CDL and non-CDL hotshots
Hotshot freight is fast, partial and heavy for its size. We match each load to your truck and trailer ratings, your deck length and your securement gear, then call you before anything is booked. The rate con comes to you.
Hotshot
Equipment parts, ag and oilfield loads, building materials on a gooseneck
Hotshot
7%A truck pulling a trailer becomes a Group A combination, which needs a Class A CDL, when the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more and the trailer itself is rated over 10,000 lb. 49 CFR 383.5Checked October 2026 Both conditions have to be true. A heavy truck pulling a trailer rated 10,000 lb or less doesn't make a Group A combination. 49 CFR 383.5Checked October 2026
That is why non-CDL hotshot setups are usually built around ratings, not just weights on the day. Owners pair a truck and trailer whose ratings stay under the line, which caps how much they can legally haul. Others rate up, get the Class A, and open heavier loads.
Placarded hazardous materials need a CDL with the hazmat endorsement on any vehicle, so a non-CDL hotshot can't take placarded loads. Not sure where your rig sits? Run it through the CDL checker.
Non-CDL hotshots trade payload for simpler hiring and lower costs. The driver doesn't need a CDL and stays outside the DOT drug and alcohol testing program. The trade-off is a tighter payload, so the load mix leans toward lighter equipment, parts, building materials and expedited freight.
We dispatch both. Tell us your truck and trailer ratings on the first call, and every load we offer stays on the right side of your line. A load that would need a CDL your driver doesn't hold never reaches your phone.
Equipment and steel shift. The minimum number of tiedowns depends on the length and weight of each piece. 49 CFR 393.110(b)Checked October 2026 Wheeled or tracked equipment of 10,000 lb or more needs at least four. 49 CFR 393.130Checked October 2026 We confirm what is being hauled before we call, so you know which straps, chains and binders to bring. The load securement calculator runs the numbers for any piece.
Hotshot freight is usually one piece, one partial or one urgent job. Typical loads include skid steers, mini excavators and small tractors moving between rental yards, dealers and job sites; oilfield, pump and industrial parts; building materials and steel; and expedited parts for a machine or a line that is down.
Because loads are small, a good week depends on stacking them. We look for a second partial on the way, a reload near the delivery and a backhaul pointed home, so the truck isn't driving long empty miles between short paid ones.
You decide on every load. We call before booking, the broker sends the rate confirmation to you, and you can say no at any point before you sign.
A tractor and 48 ft flatbed can haul far more, so why does hotshot freight exist at all? Because a lot of freight is one piece, needed now. A shipper with a single skid steer or a crate of parts doesn't want to pay for a full flatbed, and doesn't want to wait for one to be consolidated with other freight. A hotshot can take it direct, today.
That shapes the work. Hotshots win on speed and flexibility, not volume. Loads come up at short notice, often from contractors, rental companies, dealers and plants with a machine down. The trucks that do well answer fast, know their payload without looking it up, and can turn a delivery into the next pickup within a few miles.
Construction. Equipment moves between rental yards, dealers and job sites all week, plus materials that don't fill a flatbed. Busy seasons follow the building calendar in your region.
Oil and gas. Parts, pumps, pipe and tools for sites that can't wait, often on short notice and to remote locations. Hours of service and site access rules matter on these runs.
Agriculture. Small tractors, implements and parts around planting and harvest. Work is seasonal, so we line up other freight before the rush ends.
Your authority status, liability and cargo insurance, the truck and trailer weight ratings, deck length, whether you carry ramps, and your securement gear. Some shippers ask for a photo of the rig or proof of a CDL for heavier loads. We send your packet only to brokers whose freight fits your setup, so approvals turn into loads rather than a pile of paperwork.
Some loads are quoted per mile, many as a flat price for the run. A flat price looks good until you add the empty miles to reach the pickup and to get home. We price every offer on the whole trip, so you can compare it with your cost per mile before you say yes. Urgent loads often pay more because the shipper is paying for speed, but only if the timing is realistic and legal on your hours.
They do, which is why someone needs to be watching while you drive. We call as soon as a fitting load appears, and you answer yes or no in one short call.
It is, because a hotshot load is smaller but takes as many calls to book well. You still pay nothing on loads you turn down or weeks you don't run.
Not from us. Your ratings, deck length and gear are on your card, and every load is checked against them before you hear about it. If you add a longer trailer or rate up for a CDL, tell us and the card changes the same day.
Hotshots pay 7% of gross at any authority age, the same as 26 ft box trucks. Smaller loads take about as much booking work as large ones, and the rate keeps that work worth doing properly. Take the example run above: the skid steer pays $1,150 and the pump parts pay $950. The trip grosses $2,100, the dispatch fee is $147.00, and Carrier A keeps $1,953.00.
No setup fee, no minimums and no fee in a week you don't haul. Compare a load's real pay per mile, empty miles included, with the hotshot rate calculator, and see every tier on the dispatch fee page.
Running a hotshot for oilfield or construction customers already? Keep them. Tell us the days that are spoken for and we fill the gaps around them, with every load still offered to you first.
7% of the gross on each load you haul, at any authority age and fleet size. There is no setup fee, no minimum and nothing owed in a week you don't haul. On a $1,200 load the fee is $84. The agreement is month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice.
It depends on your 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 driver needs a Class A CDL. Many hotshots run under that line on purpose. Placarded hazardous materials need a CDL whatever the weight. Check your door stickers.
Construction and farm equipment like skid steers and small tractors, oilfield and industrial parts, building materials, steel, pipe, vehicles and expedited parts for a machine that is down. Most loads are partials or one-piece moves that don't need a full 48 ft flatbed, which is why speed and planning matter so much.
Yes. Hotshots pay 7% whether the MC is new or not. Some brokers won't book a brand new authority, so we start with brokers that do, choose early loads that build a clean record and help you widen the broker list as the MC ages. Have your insurance certificate and W-9 ready.
No. We call you with each load before it is booked: pickup, delivery, weight, dimensions and rate. You say yes or no. After a yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you to sign. A no costs you nothing, and we go back to searching for a load that fits.
Send your truck and trailer ratings with the application. We'll call with hotshot loads that fit them, and you decide on each one.