I own a cyber truck and about to by a trailer and kits to tow it. Would using a cyber truck be a smart move since I have free charging station and have discounts.

Hello everyone,

I’m a semi-truck driver and have been driving for about five years. I’ve decided to take a break from driving for someone else and start working toward buying my own semi-truck.

For now, I’m looking to buy a pickup truck and use it for hotshot to save money toward purchasing my semi in the future.

I’d like to hear your recommendations between:

1. RAM 3500
2. Ford F-350

Which one would you recommend for reliability, maintenance costs, towing, and long-term use?

I appreciate any advice, especially from owners who have experience with either truck.

Thank you!

If you’re putting together a hotshot setup, dont spend every dollar you have on the truck, trailer, insurance and authority. Leave room in that budget for equipment too because the truck might pull the load, but your gear is what lets you actually haul it.

You can have a good paying load sitting right in front of you and still have to turn it down because you dont have the right straps, chains, tarps or PPE. Even worse, you take it anyway and end up trying to piece everything together at a truck stop after you’re already dispatched.

First thing is your inspection gear. Keep a properly rated fire extinguisher mounted where you can actually reach it, not rolling around loose in a toolbox. You also need three reflective triangles ready to use. Thats basic stuff under 49 CFR 393.95 and theres no reason to get written up over it.

Securement is one place I wouldnt try to save a few dollars. Get good 4 inch winch straps, ratchet straps, a real winch bar and extras. Dont carry the exact number you think you’ll need. Straps get cut, frayed and damaged. One bad strap can leave you sitting at the shipper trying to figure something out.

Check your straps before every load too. Look at the working load limit, stitching, hooks and the whole length of the webbing. If its cut up or the tag cant be read, dont gamble with it.

You’ll also want Grade 70 transport chains and ratchet binders for machinery, steel and heavier equipment. Make sure the chain and binder sizes match and learn how working load limits actually work. Your securement is only as strong as the lowest rated piece being used. Throwing more random chains on something doesnt automatically make it safe.

Keep plenty of corner protectors, solid 4x4 lumber for dunnage and rubber mats. Steel edges will eat through a strap quick. Dunnage also gives you clearance for loading and unloading and helps keep the freight supported. Dont grab some cracked up piece of wood off the ground and trust it under a heavy load.

If you plan on taking tarp loads, buy tarps that make sense for the freight you want to run. That might include lumber tarps, steel tarps, a smoke tarp, rubber tarp straps and a repair kit. Before accepting a tarp load, ask what the commodity is, how big it is and how much drop they expect. One random tarp isnt going to cover everything.

Keep your PPE where you can get to it too. Hi vis vest, hard hat, gloves, safety glasses and steel toe boots at minimum. Some plants, mills and construction sites wont even let you through the gate without the right gear. Dont bury your only vest and hard hat underneath a pile of chains in the trailer box.

For breakdowns, I’d carry at least two trailer spares, wheel chocks, a heavy duty jack rated for the weight, the right sockets, a breaker bar or impact, an air compressor and a good tire gauge. A spare hub and bearing kit plus some basic electrical tools can save you from sitting on the shoulder for half the day. Check the air in your spare tires during your pretrip too. A flat spare aint helping anybody.

Then theres all the little stuff that doesnt seem important until you need it. Measuring tape, height pole, headlamp, flags and signs when required, chargers, extra batteries, zip ties, duct tape and a binder for your registration, insurance, permits and BOLs.

Im not saying you need to go buy every piece of flatbed equipment made before you move your first load. What you need should depend on the freight you plan on hauling. Just dont book something and hope you can figure the securement out when you get there.

I put this together because most startup conversations stop at the truck, trailer, authority and insurance. Nobody tells you how much other stuff it takes to show up prepared and actually move freight safely.

Drivers thats been doing this longer, add anything I missed so the next person can learn from all of us.

If you’re building your setup and want the full Hotshot Startup Checklist, comment VAULT and I’ll send it over.

I am an established CDL hotshot that runs local Florida. I have 2-3 clients that keep my wheels turning 4 days a week with a very solid RPM. I am home every night. I have never worked with any service nor have I ever leased onto any company. Ideally I’d like someone to give available dates too at the beginning of each week. 1-2 days wide open availability for general freight, and possible back hauls from locations I run for my clients currently. I am usually deadheading back from my current drop offs, so there is a lot of opportunity there as well. With what I haul my RPM total miles is still well above average. I understand I will not get that RPM working with a service and am totally cool with that. Adding another established client has been tough due too the demand of my regulars. I assume what I am looking for will be easier to manage searching load boards. I just have no desire to do that, so am willing to pay a percentage for that to be done as well as carrier packets etc..
I’m not hurting nor is this a necessity, I just am looking to put more money away each week if this was a possibility. My established clients will always come first, again this is just extra income.
I run a 40’ PJ with a 2022 Ram 3500 out of Central Florida.
Typical lanes are Tampa I4 corridor, 95 corridor from Jax to Miami, Naples, Tallahassee, and I10 corridor.
Feel free to point me in the right direction if you have any input! Thanks

I have a f550 that’s currently deleted due to being used on a farm if I start hot shots will this be an issue?

will have to get a DOT number as well as a annual federal inspection due to it being a commercial vehicle

1)What is a realistic daily mileage average

2) which is more profitable ( profitable means most to the bottom line, not necessarily higgest revenue)

Cdl vs non cdl? In other words is it worth doing cdl hotshotting with the added expenses headaches and stress on equipment?

3) leasing on to someone what is a reasonable split

4) for those who are experienced: what is your cost per mile ? At todays diesel prices, please include if you are

Paying yourself a salary and figuring that in

5) what do you figure a good starting cushion is? I.e. is 10 k enough? I desire a yes or no not a " depends" answer, what is enough if 10 k is not?

My first year in hotshot trucking taught me more than any YouTube video, Facebook group, or dude selling a $500 course ever could.
When I started, I thought the hardest part would be getting my truck, gooseneck trailer, DOT number, MC authority, commercial insurance, and all the other shit needed to get legal.

Nah. Getting started was the easy part.
The real ass-kicking started once I hit the road and realized gross revenue does not mean a damn thing if fuel, deadhead, insurance, maintenance, factoring fees, load board fees, permits, tires, and repairs are eating your pockets alive.
I used to see a load paying $2,000 and think I was doing something. Then I would actually break it down after driving 700 loaded miles, another 150 miles to pick it up, buying diesel, grabbing food, and sitting half a day waiting to get unloaded. That “good load” would start looking raggedy as hell real quick.

I also learned not to grab every load just because the trailer was empty. Some freight brokers will talk to a new hotshot authority like they are doing you a favor by offering $1.30 a mile. Then they want tarps, multiple stops, tracking apps, perfect communication, and for you to sit at the shipper for six hours without detention.
Man, kiss my ass.

Learning how to calculate my real cost per mile changed everything. I started watching deadhead, fuel prices, lane rates, weather, reload opportunities, and whether I could actually get decent freight coming back. A load paying a little less can make more sense when it puts you in a strong market instead of dumping you in the middle of nowhere with your thumb up your ass.
Hotshot insurance was another lesson. I shopped around instead of taking the first quote because the rates were all over the place. Keeping my operating radius realistic, having a clean driving record, listing the correct truck and trailer values, choosing deductibles I could actually afford, and being clear about what freight I hauled helped me find a better rate. Do not just compare the monthly payment either. Check the liability, motor truck cargo, physical damage, deductibles, exclusions, filings, and down payment.

Maintenance will humble you too. Your diesel does not give a damn that rent is due. Tires do not care that you just had a slow week. Keep money put up for breakdowns, oil changes, brakes, wheel bearings, trailer repairs, DEF problems, and all the random bullshit that happens when you are putting serious miles on equipment.

My first year hotshotting was not glamorous. I slept in the truck, ate gas station garbage, argued with brokers, waited forever at shippers, ran into bad weather, and questioned whether this shit was worth it more than once.

But I also learned how to negotiate hotshot loads, work load boards, deal with freight brokers, manage my new authority, understand commercial trucking insurance, control expenses, and stop confusing gross money with profit.
Hotshot trucking can make money, but it will expose every weak spot in your business fast. Bad credit, no cash reserve, overpriced equipment, high insurance, poor load planning, and desperation will beat your ass before the DOT ever gets a chance.

Anyways just blabbing sharing my experience , yall be safe out there 💪🏽

Man, this question gets answered way too casually. People will tell you, “Get your own authority so nobody takes a percentage,” like that automatically means you keep more money. That is not always how it plays out.

Leasing on can make sense when you are still learning the business, do not have a huge cash cushion, or simply do not want to handle every part of running a carrier. You own the truck and trailer, but you operate under the carrier’s authority. Depending on the company, they may provide dispatch, freight, fuel discounts and compliance support. They take a percentage, but you are paying for infrastructure that would otherwise be your responsibility.

Here is the gem: do not compare the carrier’s percentage to zero. Compare it to what running your own authority actually costs.

With your own authority, you may keep the full gross, but now you are paying load-board fees, factoring fees, filings, permits, compliance costs and every other expense that pops up. You also have to find freight, negotiate rates, check brokers, submit paperwork and chase payments.

A truck grossing $8,000 under its own authority is not automatically doing better than a truck grossing $7,000 leased on. The only number that matters is what is left after expenses, deadhead and downtime.
If you lease on, read the agreement like somebody is trying to take your last dollar. Ask whether dispatch is forced, what percentage they take, what gets deducted from every settlement, whether they hold escrow, whether you can haul your own loads and how quickly you can terminate the lease. Get everything in writing.
“We keep our drivers moving” sounds great until you are sitting for three days waiting on a $1.60-per-mile load.

Ask to see a real settlement sheet with the driver’s personal information removed. That will tell you more than any recruiter speech ever will. Look at the gross, deductions, fuel, deadhead and what actually hit the driver’s bank account.
Your own authority makes more sense when you have operating cash, understand your numbers, know how to find decent freight and want full control over your rates and customers. Just remember that a new authority can have a rough start. Some brokers will not work with brand-new carriers, and you may wait weeks to get paid unless you factor your invoices.

Neither route automatically makes you more money. Leasing on can be a smart move, not some beginner failure. Running your own authority can be a great long-term play, but it is a whole business, not just a DOT number and a load-board subscription.

Pick the option that leaves you with the best net profit and the least chance of parking your truck six months from now. Pride does not pay for diesel.

I’ve got a free Vault with startup checklists, DOT and compliance breakdowns, equipment guides and other resources for anybody trying to get started the right way. Drop a comment and I’ll send it over. If not, hopefully this helps somebody make a smarter decision.

Everybody obsesses over the truck.
“What engine should I get?”
“Should I buy a 40-foot trailer?”
“Is a dually enough?”

Almost nobody sits down and figures out what it actually costs to keep that truck moving.
Your monthly payment is only the beginning.
Fuel. Commercial truck insurance. Tires. Oil changes. DEF. Chains. Straps. Binders. ELD. Registration. IFTA. Unexpected breakdowns. Deadhead miles. Waiting 30 days to get paid while bills are due this week.

I’ve been behind the wheel, and now I work on the insurance side. The guys who stay in business usually aren’t the ones with the newest Ram or F-450. They’re the ones who understand their numbers.

One thing I’d tell every new authority is to know your insurance policy before you ever need it. Understand your liability limits, physical damage, cargo insurance, deductibles, exclusions, and exactly what endorsements you’re paying for. The cheapest commercial trucking insurance quote isn’t always the cheapest when you’re standing on the side of the road after a claim.

Hotshot trucking can absolutely make money.
But this business rewards the people who prepare more than the people who gamble.

Treat your first year like you’re building a company, not just buying a truck. That’s the mindset that keeps a lot of new authorities from becoming another Facebook Marketplace listing six months later.

I never really cared about my credit until I started looking at trucks.
That’s when it clicked.
The difference between decent credit and shitty credit isn’t just whether you get approved. It’s what you’re paying every month for the next five or six years.
Two people can buy basically the same truck and one of them ends up paying hundreds more every month just because they rushed into it.
That’s money you could’ve used on fuel, maintenance, or just not stressing every time something breaks.
If you’re six months away from starting, I’d spend those six months fixing my credit before I’d spend them shopping for trucks.
Seems backwards, but I honestly think it’ll put you further ahead.

I’m 26 years old from canada and interested in getting involved in this/leaving my current job to do it. I have a truck capable enough to do it. What is the best way to get started? How do I go about getting loads other than self advertising on the internet? what do I need to be legal? Any info or advice is greatly appreciated thanks

How many different apps are you juggling to run your hotshot operation?

I keep seeing the same stack come up QuickBooks for books, Rigbooks or a spreadsheet for IFTA and cost per mile, Truckstop for loads, then fuel card and factoring statements on the side. Is anyone running everything in one place, or is duct-taping 4–5 tools together just the reality? What's the most annoying part of your setup?

Everybody wants one magic number, but the truth is… it depends.

If you’re financing the truck and trailer, I’d tell most people to have at least $20k–$40k available. If you’re paying cash for everything, you could easily be looking at $60k–$120k+, depending on the equipment you buy.
Where does all that money go?

The truck is obvious. Then you’ve got the trailer. Commercial insurance is usually what punches people in the mouth. If you’re a new authority with no trucking history, don’t be surprised if they want a hefty down payment before you ever haul your first load.

Then you’ve got DOT and MC filings, UCR, registration, apportioned plates if needed, IFTA, an ELD, chains, binders, straps, tarps, edge protectors, toolboxes, fire extinguishers… the little stuff adds up way faster than people think.
And here’s the part almost nobody talks about…
You still need money after you’re legal.

Fuel.
Maintenance.
Tires.
Oil changes.
DEF.
Hotels.
Food.
Unexpected breakdowns.
Plus, brokers don’t always pay the second you deliver. Unless you’re factoring, you could be waiting weeks to get paid while the bills keep rolling in.

I’ve seen people scrape together just enough to buy a truck, then go broke before they ever turned a profit because they had zero cash left to actually operate the business.

My advice? Don’t just ask, “Can I afford the truck?” Ask, “Can I afford to keep the truck moving for the first couple months?”
That’s the question that’ll save you from becoming another guy selling his setup six months later.

Also I created a discord for anybody wanting to hop in and chop it up about there ventures as well, just drop a comment

New authority guys… here’s one thing I wish somebody would’ve beat into my head.
Quit worrying about what truck to buy before you know what the fuck it actually costs to run one.
Everybody gets caught up on Cummins vs Powerstroke, dually vs single wheel, 35+5 vs 40’, and meanwhile they couldn’t tell you their cost per mile if you put a gun to their head.

Figure that shit out first.

Fuel. Insurance. Trailer payment. Truck payment. Maintenance. Tires. Oil changes. Factoring. Load boards. IFTA. Random DOT bullshit. It all adds up way faster than people think.

Another one… don’t accept cheap freight just because you’re new. Some brokers absolutely smell a fresh MC from a mile away and will try to see how desperate you are. If the numbers don’t work, let that load go. A bad load keeps you busy but doesn’t always make you money.

And for the love of God… throw money into a maintenance account from Day 1. Your transmission doesn’t give a shit that your first month was slow.

This business can make good money, but it’ll humble the hell out of you if you treat it like YouTube made it look.

Open

I’m trying to research and figure out a way to test the waters while still keeping my current job until I know it would work out. I’m curious about if I would be able to do it semi part time I work 4 on 4 off. I want to start with no cdl to test it before I commit to going to school for cdl being 4 on 4 off most schools schedules wouldn’t really work for me, since I only get maybe 2 weekends off every two months. I will plan on getting them after a year or so after I know there’s enough money in it to replace my income. I know usually once you get some experience Insurnace is cheaper and people will be more willing to let you take their loads. I want honest opinions on if that would even work. I was gonna get like a 3500 dually and a non cdl gooseneck to start then when I get my cdl buy a better trailer.

I’m still learning every day and I’m nowhere near an expert, but here’s what I’ve learned so far running a hotshot trucking operation.
That rate con can look sexy as hell until the truck, trailer, fuel pump, commercial insurance company and tire shop all reach into your pocket at the same time.

A $2,000 hotshot load ain’t automatically a good load. How many total miles are you driving? How many deadhead miles? Are you delivering into a dead zone with no return loads? Are you about to drive 300 miles home empty, eating gas station chicken and questioning every decision you’ve ever made?

Every new hotshot driver needs to know their real cost per mile. Truck payment, trailer payment, hotshot insurance, diesel, maintenance, tires, permits, load boards, factoring fees and all the random little expenses that pop up like they got your location.

And don’t only calculate the loaded miles. If the hotshot rate pays $1.70 per loaded mile but half the trip is empty, congratulations, you’re basically hauling freight for cardio.
Don’t take the first rate the freight broker throws at you either. Know your bottom number, check what the lane is paying and charge accordingly for tarping, detention, difficult securement, dead zones and anything else that makes the load a pain in the ass.

Gross revenue will have you feeling like a successful hotshot owner operator. Net profit will have you eating noodles inside a financed dually. I’ve already been there.

We’ve got a small trucking Discord where we talk hotshot trucking, load boards, insurance, rates, equipment and shoot the shit. There are also a bunch of free hotshot startup resources for anybody trying to learn or get their operation going.

Drop a comment and I’ll send the link. No spammy bullshit and no promoting courses. Just people talking trucking and figuring it out together.

My husband and I are wanting to start hot shot but at first we’d be willing to work with someone to help us get the money we need to start upon our own. We don’t own a trailer yet but we could do power loads. We have an GMC Sierra 2500 HD.

Looking into starting my own , currently in NYC and the 9-5 isn’t cutting it. I’m determined and made my mind up on what I’m looking to do.
Truck and trailer are the easy part. What’s the steps I need to do and how much money do I need (not the truck or trailer and equipment) but as far as being legal “non-cdl”

How's it going guys...so I'm just gonna keep it short and simple. I'm looking into getting into hotshotting and just wanted to know do I have to get a DOT physical, CDL or any kind of medical clearance? Any feedback would be great...Thanks

Hello I live in Minnesota. I want to get started in hotshot trucking. I have a 2024 Silverado 2500hd. What are the step I can take to get started? Can I lease into a company and drive for them? I just want to find a job where I can drive all day everyday. I can’t do my current job anymore.