Hot shot dispatch service for pickups that pull their weight
A hotshot rig is a heavy-duty pickup and a flatbed or gooseneck trailer, not a semi. It moves the loads that are too urgent or too small to wait for a tractor-trailer. Our hot shot dispatch service finds that freight, works the rate, and brings each load to you to approve. The rate con goes to you, and passing on a load costs nothing.
Hotshot freight moves fast and pays for speed, but it punishes empty miles. Planning the next load before you deliver is most of the job.
PICK YOUR TRUCK
Hotshot
A heavy-duty pickup pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer.
- FREIGHT
- Time-sensitive partials, equipment, oilfield and construction parts
- CDL
- Depends on combined weight
OUR FEE
7%
of gross
CH 02
Hotshot vs semi, side by side
| Hotshot | Semi (tractor-trailer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Power unit | Heavy-duty pickup | Tractor |
| Trailer | Flatbed or gooseneck, often 30-40 ft | Usually 48-53 ft |
| Typical loads | Partials, urgent and oversize-ish pieces | Full truckloads |
| Startup cost | Lower | Much higher |
| CDL | Depends on combined rating | Yes |
| Our fee | 7% | 5% for one truck past 6 months |
The hotshot trade-off is simple. You spend far less to get started and you can take loads a semi can't justify, but each load carries less, so rates per load are lower and every empty mile hurts more. A good hotshot week is a chain of partials that keeps the deck full and the truck pointed somewhere useful.
Common hotshot freight: construction and farm equipment, machinery parts that shut a plant down until they arrive, oilfield gear, steel and building materials in smaller quantities, and vehicles. Much of it is time-critical, which is where hotshots earn their name.
Running flatbed with a tractor instead? Securement and freight overlap a lot. See our page on flatbed dispatch.
CH 03
Your weight budget and the CDL line
Hotshot drivers get caught by weight ratings more than by anything else. Enter your pickup's rating and your trailer's rating and the bar shows where the combination falls. Use the ratings from the door sticker and the trailer's VIN plate, not what you usually haul.
Under federal rules, a combination rated 26,001 lb or more, with a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, is a Class A vehicle, and the driver needs a CDL 49 CFR 383.91 Commercial motor vehicle groupseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. Many hotshot setups cross that line, and once you do, CDL rules follow: medical card, drug and alcohol testing, and stricter hours tracking.
Want to check everything in one place, including hazmat? Try the do I need a CDL checker. Planning a heavy load? The truck weight limit checker helps you stay legal on the road.
CH 04
Hotshot dispatch costs 7% of gross
Hotshots pay 7% of the gross on each load you haul. It doesn't drop with authority age or fleet size, because hotshot weeks take more loads, more calls and more planning per dollar than most semi freight.
Signing up is free, there's no weekly floor, and turning down a hotshot run never costs you. Set the meter to what your pickup and gooseneck usually gross in a week to see the fee in dollars, then compare it on the dispatch costs page.
CH 05
A hotshot offer, with the deck math done
Every hotshot offer from us lists the weight, the deck length needed, securement notes and any tarp requirement, along with the rate and all-in rate per mile. Try the example: a time-critical machinery part with a tight delivery window.
If you'd rather combine two partials into one trip, tell us. Stacking partials going the same direction is one of the best ways to raise a hotshot's day, and it's exactly the kind of planning that's hard to do from the cab.
How stacking partials works
A semi usually hauls one full load from A to B. A hotshot often earns more by carrying two or three partial loads in the same direction, each paying its own rate. A 40 ft deck might take a 12 ft machine for one shipper and two pallets of parts for another, both going east.
It only works if the pieces fit together: total weight under your ratings, deck space for each piece with room to secure it, pickup and delivery times that line up, and brokers who are fine with a shared deck. That's a lot to juggle from the cab, which is why it's one of the most useful things a hotshot dispatcher does.
Each partial still comes to you as its own offer with its own rate con. You can take one and pass on the other. We just bring them to you together, so you can see how the day adds up before you commit.
Where hotshot freight comes from
Hotshot demand follows the industries that need something fast and can't wait for a full truckload. Construction picks up with the building season and slows in deep winter in the north. Farm equipment moves around planting and harvest. Energy regions generate urgent parts and equipment runs whenever a site needs something to keep running. Manufacturers call hotshots when a broken part is holding up a line.
That makes hotshot freight lumpy. Some weeks there's more than you can haul; some weeks the board is thin. The carriers who do best build relationships with brokers who post the kind of freight they like, and they know where they want to be when their regional market slows down.
When we plan your weeks, we look at those patterns for your home region and your trailer type, and we tell you plainly when a lane is slow instead of letting you sit and wonder.
What brokers ask a hotshot carrier
- Deck length and type: flatbed, gooseneck, dovetail, ramps.
- Weight ratings of the truck and trailer, and the payload you can legally carry.
- Straps, chains, binders and tarps on board, and how many.
- Whether you hold a CDL, for loads that push the combination over the line.
- Cargo insurance limits, since some equipment is worth a lot per load.
We put all of this in your carrier packet once, so you aren't answering the same questions on every call. Accurate numbers matter here: a broker who books a 30 ft piece on a rig with 28 ft of usable deck doesn't forget it, and neither does the shipper waiting on that part. When your trailer, ratings or equipment change, tell us and we update every broker that has your packet.
Hotshot mistakes that cost the most
- Overweight runs. A load that fits the deck can still push you over your ratings or a state's limits. Fines and out-of-service orders cost more than the load paid.
- Long deadhead for one partial. A rate that looks great over 300 empty miles usually isn't. Count every mile.
- Weak securement. Hotshot loads are often heavy, odd-shaped pieces. Use enough tiedowns for the length and weight, and check them after the first few miles.
- Ignoring tire and brake wear. Pickups pulling heavy goosenecks wear fast. Budget for it per mile, not when something fails.
- Skipping the paperwork on short runs. A same-day hotshot run still needs a signed bill of lading and proof of delivery. Without them, the broker can hold your payment, and a fast load turns into a slow paycheck.
CH 06
Hotshot dispatch questions
CH 01How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
7% of the gross on each load you haul, at any authority age and any fleet size. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, and no charge for loads you turn down or weeks you take off. The agreement is month to month, and you can stop with 30 days notice.
CH 02What is hotshot trucking?
Hauling freight with a heavy-duty pickup, usually a one-ton or larger, pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer. Hotshots take smaller, often time-critical loads that don't need a full semi: equipment, machinery parts, building materials and oilfield gear. The setup costs far less than a semi, but each load carries less freight.
CH 03Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
It depends on the weight ratings. If the truck and trailer together are rated 26,001 lb or more and the trailer alone is rated over 10,000 lb, the combination is Class A and the driver needs a CDL. Many hotshot rigs cross that line. Check the ratings on your door sticker and trailer plate, not the weight you usually haul.
CH 04Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Yes. Plenty of hotshot carriers start on brand-new authorities, and many brokers that post hotshot freight work with new carriers. Your fee stays at the hotshot rate. Have your authority, insurance certificate and W-9 ready, plus exact deck length and weight ratings, and we'll start your broker setups right away.
CH 05Do I have to accept every load?
No. Each load comes to you as an offer with the rate, miles, weight, deck length needed and pickup time. You decide. Saying no costs nothing. Once you say yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation directly to you to sign, so nothing is booked under your authority without your approval.
18 wheels · 1 dispatcher · your call on every load
Keep your hotshot deck full and moving
Tell us your truck, your trailer and your weight ratings. We'll find the partials and plan the reloads, and every load waits for your yes.