Profile For Robert A.

Susan D.

That sounds like your brother in law found a good set up that he worked for, excellent for him! I can understand that it’s a very niche market but we’re hoping to edge in on the competition with the fact that little overhead means we can charge less per mile, or at the very least scoop up loads which other competitors would overlook due to various reasons. This is a kickstart between my friend and I with the equal understanding that it may or may not work out. We each have our respective “plan b” lined up should we encounter any issues within the first year of startup. We’re confident we can manage but we also never bank on anything as if it’s a water tight commodity. Thanks for the response. Stay safe out there and God bless.

Old School, No worries about coming off critical, that’s always acceptable in my book, although I think you’ve missed the mark by quite a bit on where I’m coming from.

For starters the difference of 8’ and 1/4 ton may seem like splitting hairs but wouldn’t that mean we’ve already checked off the big “elephant in the room” items (insurance, operating expenses, wear and tear, fuel, etc) and have now narrowed down our focus to the smallest details? Secondly, the difference of the fore mentioned rig set up equates to about an 18-20% variance in load availability, simply meaning the larger of the two rigs would allow me the same pay as the smaller rig with the added benefit of being home 18-20% more often. Thirdly, I stated that the goal is more home time, not the business model, I believe you’re misunderstanding that as poor customer quality. As an owner of a business you should be able to understand that if you’re in a position to control your own schedule but still make a livable wage and sustain your company with a good and satisfied customer base, wouldn’t you choose to do that over grinding yourself 24/7? Lastly, hotshotters (the ones that “make no money”) around here tend to all suffer the same failures. They over spend, get started with MASSIVE overhead, and then spend the next years trying to catch up to the first big investment. I’m coming from an entirely different route of almost no overhead and a pretty manageable monthly expense design, both personal and professional. So to reiterate, my goal is not to “make it big” or be “wildly successful”, it’s to control my own schedule in a manner that I’ve worked very hard to attain, maintain my life style, and work the schedule I have worked towards obtaining. At the end of the day if you have to grind and work just as hard while running your own rig compared to working for a company, then what’s the payoff? Staying gone and working 30+ days on the road at a time is the same thing whether you’re being paid directly from a broker/customer or the company one would work for. I apologize if my original post didn’t cover those areas or seemed confusing, and by no means was I, nor am I, trying to debate life practices or business ideology, I was simply putting a line out to see if anyone had experience in one particular area or another to find the little plot holes that I may have overlooked. I do still appreciate your response though, please don’t take this in any manner other than a friendly response👍. Be safe out there and God bless.

Annie A. Sure thing! We’re in the mid-con region (Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas). Rates and miles around here really vary greatly but at the end of the day a $4.00/mile local run is equal to a $2.00/mile regional run. Lowest rates around these areas is roughly $1.80/mile. There are a few minor hotshot companies around here that my friend and I have become acquainted with over the years. Some preach using a 3/4 ton with a 32’ trailer in order to reduce mechanical strain but would require longer hauls. Other guys and gals tell us to start with a 1 ton, no bed, and a 40’ which would result in not so longer hauls but definitely heavier loads. And we of course have those that say if we’re going 1 ton we might as well go all the way to tractor and a lowboy. We’ve been all over the country in the last 10+ years so we’re trying to stick as local as humanly possible (aren’t we all!) to get a little more time with the family but still maintain a driving profession albeit a step down from rigs. Hope this helps clarify where we’re coming from.

New to the forum and it looks like this board is FILLED with knowledge so figured I’d ask here. I’m currently looking into starting a hotshot business with a friend of mine, both of us have been in DOT jobs for a decade and more each so we’re baptized in living on the road and what comes with it. We’ve been hearing and looking up different combinations for ideal local/regional runs and have gotten a wide array of answers. Some companies say “keep it at a 3/4 truck with a 32’ trailer”, others say “if you’re gonna hotshot then go 1 ton with a 40’ and remove the truck bed”, etc. We’re trying to keep it smaller, like 6k to 10k max loads, but don’t know if going bigger is worth it. Just reaching out to thIs community to see if any seasoned personnel can recommend which route is better (not necessarily what’s going to bring more money per load) based on experience or openly sourced knowledge. Thanks in advance to anyone who can give us some insight!