Hotshots, CDL and non-CDL
Hot shot dispatch service for deadline runs, booked with your yes
Hotshot freight is urgent by nature: a part a crew is waiting on, an attachment for a job starting tomorrow, a small machine that has to move today. We find those runs, check them against your weight ratings and deck, and send each one to you to confirm or pass. The rate con goes straight to you. 7% of gross, no setup fee, no contract.
- Fee
- 7%
- Setup fee
- $0
- CDL or non-CDL
- Both
- Loads booked without your yes
- 0
Hotshot dispatcher checklist: are you ready to book?
Tick what you have. Each line explains why brokers or the rules ask for it, with the regulation behind it. Your progress stays on this device.
0 of 7 ready
A few gaps are normal. Apply anyway and we'll tell you which ones block loads and which ones don't.
Book hotshot runsNon CDL hotshot dispatch: where the line actually is
The question isn't whether your pickup needs a CDL. It's what the truck and trailer weigh together, on paper. Add the truck's GVWR to the trailer's GVWR. If that combination is 26,001 lb or more and the trailer alone is rated over 10,000 lb, the driver needs a Class A CDL (49 CFR 383.91).
A lot of one-ton trucks pulling 40 ft goosenecks land over that line. Non-CDL setups keep the combined rating under it, usually with a lighter trailer, which means smaller loads. Both work. They just book different freight, and we dispatch both.
Not sure where yours lands? Use the CDL checker with your ratings, then the truck weight limit checker for the axle side.
Dispatch for hotshot loads: what we look for
Equipment parts
Hydraulic components, engines and parts for down machines. The crew is waiting, so the rate should reflect it.
Attachments
Buckets, forks, augers and breakers moving between rental yards and job sites.
Small machines
Skid steers, mini excavators and compact loaders, when the weight fits your deck and your rating.
Oilfield runs
Tools, pipe and parts to well sites, often same-day and sometimes at odd hours.
Ag equipment
Implements and parts during planting and harvest, when timing beats everything else.
Building materials
Lumber, steel and supplies to sites where a full flatbed is too much truck.
Machinery too tall or heavy for your deck? That's step deck freight. See step deck dispatch.
Hotshot dispatch companies should show you the whole run
Here's how an offer from us looks. Tap through it. Every number is an EXAMPLE.
Look at three things before you confirm: the weight against your rating, the deadline against your hours, and the deadhead to the pickup. A great rate with a two-hour deadhead and a deadline you can't legally make isn't a great load.
If any of those don't work, pass. We'll find out why and adjust what we send you. Confirm, and the broker emails the rate con to you directly, so you sign the actual terms.
Load offer · Example
1 of 2
Houston, TX to San Antonio, TX
40 ft gooseneck · Oilfield parts, same-day
- Loaded
- 197 mi
- Deadhead
- 14 mi
- Rate
- $2.64/mi
All-in with deadhead: $2.46/mi
- Gross
- $520
- Dispatch fee 7%
- -$36
- You keep
- +$484
Every load comes to you like this. You confirm or pass, and the rate con goes straight to you.
How we plan a hotshot week
- 01
Weight first
Every offer is checked against your combined rating and deck capacity before it reaches you.
- 02
Time second
Deadline runs get a realistic ETA with your available hours, not a promise you'd have to break the rules to keep.
- 03
Reload third
Hotshot loads are often one-way. We look for the next load near the delivery before you confirm the first one.
- 04
Rate last, and hard
Urgent freight pays for urgency. We counter like it.
Hotshot dispatching services, answered
How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
7% of the gross on loads you haul, CDL or non-CDL, new MC or not. Fleets of two or more pay 4% per truck. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, and nothing on weeks you don't haul. See the fee schedule.
Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
Only if your truck and trailer combination is rated 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb, or you haul placarded hazmat. Plenty of hotshots run non-CDL with lighter trailers. Use the CDL checker with your door sticker and trailer plate ratings.
Can a hotshot haul a skid steer?
Often, yes. Compact skid steers fit many hotshot trailers, but weights vary a lot by model and attachment. Check the machine weight against your trailer's capacity and your combined rating, and secure it to the rules. Heavier machines are step deck freight.
What insurance do hotshot carriers need?
Federal law sets a $750,000 liability minimum for general freight in vehicles of 10,001 lb or more. Many brokers ask for $1,000,000 liability plus a cargo policy, and some want more for machinery. Ask your agent to match the brokers you plan to haul for.
Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Yes. Some brokers won't set up an authority under 30 to 90 days, so the first weeks take more calls. Plenty of hotshot brokers work with new carriers. The fee is 7% either way.
Will you force me to take loads?
No. Every load comes to you with the weight, lane, deadline and rate. You confirm or pass, and nothing is booked without your yes.
The crew is waiting on a part. Be the truck that gets the call.
Cancel with 30 days notice.