Hotshot trucking is just hauling for a single customer who requires it quickly. Hotshot carriers are often short-haul trucking companies that focus on delivering project-critical, time-sensitive cargo.
They are frequently thought of when an F-350 is used for business purposes to tow a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer loaded with vehicles, sheds, horses, and building supplies.
With a Class A CDL, it is simpler to get hired anyplace if you want to transport commercial cargo. A CDL and a clean driving record provide your hotshot firm with a foundation upon which to grow both your reputation and your clientele. Let’s find more details on how to start non-CDL hotshot trucking.
What Is Hot Shot Trucking?
Have you considered working for yourself as an owner-operator for Hot Shot Trucking? It's true that hotshot drivers might find this to be a highly lucrative business venture, but in order to offer yourself the best chances for success, you must ensure that you set yourself up with a solid foundation from the beginning. You can enter the trucking business through hot shot trucking with fewer license requirements and with less expensive equipment than full-size semi-trucks.
Essential Steps to Start Hotshot Trucking: How to Start Hotshotting
There are a few standards that all hotshot drivers must adhere to.
1. Obtain a CDL or driver's license.
A CDL is required for all hotshot drivers to operate.
2. Obtain a Medical card
The Department of Transportation requires a medical card. You must make an appointment with a medical examiner who is DOT-certified. A medical card has a 24-month expiration date.
3. Commercial driver’s insurance
Commercial driver's insurance is one of your major costs if you have a successful business. It's crucial to budget your luxury purchases. Your driving history and experience are used to determine insurance estimates. Your insurance rates will be higher if you recently received your CDL or have a terrible driving history.
4. Obtain your operating authority or MC number
The FMCSA will issue you an MC number. New applicants are required to apply for and receive a USDOT number. Once you have a USDOT number, you can apply for more operating authority if required.
Operating authority requires commercial insurance, and there is a charge for the application. A USDOT number will cost you $300 or more, at the very least. There are additional registration fees for operational authority.
Commercial5. Apply for business registration with the state
If you want to launch a hot new business, you should register with your state. Registering your firm can obtain an EIN (or federal tax ID). You can start a business bank account and recruit staff if you have an EIN.
6. Buy appliances
You'll need to make an investment in machinery that is ideal for the cargo you intend to transport. You might wish to invest in equipment that enables you to move a variety of loads, or you might want to focus only on carrying one form of freight.
You need a pickup and a trailer to start hotshot trucking. For a dually or super-duty pickup truck down payment could range from $5,000 to $25,000 or more. The price of a truck varies by year, make, and model. Depending on the kind and state of the trailer, the price to buy one outright could range from $10,000 to $25,000.
7. Find loads and start driving
They will give you loads to carry if you work for a corporation. Drivers who work for themselves and hotshot business entrepreneurs might look for jobs on load boards. Online, you can find both free and paid hotshot trucking load boards.
Paid load sites will probably publish more current and lucrative work, but free hotshot load boards can help you launch your firm and earn experience.
8. Become DOT Compliant
You must now comply with FMCSA regulations. All year long, these things need to be maintained. You must maintain flawless records to avoid being caught in an audit. These driver files contain information such as MVR reports, queries about prior employers, PSP reports, and more.
You must submit to a pre-employment drug test and join a DOT drug and alcohol consortium if you hold a commercial driver's license.
Advantages of Hotshot Driving
Hotshot truck driving is a reasonably simple profession to enter, and there will always be a need for this kind of transportation.
Among the benefits of being a hotshot driver are the following:
- Less expensive startup costs: Hotshot trucking requires less costly equipment. Payments for semi-trucks are more expensive than those for pickup trucks. Commercial insurance will be less expensive if you're a hotshot driver instead of a semi-truck owner-operator.
- Good earnings. Hotshot Freight offers reliable employment. Transporting large truckloads (LTL) and other LTL loads will always be necessary. These deliveries are frequently urgent, so the business may have to spend more to convey them. The hotshot trucking rate per mile ranges from $1 to $2.
- Longer home hours. Hotshot truckers carry locally, so they are at home more frequently. They transport time-sensitive cargo across a single state or a collection of states.
- Increases experience. You can understand federal regulations and get driving experience with the aid of Hotshot Trucking. Many rules for hotshot driving also apply to tractor-trailers. The FMCSA's service hours are one illustration, which also applies to short commercial hauls.
Finding Hotshot Trucking Loads
Finding the ideal transportation load involves a number of criteria. You want to ensure that you are paid fairly, that the work is worthwhile, and that you can find consistent work to support your lifestyle. The following are typical techniques for locating hotshot trucking loads:
- Browse free load boards: Both free and paid load boards are wonderful resources for finding local trucking employment. To find loads that suit your needs, search for jobs by date, distance, and cargo type.
- Contact a freight broker: Freight brokers specialize in locating trucking loads for their clients and may assist you in locating the ideal load for your business. Make contact with a freight broker who deals with businesses your size or specializes in hotshot trucking shipments.
- Networking with shippers is one of the best ways to find trucking contracts. When the time comes for them to engage a trucking firm, they'll be pleased to suggest you as a dependable partner if you can get on their radar.
Not everyone is cut out to be a "hotshot" driver and business owner, but if you are, it may be lucrative and provide you considerably more influence over both your work and personal lives. In conclusion, you must be able to find loads, contract them, and then deliver them.
