Hotshot loads app: finding loads from your phone

Most hotshot owners find loads from the cab, between deliveries, on a phone. Load board apps make that possible: saved searches, push alerts and one-tap calls. Used well, an app keeps you from sitting. Used badly, it's another way to grab the first cheap load that pops up.

How a load app works

You set up searches by origin, destination radius, equipment, length and weight. The app shows matching posts and alerts you when new ones appear. Tap a post to see details, then call or message the broker. Some apps also show broker credit scores, days to pay and lane rate history. When you agree on a rate, the broker sends a rate confirmation for you to sign.

What to look for

• Posts on your lanes for flatbed, partial and hotshot equipment, not nationwide totals.
• Filters for weight and length that actually work.
• Alerts you can set by lane and equipment.
• Broker data: credit scores, days to pay, reviews.
• Rate history for your lanes.
• Works with weak signal in rural areas.
• Easy sharing of carrier packets and documents.

Example searches with weights

Set limits a little below your real numbers, since posts are often rounded. Find your number with the max payload calculator.

Free vs paid apps

Free apps and free tiers are worth trying, especially for regional freight, but often show fewer posts and less broker data. Paid plans usually earn their cost through more posts on your lanes and broker credit data that helps you avoid non-payers. The real cost of any app is the time you spend in it. More on the boards behind the apps in hotshot load boards, and on startup budgets in hotshot startup cost.

Booking safely from your phone

1. Park first. Federal rules ban holding a phone while driving a commercial vehicle.
2. Confirm the weight and dimensions with the broker, in writing.
3. Check the broker's credit and the phone number against their FMCSA record.
4. Run the rate against your costs with the hotshot rate calculator.
5. Read the rate confirmation in full before you sign, even on a small screen.
6. Save every document in one place for invoicing.

Watch for scams

Fake brokers and double brokering show up in apps too. Warning signs: a broker who only uses a personal email, a phone number that doesn't match their FMCSA record, a rate far above the market, or pressure to pick up before paperwork arrives. Verify before you roll.

Using alerts without chasing every post

Alerts are useful when they're narrow. Set them for the lanes you want, the weights you can haul and a minimum rate where the app allows it. Broad alerts lead to constant interruptions and rushed decisions. Check the app at planned times, like an hour before your delivery, so you're looking for a reload when it matters.

Non-CDL hot shot loads in an app

For a non-CDL rig, the weight filter is the most important setting in the app. Set it below your freight room under 26,000 lb, and remember that a post with no weight listed isn't a match until the broker confirms the number. Many light loads are listed as partials or LTL, so include those categories. Save a second search for expedited and parts freight, which is often light and urgent. More in non-CDL hot shot loads.

Apps vs relationships

Apps are good for volume. Broker and shipper relationships are where the better and steadier freight usually is. Use the app to find new brokers, then build the good ones into repeat business. Every load source is covered in hot shot loads, and the business as a whole in our hotshot guide.

Dispatch instead of the app

With hotshot dispatch, the searching, calling and negotiating move off your phone. We filter every post by your ratings, check the broker and counter the rate, then send you the details to approve. The broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you.