A hot shot dispatch service that knows your weight limit before it calls
Hotshot freight is fast, small and picky. Oilfield parts, equipment, building materials, a machine that has to be somewhere tomorrow. The rate looks good per mile, but every load has to fit your deck length, your trailer's capacity and, if you run non-CDL, a combined weight rating you can't cross.
Our hot shot dispatch service checks every posting against your setup before we counter: deck length, freight weight, your ratings and the delivery time. Then the load comes to you. You say yes or no, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you.
- 7% of gross
- 4% for 2+ trucks
- CDL and non-CDL
- No setup fee
Check a posting against your truck before you call
Put in a posting's miles, the empty miles to the pickup, the offered rate and the freight weight, plus your truck's and trailer's weight ratings. The card shows the all-in rate per mile, what you'd net after our fee and whether your setup's ratings cross the CDL line.
That last part matters more for hotshots than for any other truck we dispatch. Under FMCSA rules, a combination rated or weighing 26,001 pounds or more needs a CDL, and it's a Class A CDL when the trailer is rated over 10,000 pounds. Plenty of hotshot drivers run non-CDL setups on purpose, rated at or under 26,000 pounds combined, which caps how much freight you can legally carry.
So a posting for a 12,000-pound load might be a great fit for a CDL hotshot and impossible for a non-CDL one. We keep your ratings on your card and never send you a load your setup can't haul legally. The full hotshot rate calculator does the same math with more inputs.
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Where hotshot freight actually comes from
Hotshot loads move through several channels, and a desk that only watches one board misses most of them. Here's where we look.
- Load boards. Many hotshot loads post as flatbed or partials, often with a hotshot or expedited note. Filtering only for hotshot equipment hides a lot of them.
- Expedite brokers. Freight that has to move now: a part for a down machine, a delayed shipment, an emergency delivery. It pays for speed, and only works if your delivery time is legal on hours of service.
- Oilfield and energy work. In some regions, a big share of hotshot freight serves drilling, pipeline and energy sites. It's busy when the industry is busy and slow when it isn't.
- Equipment dealers and rental yards. Machinery and attachments moving between yards, job sites and buyers.
- Direct customers. Local businesses who need a reliable hotshot more than the cheapest one. Slower to build, steadier once you have them.
Our guide to hot loads in trucking explains how urgent freight is priced and what to check before you commit to a tight delivery time.
What we confirm before a hotshot load reaches you
Hotshot postings are often short. These are the details we confirm before you see the load, because each one can turn a good rate into a bad day.
- Weight and dimensions. Actual freight weight, piece count and the longest piece against your deck length.
- Loading method. Forklift, crane or loading dock at both ends, and whether you'll need ramps.
- Securement. Straps or chains needed, and whether the freight needs tarping or edge protection.
- Delivery time. Whether a solo driver can make it legally on hours of service, or the time only works if you drive through.
- Site access. Oilfield and job site deliveries can need gate passes, safety gear or a site contact.
- The broker. Authority and registration on FMCSA's public records, payment terms and the usual red flags.
Hotshot rates, and why per mile isn't the whole story
Hotshot rates often look higher per mile than big-truck freight, and the costs are lower too: better fuel mileage, a cheaper truck, lower insurance. But the loads are smaller, many are short, and a lot of them come with a wait at the pickup or a tight window at delivery. A $3.50 per mile load that takes all day for 180 miles may pay less per hour than a $2.40 load that runs 600 miles straight.
That's why we look at the day, not just the mile. All-in rate per mile with the empty miles counted, hours from pickup to delivery, what reloads near the drop. Then we counter from your floor. EXAMPLE: a $1,400 load for 620 loaded miles with 90 empty is $1.97 per mile all-in. If your floor is $2.10, we ask for at least $1,500 before it comes to you.
We also tell you plainly when a lane is soft. Hotshot freight is sensitive to the oilfield and construction cycles, and some weeks the best move is a cheaper load that repositions you toward stronger freight.
Running non-CDL: what still applies
Running a non-CDL hotshot keeps you out of CDL requirements, but it doesn't take you out of DOT rules. If your truck and trailer are rated over 10,000 pounds combined and you haul across state lines for hire, you're operating a commercial motor vehicle under FMCSA's definition. That generally means a USDOT number and operating authority, a DOT medical card for the driver, hours-of-service limits, vehicle inspections and insurance.
What a non-CDL hotshot doesn't fall under is DOT drug and alcohol testing, because those rules in 49 CFR Part 382 apply to drivers who need a CDL. If you move up to a CDL setup, testing comes with it, including a random testing pool.
The bigger day-to-day limit is weight. A non-CDL setup rated at 26,000 pounds combined has to carry the truck, the trailer and the freight inside that rating. A heavy trailer leaves little room for cargo. We keep your ratings on file and only send loads that fit them.
One practical tip: weigh your empty truck and trailer together at a certified scale once. Subtract that from your combined rating and you have your real cargo limit, which is usually lower than drivers expect.
What our hotshot dispatchers handle
- Searching boards, expedite brokers, equipment dealers and direct customers for loads that fit your deck and ratings.
- Confirming weight, dimensions, loading method and site access before a load reaches you.
- Checking delivery times against hours of service before we commit you.
- Broker checks on FMCSA's public records before every counter.
- Negotiating every load from your floor, with stop pay and detention asked for in writing.
- Reload planning, check calls and a weekly report of loads, gross, fee and empty miles.
Every load comes to you before it's booked. You say yes or no, and the rate confirmation comes straight from the broker to you. If a load doesn't fit your truck or your schedule, it simply doesn't reach your phone.
Hotshot drivers also tend to want different things from a week. Some want to run hard for two weeks and go home for one. Some want to be home every night and stay within a few hundred miles. Some chase oilfield work when it's hot and switch to equipment hauling when it isn't. Tell us how you like to run, and the search follows that pattern instead of whatever pays the most this hour.
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7% of gross for a hotshot
Hotshots are dispatched at 7% of the gross on loads you haul. Hotshot loads are smaller and often shorter, so the desk does about the same work per load for less revenue. With two or more trucks under your authority, the fleet rate of 4% applies while it lasts.
No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month and 30 days notice to cancel. A week you don't haul costs nothing. The fee breakdown shows the fee in cents per mile.
Hotshot dispatcher questions
How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
What is a good hotshot rate per mile?
Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Will you force me to take loads?
Tear a tab. Keep the gooseneck loaded.
You say yes or no to every load. The rate con comes to you. No setup fee. Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice.