CDL or non-CDL, gooseneck or bumper pull. We start with your truck and trailer ratings, book loads your rig can legally carry, and plan the reload before you deliver. You approve every one.
Hotshot rates look good on the board. What's left after the week usually doesn't, and it's rarely one big mistake. It's these four, a little at a time.
EXAMPLE
Pick your truck and trailer and enter the ratings from your plates. The scale adds them up against the CDL line, shows the license you need and roughly how much freight the trailer can carry, and lists example loads that fit.
GCWR 26,000 LB OR LESS: NON-CDL
EXAMPLE LOADS THAT FIT
Actual weight counts too: if a load puts the rig over 26,000 lb on the scale, it's a CDL rig on that trip, whatever the plates say.
Want the full check with your actual weights? Use the GCWR and non-CDL weight checker.
| Truck + trailer | Typical GCWR | Federal license | Common freight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3500 dually + 24 ft bumper pull (10,000 lb) | 24,000 lb | No CDL | Parts, small equipment, 2 cars |
| 3500 dually + derated 30 ft gooseneck (12,000 lb) | 26,000 lb | No CDL | Expedited partials, supplies |
| 3500 dually + 40 ft gooseneck (24,000 lb) | 38,000 lb | Class A | Pipe, machinery, steel |
| 5500 + 40 ft gooseneck (24,000 lb) | 43,500 lb | Class A | Heavier equipment, oilfield |
| 5500 + 10,000 lb trailer | 29,500 lb | No CDL (trailer not over 10,000) | Lighter partials, ag parts |
SOURCE: 49 CFR 383.91 CDL groups; 49 CFR 390.5 CMV definition (checked Oct 2026)
More detail in do you need a CDL to hotshot and our non-CDL hotshot guide.
Chains and binders, site safety rules, sometimes TWIC or a site orientation.
Ramps or a dovetail, chains, wide-load awareness at harvest.
Skid steers and mini excavators: ramps, four-point chain securement.
Straps, chains, edge protectors, sometimes tarps.
Fast answers on offers, flexible hours, straps ready.
Wheel straps, photos at pickup and drop, enough deck for 2-3 cars.
Availability depends on lanes and season: oilfield work follows rig counts, ag freight follows planting and harvest, and construction slows in northern winters. Read more on where hot shot loads come from and, for lighter rigs, how we find non-CDL loads.
EXAMPLE A · OUT AND BACK
EXAMPLE B · TRIANGLE
We start looking for the second leg when we book the first. If nothing worth hauling exists near the drop, we say so before you accept, so you can decide with the whole trip in front of you.
A single hotshot runs at 7% of the gross on loads you haul. Hotshot loads are smaller and take more calls per dollar booked than a semi, and the rate covers that. Two or more trucks with authority older than 6 months move to 4%.
Compare a typical week against a 10% dispatcher on the ticket. All rules are on rates and fees, and market context is in our average hot shot rate per mile guide. You can also price a load yourself with the hotshot rate calculator.
EXAMPLE
YOUR CALL. NOTHING IS BOOKED UNTIL YOU SAY YES.
The full checklist is in how to pick the best hotshot dispatch. New authority? Start with dispatch for new MCs. Waiting on broker payments? See hotshot factoring.
7% of the gross on loads you haul with one hotshot, CDL or non-CDL. With two or more trucks and authority older than 6 months, the fleet rate of 4% applies. No setup fee, no minimums, month to month.
Yes. If your truck GVWR plus trailer GVWR is 26,000 lb or less, and the actual weight stays there too, you can run without a CDL under federal rules. We only bring you loads that keep you under that line. Check your state's rules as well.
Lighter freight that fits the trailer's leftover rating: machine parts, small equipment, building supplies, expedited partials, one or two vehicles on a wedge. On a derated setup that's often 6,000 to 9,000 lb of freight, so we filter every post by weight first.
Yes. Bumper pulls are common on non-CDL setups and for car hauling. They carry less weight than a gooseneck, so we match loads to the trailer's rating and deck length, and we watch tongue weight on the loads we bring you.
Yes. Many hotshot carriers start with a new authority. We work the brokers that book new MCs, help with carrier packets, and build your history. The rate is the same either way for a single hotshot.
No. Every load comes to you as an offer with weight, deck space needed, securement, pickup and delivery windows, rate and broker. You say yes or pass. On a yes the broker sends the rate con straight to you to sign.
We look for the reload before you deliver, use triangle routes when a straight backhaul doesn't exist, and book partials that chain together. When the empty run home costs more than waiting a day for freight, we tell you.
Yes. We get detention terms on the rate con before you accept, track your in and out times, and request detention or layover from the broker in writing when the clock runs past free time.
Hauling cars or flatbed freight on a semi too? See car hauler dispatch and flatbed dispatch, or read how we dispatch.
Two minutes to apply. We confirm your ratings on the first call and only bring loads that fit.
EXAMPLE