will be hauling. Although if you do not know what you will be hauling the trailer you picked out will work fine. My first trailer was Gatormade very strong built trailer. Their customer service could be better.

 

Thanx for the info lite bug.I'm gonna be working off the loadboards so any and everything that pays at least a buck/mile. I've noticed most hotshot are rolling BIG TEX. Is that because they are better or just cause they have the marketing/fleet deals? How are PJ's, loadmax, texaspride, who's got the best bang for the buck?

 

Whitewolftrucker where are you based out of that you are going to start out using load boards?

 

Half way between Chicago and Milwaukee. Planning on doin OTR hot laps on the southern half of the country and and if the money is right I'll consider the northern half as long as weather isn't nasty. Think I'll do ok?

 

Here's another question, at the risk of sounding like a idiot, what is the DOT's rules on putting a small pop-up camper on the top deck of a gooseneck? I like the roadmaster sleeper but I can't justify paying $10k for a fiberglass box. And I don't really dig the coffin sleepers. There must be some reason I haven't seen anyone with a camper on the goosneck, I know I can't be the first person to think about it.

 

Well, there's always this. It would limit your hauling capacity just a smidge though lol

 

Yeah I seen someone with that same setup but I'm pretty sure it was his personal rig, and he wasn't pulling up to the scales with some DOT officer tryin to write him some hefty fines and shut him down. And I was thinking of something a little smaller. Oh, and I want to put my motorcycle on my rig too so i have some transportation when i do my resets.What will they say about that? I mean I won't have a BOL for it, so will they try to mess with me for it? Are there rules against it?

 

No matter what your sleeping arrangements are, there's not much they can say as long as you log it off duty. The only way they can get you is if you log sleeper berth in something that isn't, per fmcsa specs, a sleeper berth. Anything else is fair game.

Don't know why you'd need a bol for something you have the title/registration to

 

You are located in a good area for running off the load board. If you stay mainly in the Midwest. Going south say Florida it is harder to find stuff paying anything. Especially being new not knowing brokers handling freight in the area you will be going to. I would suggest running east to maybe to Pittsburgh carrying 2 or 3 LTL's then loading back west with 2 or 3 heading back home. Number one you will be traveling in area that has stuff you can get on a trailer. Two you will be able to find stuff going back. The third thing is you will running into the same brokers establishing a business contact. Soon you will have enough to call ahead to see if they have stuff going your way. Now I have done this got a load going to a slow area and sit. Now nobody likes sitting, but sitting in a good area sure beats sitting in a slow area. One could sit 4 days waiting for a good load, not very productive. Most of the time it is better to dead head to a better area. It will take a while to figure out the slower areas. You could study the load boards to learn. Now off the top of my head and IMHO staying out of the Northeast would be one of the things I would advise you. I know there are a lot of guys working that area however there are a lot of factors going to say the Island in New York that starting out you don' t need. Starting with Tolls, truck parking, no trucks allowed, and last but the most important load coming out.