HOTSHOT / GOOSENECK OR BUMPER PULL
Hot shot dispatch service that keeps the pickup paid
A hotshot lives on speed, weight limits and short notice. We book expedited partials, equipment and oilfield freight that fit your trailer and your weight rating, and every rate con comes to you to sign.
Start hotshot dispatchTHREE RIGS COMPARED
Hotshot, power only or a semi: what each really hauls
Hotshot owners keep asking whether power only or a semi would pay better. Here is the honest comparison. Tap what you want to compare.
Hotshot (pickup + gooseneck)
- Typical freight
- Expedited partials, equipment, oilfield and ag parts, building materials
- Weight
- Set by your truck and trailer ratings; a non-CDL rig stays at 26,000 lb combined or under
- License
- CDL Class A only if the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more with a trailer over 10,000 lb
- Fee with us
- 5% (7% under 6 months)
Power only semi
- Typical freight
- Preloaded trailers from broker and shipper pools
- Weight
- 80,000 lb gross on the Interstate, trailer supplied
- License
- CDL Class A
- Fee with us
- 5% (7% under 6 months)
Dry van semi
- Typical freight
- General freight: retail, paper, beverages, food-grade dry
- Weight
- 80,000 lb gross on the Interstate, cargo limit set by your tare
- License
- CDL Class A
- Fee with us
- 5% (7% under 6 months)
SOURCE: eCFR, 49 CFR 383.91; eCFR, 23 CFR 658.17. CHECKED OCTOBER 2026. STATE RULES CAN ADD LIMITS.
Short version: a hotshot gets in fast and cheap and earns on speed and short notice. A semi carries far more weight per trip but costs far more to run. Power only takes the trailer cost away but needs a tractor and a CDL. If you are weighing the move, our power only dispatch page lays out that side.
CDL AND NON-CDL
Non CDL hotshot dispatch: the 26,000 lb line
Two weight lines matter. Once your truck or combination is rated over 10,000 lb and you cross state lines for pay, federal safety rules apply: USDOT number, medical card, hours of service and inspections. That covers almost every working hotshot.
The CDL line is higher. You need a Class A CDL when the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb. Stay at 26,000 lb combined and you can drive without a CDL, but your payload shrinks to whatever is left after the truck and trailer weights, often only a few thousand pounds.
That is the choice every hotshot makes. Non-CDL is faster to start; CDL carries more and opens more loads. We dispatch both and price loads around your real numbers.
SOURCE: eCFR, 49 CFR 390.5; eCFR, 49 CFR 383.91. CHECKED OCTOBER 2026.
SEND US THESE NUMBERS
- Truck GVWR and the combination's GCWR from the door stickers
- Trailer GVWR, deck length and type (gooseneck, bumper pull, dovetail, ramps)
- Empty weight of truck and trailer, ideally from a scale ticket
- CDL or non-CDL driver
- Straps, chains, binders and tarps on board
With these on file we never quote you a load your rig can't legally carry. CDL drivers also need a DOT drug and alcohol testing program; non-CDL drivers don't.
FREIGHT WE BOOK
Dispatch for hotshot loads that pay for speed
Hotshot freight is usually urgent, partial and awkward for a semi. That is what you get paid for.
Expedited partials
A few pallets or crates that can't wait for a full truckload. Same-day and next-day work.
Equipment
Skid steers, mini excavators, generators, lifts. Needs the right ramps and securement.
Oilfield and energy
Parts, pipe and tools to well sites. Steady in active basins, slower when drilling slows.
Ag and building materials
Seasonal farm parts, lumber and steel packs for job sites.
POWER ONLY HOTSHOT
Power only hotshot loads, honestly
Towing someone else's trailer with your pickup is a real kind of load, not a whole business. Read the full rundown in power only hotshot loads.
What it is
Campers, tiny homes, utility and equipment trailers moved on their own wheels, hooked to your hitch.
What to check
Your hitch and ball rating, the trailer's weight and brakes, and that your insurance covers non-owned trailers.
How often it comes up
Seasonal and patchy. Good filler between regular hotshot loads, rarely a full week.
How we book it
Only when the trailer, weight and insurance check out, and always on a rate con sent to you.
YOUR WEEK
A hotshot dispatcher who plans around home
Tell us which days you want home and we build the loads around them, not the other way round. Tap the days in the example to see how the week shifts.
WEEK PLAN / TAP YOUR HOME DAYSEXAMPLE
5 days on the road, 2 home. We plan the last load to finish near your yard.
ON EVERY LOAD
What the desk does for a hotshot
- Weight check first. Every load is checked against your truck and trailer ratings before we quote it. If it doesn't fit legally, you never see it.
- Securement on the rate con. Tarps, straps and chains needed are written into the load details so nothing surprises you at pickup.
- Short-notice speed. Expedited freight goes to whoever answers first. We watch the boards and our broker contacts so you are first in line.
- Reload before you deliver. Hotshot runs end in odd places. We start booking the next load while you are still rolling.
- Waiting gets claimed. Equipment yards and job sites love to keep you waiting. We log the time and file detention when the rate con allows it.
HOW HOTSHOT LOADS PAY
Price the urgency
Hotshot loads are priced on urgency and fit more than on miles alone. A part that stops a job site or a drilling rig can pay well for a short run, because the alternative is a crew standing around. A load that could wait for a semi pays like it could wait for a semi.
So we ask the broker how urgent it is, who else is covering it and what the customer loses if it is late. We also count the empty miles back from remote sites into the price, because a hotshot that delivers to the middle of nowhere has to drive home from there.
Your floor rate sets the bottom. We negotiate up from there, and if a broker won't move, you see the offer and decide.
FEE AND QUESTIONS
Hotshot dispatching services at 5%
Plenty of hotshot dispatch companies charge hotshots more than semis. We charge every truck the same: 5% with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% before that. Details on dispatch cost. New authority? See new authority dispatch.
01How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one hotshot with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% while your MC is newer, 4% for two rigs or more. Hotshots pay the same as semis here. No setup fee and no contract.
02Can you dispatch a non-CDL hotshot?
Yes. A non-CDL hotshot keeps its combined weight rating at 26,000 lb or under. That limits payload, so we match lighter freight and check every load's weight against your numbers before you sign. We need your truck and trailer ratings and empty weights on file.
03What are power only hotshot loads?
Loads where you tow someone else's trailer with your pickup: a camper, a tiny home, a utility trailer or a piece of equipment on its own wheels. They are real, but they are a niche. We book them when they fit your hitch, weight rating and insurance, alongside regular hotshot freight.
04Do you dispatch bumper-pull hotshots?
Yes, with honest limits. Bumper-pull setups carry less weight and fewer brokers post freight for them, so the load mix leans toward lighter equipment and local or regional runs. If you are planning to buy a trailer, a gooseneck usually opens more loads.
05Do you work with new MC hotshots?
Yes. Lots of hotshot carriers start with a new authority. We send packets to brokers that book young MCs and keep your fee at 7% until month 6, then 5% automatically. See new authority dispatch for more.
06Do you book oilfield hotshot loads?
Yes, where the work is active. Oilfield freight runs in waves with drilling activity, so it can be steady for months and then thin out. We book it when it is there, keep you on regular expedited and equipment freight when it isn't, and check site access rules and safety requirements before you go.
07How fast can my hotshot start getting loads?
As soon as brokers approve your carrier packet. Our part, the intro call and sending packets, moves as fast as you send documents. Approval time varies by broker and by how old your MC is, and we tell you where each one stands.
08Do I have to take every load?
No. Once we have a rate worth taking, the broker emails the confirmation to you, not to us. Read it, then sign or pass. Turning a load down costs nothing, and nobody on our desk can sign for your truck.
NO CONTRACT / SAME RATE AS A SEMI
Hook up. We'll find the run.
Apply in two minutes with your truck and trailer ratings. Every rate con comes to you to sign or decline.