Hot shot dispatch service that keeps you on the right side of the line
Our hot shot dispatch service books partials and full loads that fit your deck, your hitch and your weight ratings, at rates that cover the fuel and the miles. Hotshot margins are thin and the weight lines are close, so we check both before an offer reaches you. CDL or non-CDL, gooseneck or bumper-pull.
7% of gross, no contract, and every load is your call.
What do you run?
Where your rig sits against the two federal lines
Put in your pickup's rating from the door sticker and your trailer's rating from its VIN plate, then slide the actual loaded weight. The scale shows the 10,001 lb line, where your rig becomes a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce, and the Class A CDL line. The defaults are an example; use your own ratings.
- Commercial motor vehicle (10,001 lb): YesUses the greater of the ratings or the actual weight. In interstate commerce, federal safety rules for commercial vehicles apply from this line, CDL or not.
- Class A CDL: RequiredCombined rating 29,000 lb, trailer rated 15,000 lb. The line is a combined rating of 26,001 lb or more with a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, and it uses ratings, so running light doesn't change it.
Adding the two ratings is a simple way to estimate the combined rating; your truck maker may publish its own figure. Hazmat placards trigger a CDL regardless of weight.
Source:49 CFR 390.5, definition of commercial motor vehicle (10,001 lb) · checked 2026-1049 CFR 383.91, commercial motor vehicle groups (Class A combination, Class B straight) · checked 2026-10
Most hotshot rigs cross the first line without trying. At 10,001 lb, federal safety rules for commercial motor vehicles apply in interstate commerce, which brings in things like driver qualification and hours of service whether you have a CDL or not. The second line is the CDL line, and it's based on weight ratings. A combined rating of 26,001 lb or more, with a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, needs a Class A license, even if today's load is light.
That's why non-CDL hotshot setups are built around ratings: a truck and trailer combination rated under the line, which caps what the rig can carry. We book inside those caps. If a load only works by overloading the trailer or the truck, it doesn't reach you. For the equipment side, our guide to non-CDL flatbed trucks covers setups and payload in more detail.
Listed weights on hotshot loads are often estimates, and an estimate that's off by a thousand pounds matters on a rig with little margin. So we ask the shipper for real piece weights, not a guess, and we flag loads where the listed weight looks wrong for what's described. When you're close to a limit, scale the rig after loading, before you get on the highway. A few dollars at a truck stop scale is cheaper than an overweight ticket, and far cheaper than a trailer or axle pushed past its rating on a long downhill.
The hotshot freight we book
Hotshot freight is smaller, often urgent, and often going somewhere a semi doesn't want to go. Each kind has its own catch.
- Oilfield and energy
- Parts, pipe, tools and equipment to well sites and yards. Remote locations, early calls and rough access roads.
- Agricultural equipment
- Implements, parts and small machines to farms and dealers. Seasonal, heavy ahead of planting and harvest.
- Construction and building materials
- Lumber, steel, tools and small equipment to job sites, often with a tight delivery window.
- Expedited partials
- Time-sensitive freight that can't wait for a full truckload. Pays for speed, punishes delays.
- Small machinery
- Skid steers, compact equipment and machines on skids. Watch the weight and the securement.
- Vehicles and trailers
- Single vehicles or trailers moved for dealers and private customers, where your rig allows.
If you're new to this work, our hot shot trucking guide explains how hotshot freight is found, priced and run.
Weight and dimensions on every offer
Every hotshot offer shows the freight, weight, dimensions, the lane, rate and pickup window. You decide with your ratings in mind. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. If it would push you over a rating, it never reaches you.
Load offer / Hotshot
Midland, TX to Lubbock, TX
- Miles
- 120
- Rate
- $550
- Per mile
- $4.58
On the rate con: pipe partial, 8,500 lb, same-day delivery
Pickup: Mon 06:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
Gooseneck or bumper-pull
Both run hotshot freight. They fit different loads, and we book them differently.
| Question | Gooseneck | Bumper-pull |
|---|---|---|
| Where the weight sits | Over the truck's rear axle | Behind the truck, on the hitch |
| Typical deck length | Longer decks are common | Usually shorter |
| Heavier loads | Better suited, within ratings | More limited |
| Stability on long hauls | Generally steadier | More sensitive to load placement |
| Freight we lean toward | Full loads, machinery, longer runs | Partials, lighter loads, shorter runs |
Whatever you pull, the ratings on the truck, the hitch and the trailer set the limit. Tell us all three, and we keep every offer inside the lowest one.
Securement rules don't shrink with the truck
A hotshot load is cargo on a flatbed, and federal securement rules treat it that way.
The same rules that set tie-down counts and working load limits on a 48 ft semi trailer apply to a 40 ft gooseneck. Long pieces need more tie-downs, and the working load limits of everything holding the load have to add up to at least half the cargo's weight. You inspect the load within the first 50 miles and keep checking it on the road. Run any load through the load securement calculator before you strap it.
Hotshot loads also tend to be mixed: a pallet, a crate and a piece of pipe on one deck, each needing its own securement. We ask the shipper for piece dimensions and weights so you know what you're strapping before you arrive.
Hotshot math: thin margins, real costs
Hotshot loads pay less per load than semi freight, and a one-ton burns real money in fuel, tires and maintenance over a long haul. Empty miles hurt more, because there's less revenue to absorb them. The loads that work are the ones where the miles, the weight and the timing line up, and the reload is close.
Our fee is 7% of gross on loads you haul, the same at any authority age and any fleet size, because hotshots sit on the starter tier with 26 ft box trucks. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month. Details are on the dispatch pricing page.
- Week gross
- $3,900
- Rate
- 7%
- Dispatch fee
- $273
- Kept
- $3,627
The gear that opens more hotshot freight
Hotshot shippers expect you to show up ready. Carriers who carry more of this list see more offers, and fewer loads fall through at the pickup. Keep your gear list current with us, because it decides which loads we can safely put in front of you.
- Straps with known ratings
- Enough working load limit for your heaviest likely load, with the rating readable on every strap.
- Chains and binders
- For machinery and steel, where straps won't do. Rated for the weight.
- Edge protectors
- Save straps and freight on sharp corners, and many shippers expect them.
- A tarp
- Some building materials and equipment need cover. One good tarp opens loads you'd otherwise lose.
- Ramps
- For skid steers and small equipment that drive on. Rated for what you'll load.
- Dunnage and blocking
- Lifts freight for forklift tines and keeps pieces from shifting.
Stacking partials and pricing short runs
Two partials, one deck
A lot of hotshot money is made by putting two or three partial loads on one deck heading the same way. That takes planning: the pieces have to fit together, the combined weight has to stay inside your ratings, and the drops have to come off in an order that doesn't mean restacking at every stop. We check the dimensions, weights and delivery order before we offer a stacked load, and each partial gets its own rate con from its own broker, straight to you.
Short runs and minimums
A 60-mile hotshot run can tie up half a day once you count loading, securement and the drive to the pickup. A rate per mile looks great on paper and still loses money if the run is short and the deadhead is long. On short runs we price the whole job: the drive to the shipper, the loading time and the delivery window. If a short load doesn't cover that, you hear our honest read before you decide.
One hotshot load: the desk and the cab
The desk
- Finds the load and checks weight and dimensions against your ratings and deck.
- Negotiates the rate, including any extra stop, loading time or detention.
- Sends you the offer and, after your yes, makes sure the rate con comes to you.
- Sends pickup details, site contact and any access notes for remote sites.
- Takes the broker's check calls and tracking requests.
- Works on the next load near the delivery before you're empty.
The cab
- Says yes or no.
- Reads and signs the rate con.
- Loads and secures to the rules, and photographs the finished load.
- Checks the load in the first 50 miles and on the road after that.
- Delivers and gets the signed delivery receipt.
- Sends the paperwork and heads to the next pickup.
Hotshot seasons, and whether you need a dispatcher
Seasons and regions
Hotshot freight follows a few big cycles. Energy activity rises and falls with the oil and gas market, and oilfield hotshot work moves with it. Ag equipment runs heavy ahead of planting and harvest. Construction freight follows the building season. A dispatcher who watches those cycles can move you toward the work before the rates show it, instead of after.
Do hotshots need a dispatcher?
If you have steady direct customers or a few brokers who keep you loaded, maybe not. Where we earn the fee is the stacked partials you'd never have time to build, the reloads near the delivery, the hours on the phone you get back, and the honest call when a cheap load isn't worth the fuel. If those don't add up to more than 7% of your week, don't sign up.
What we ask a hotshot carrier, and new authorities
On the setup call
- 01Truck, hitch and trailer ratingsAll three, from the stickers and plates.
- 02CDL or non-CDLAnd whether your combination is built to stay under the line.
- 03Deck length and gearStraps, chains, binders, edge protectors, tarps, ramps.
- 04How far you'll runLocal, regional or long haul, and home time.
- 05Freight you won't haulSome hotshots skip oilfield, some skip residential delivery.
New hotshot authorities
Hotshot is a common way into trucking, so plenty of brokers work with new hotshot MCs. The first weeks go to carrier packet approvals and building a clean record on smaller loads. A rig that runs clean and on time for its first few months opens far more freight. Our plan for those months is on dispatch for new authority.
If broker pay terms leave you short on fuel money between loads, hotshot factoring is built for smaller invoices from many brokers.
Hot shot dispatch questions
Note 01How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
7% of the load's gross, charged only on loads you haul, at any authority age and any fleet size. Hotshots sit on our starter tier with 26 ft box trucks. There's no setup fee, no monthly minimum, and no contract beyond month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.
Note 02Can you dispatch a non-CDL hotshot?
Yes, as long as your combination stays under the Class A line and you run it legally. The line is a combined weight rating of 26,001 lb or more with a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, and it's based on ratings, not on how heavy today's load is. Check your numbers in the CDL line tool on this page.
Note 03Do you dispatch bumper-pull hotshots?
Yes. Bumper-pull trailers carry less and handle long, heavy loads less well than goosenecks, so we keep offers inside what your hitch, trailer and truck are rated for. Tell us your trailer length and ratings on the setup call, and we'll book partials and light loads that fit the rig.
Note 04Do hotshots need the same securement as semis?
Yes. Federal cargo securement rules apply to the cargo on your deck whatever pulls it. The minimum number of tie-downs, the working load limits and the in-trip inspections are the same. A hotshot load that's secured like an afterthought is still a violation, and still a danger to everyone behind you.
Note 05Can a new MC hotshot get loads?
Yes. Many hotshot loads move through brokers that work with newer authorities, especially partials and expedited freight. The early weeks focus on getting carrier packets approved and building a clean record. Hotshots stay at the starter rate at any authority age, so there's no rate change at month 6.
Note 06Do I approve every load?
Every one. You see the freight, weight, dimensions, lane, rate, pickup window and extras. You say yes or no. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. A no costs nothing, and loads that would push you over your ratings never reach you in the first place.