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

Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by HOTSHOTTER432, Apr 29, 2015.

  1. bigred81

    bigred81 Medium Load Member

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    Check around for a smaller cdl school. There is a guy in Frederick MD who uses an old USPS cabover and a 25' single axle trailer. He charges by the hour and just set people up to pass the exam.
     
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  3. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    Been so busy lately, haven't been able to get on here. It looks like I missed a lot of posts. I'll have to go back and read up when I get some free time.

    I read a little bit. If a state doesn't require you to go to truck driving school why spend that money? The only state that I know of that requires a person to go to truck driving school is the state of Washington. There may be more.

    In many states you can take the written test, and then take the driving test in the type of equipment that you'll be operating. You can take a class A cdl test with a dually pickup hooked up to a gooseneck with a gvw above 10,001 lbs. I have taken several new guys to the DMV and let them take the class A driving test in my Hotshot.
     
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  4. MONT74

    MONT74 Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 29, 2011
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    Great forum. Lots of great advice. I’m looking to sign on with Horizon Transport here this next month with there flatbed division. At first I was going to purchase a new truck, but I’ve decided to lease a truck through Enterprise instead. They charge .24cpm loaded or not, but they provide absolutely all the maintenance on the truck. If I like it and want to continue they will give me a new truck every 50,000 miles. I am looking to purchase a 53’ shipshe trailer. Ive been looking all over the net and haven’t found one used trailer for sale which tells me it should be ez to sell if this doesn’t workout. So the questions I have are this.
    Any other flatbed drivers here experience problems finding back loads?
    I know I can ask the recruiter this, but can I go out and find my own backhauls if horizon can’t provide me loads?
    There’s a huge car auction place here where I live and I’m pretty sure I can possibly haul cars to get back in this are if needed. Any other advice is greatly appreciated.
     
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  5. bigred81

    bigred81 Medium Load Member

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    Good luck! Hope you will keep us informed of your experience.
     
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  6. mpotts90

    mpotts90 Bobtail Member

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    I've flipped through this thread somewhat, but haven't really found what I'm looking for. I'm thinking of buying a bigger straight truck and running team. My problem is that I can't seem to find any companies to lease it to that will get me home regularly. Most seem to want trucks out 3 weeks or more. I've put my time in doing that, and am not interested in doing so again.

    Thanks to all for the help!
     
  7. Ea$y Money

    Ea$y Money Bobtail Member

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    Ok... 40 pages of forum down and "almost" all my questions answered! I work offshore and have 4 weeks on/ 4 weeks off. I own a "hobby farm" that generates zero dollars of income and because of that I don't get any tax breaks. I traded my f250 4x4 fancy truck in for something more suited for my projects at home. Purchased a F450 single cab 4x4 chassis with 6.7 diesel and 12' steel flat deck (169" wheel base). Upgrade the rear axles to make GVWR 16,500. Rear GAWR 12,880... beefy! So, one thing leads to another as it always seems to in my life and I start shopping GN dump trailers in the mid 20K weight range and as I research I find that I can get this "farm" exemption that alleviates the need to do the drug testing and other irritants. (Incidentally, I get drug tested via my work plenty. It's not like I wouldn't pass for those of you keeping track). The farm exemption limits my range, which is fine for farm stuff that I do personally but it still requires me to get a DOT number (can't remember if MC number is required or not) and it prevents me from advertising any farm hauling services to other local farmers/home owners as a business. I also advertise tractor/small equipment work. The license for the "farm" exemption still requires me to get a Class E or something along those lines. Much reduced from Class A but still something else to do and pay for. So now I'm knee deep in the red tape and the wheels are spinning just to see about getting the whole enchilada set up and make a couple of bucks while I'm off regular work. Doing a combination of hotshot/LTL and local construction/hauling/farm services stuff. That's the back story. Now for the nitty gritty questions that I did not find already answered.

    1. My truck, since it is a chassis frame, doesn't have a GCWR. So does that mean that my GCWR is the combination of the truck GVWR (16,500) and the trailer GVWR? So a feller could get as stupid as he wanted to and buy a 30K trailer, tag it for the weight and be legal? Several references were made that loads should be limited to 16K max as not to accelerate the wear/tear on the trailer. That would be me, limiting the wear and tear on the truck/trailer both. Just framing this question to find out what my trucks GCWR is and pricing what tag I would be buying for my truck.
    2. My truck is in my name personally. I have an LLC for my hobby farm. I would get an LLC for any hotshot/LTL work. Would my truck title need to be switched over to one or the other LLCs to get a DOT/MC number? Or for that matter any other reason? Was thinking I could just lease it to whichever on was going to use it at the time. I would rather not have to change title if at all possible as this would require new financing. The hobby farm has no income and the hotshot/LTL has no history. Would have to pony up a bunch of cash... don't wanna.
    3. If I signed up for the whole enchilada and get Class-A CDL, 40' GN flat deck, DOT/MC, Insurance, Drug test consortium, yada, freaking yada, red tape to the nines, and started running loads in my off time and decided it wasn't for me, or I wasn't seeing the income. Would one think I could just fly the farm exemption flag, drop all the insurance, drug test, IFTA, etc and run with the existing DOT/MC number? I know, it's only money, but I don't want to have to keep giving it away if I don't have to. I would keep my truck & trailer for my farm so that's not a factor.

    I live in North Georgia. About an hour or so outside of Atlanta. I have no expectations of where I would be hauling. Just looking for the sweet numbers to pop up and not running my truck unless I am making good money. Like they say... If I wanted to make nothing, I can sit at home and do that. My goal would be to personally drive/baby my equipment and after expenses throw some money towards paying them off early. Don't necessarily need the income but offsetting the cost of everything needed just to get the farm exemption would be awesome.

    That's it in a nutshell. Any thoughts are much appreciated and for the record I have thick skin... so don't be shy.
     
  8. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    I don't have any experience with Farm expemption stuff so I'm gonna let somebody else try to answer all those questions.

    As far as registering your truck, not sure if this will help with what you're talking about with regards to farm plates, etc? Everyone I'm working with registers their trucks at 40,000 lbs. Even my own 3500 is registered at 40,000 lbs. We buy what's called a permanent/token plate for our trailers. We never come close to 40k but with the options from the DMV out here in the west the lower weight choice we can select on out IRP application is not high enough.
     
  9. Ea$y Money

    Ea$y Money Bobtail Member

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    flatbedcarrier thanks for that info. The MAP-21 stuff seems to be just as convoluted as the rest of their "guidance". Let me ask this... Does the DOT/MC registration apply to the company or to each individual truck? If I was running a 10 truck fleet would I have 10 separate and distinct DOT/MC numbers? That alone might clarify most of my remaining questions for now. Thanks again for the help.
     
  10. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    It applies to the company, or the Owner Operator. Whether you have one truck or thousands they all typically operate under the same usdot/MC numbers.
     
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  11. RIPPER_Z

    RIPPER_Z Bobtail Member

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    Jan 17, 2015
    Dallas, TX
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    Good afternoon,
    I have read through the entire post, but still have a few questions.
    I plan on starting the whole process in the next 3-6 months, with a New ram 3500 and a 40ft lowboy gooseneck(brand yet to be determined).
    I was curious about how freight rates are out of the DFW area. I am open to hauling anything I can legally put on my trailer as long as the pay lines up with my CPM and profit needs ( roughly .85 cpm, will have a full detailed breakdown after I get insirance quotes and truck price).
    On that note, is it possible to run the Texas triangle and profit, or is that lane not fit for this type of hauling? I definately do not mind going out of state, but was curious.
    Lastly, is it fairly easy to build relationships with the brokers? I know I will have to start with load boards, but I want to build relationships as fast as possible in order to expand my business within the first few years.
    Thank you much!
     
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