A hot shot dispatch service that sorts the paperwork before the freight
Hotshot is the easiest authority to start and the easiest to start wrong: CDL rules that hinge on a trailer sticker, insurance brokers will not read twice, and age filters that ignore your hustle. We get the setup right, then keep the gooseneck loaded: equipment, machinery and hot freight, argued from your floor.
The three questions every hotshot opens with
Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
Depends on weight ratings, not on what the seller told you. Federal rule: a Class A CDL is required when the combination's weight rating (GCWR) is 26,001 lbs or more and the trailer's GVWR is over 10,000 lbs. Plenty of hotshots run non-CDL by keeping the combination rated at 26,000 lbs or less; plenty more run CDL and take the heavier freight. Your door stickers decide.
49 CFR 383.91 · checked Oct 2026Does a hotshot need an MC number?
Hauling for-hire freight across state lines, yes: operating authority plus a USDOT number, insurance filed with FMCSA, BOC-3 and the rest of the registration spine, CDL or not. Staying strictly inside one state puts you under that state's rules instead, which vary. The interstate vs intrastate guide draws the line properly.
What does hotshot dispatch cost here?
7% of gross while your MC is under 6 months, dropping to 5% automatically at six months; 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more. No setup fee, no minimums, month to month with 30 days notice, and the fee only touches loads you haul. No haul, no pay.
Your setup, your paperwork: the hotshot matrix
Four setups, four paperwork stacks. Find your square; every requirement links its rule. Checked October 2026; the linked pages always win.
| Your rig | Interstate (crossing state lines) | Intrastate only (one state) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-CDL (combination rated 26,000 lbs or less) | USDOT + operating authority, FMCSA insurance filing, BOC-3, UCR. No CDL, and not under DOT drug and alcohol testing. Watch the trailer sticker: one heavier trailer changes your square. | Your state's registration and insurance rules; many states still require intrastate registration and minimum coverage. No federal authority needed while you truly never cross the line. |
| CDL (GCWR 26,001+ lbs with trailer GVWR over 10,000 lbs) | Everything in the non-CDL interstate square, plus a Class A CDL, DOT drug and alcohol testing enrollment before you operate, Clearinghouse registration, and ELD rules as they apply to your operation. | State CDL and testing rules still apply because CDL obligations follow the license, not the lane. Verify your state's intrastate thresholds before assuming anything is lighter. |
§ 49 CFR 383.91 (CDL classes)§ 49 CFR part 382 (testing, CDL drivers)§ 49 CFR part 387 (insurance)
Get the square wrong and the freight does not care how good your truck is: brokers verify, insurers audit, and roadside inspections read stickers. Five minutes with your GVWR and GCWR plates settles it forever.
What we actually book for hotshots
Hotshot earns its name on urgency and earns its living on variety:
01Equipment and machinery
Skid steers, attachments, compressors, small ag: the bread and butter. Securement discipline and honest deck specs keep this lane warm all year.
02Hot freight
The part that pays for the antenna: a line-down part or a missed-container recovery wants a truck that can leave now. We keep you flagged ready and shop the premium honestly.
03LTL-size odd freight
Too heavy for a parcel network, too small for a stepdeck: pipe, steel, crated gear. Good fill-in revenue between the marquee loads, and we price the deadhead into every one.
Every load comes to you with full numbers, the broker's rate con goes directly to you, and you can simply say no. Forced dispatch does not live here.
The three mistakes that park new hotshots
Buying the trailer before reading the sticker
A 40' gooseneck with a 14,000 lb GVWR drags a non-CDL plan across the CDL line the day it is hitched. Decide your square first, then buy the trailer that keeps you in it, not the one the auction had.
Insurance quoted for the wrong operation
Policies written for intrastate use, or without the FMCSA filing, look fine until the first broker check kills the setup. Tell your agent exactly what you run: interstate, for-hire, commodity types, trailer included.
Pricing loads without the deadhead
Hotshot lanes are spiky: the load out pays, the ride back often does not. A rate that ignores the empty half is a loss wearing a decent number. Every load we send counts the full round math before it reaches your phone.
The fee, hotshot edition of the same card
Same equipment-neutral tiers as every truck on our board. An example week:
At six months the rate drops to 5% on its own. Most hotshot authorities we onboard are young, so the new authority page is worth your next ten minutes: it maps the broker age filters and the first-180-days plan. The full price list lives on the fees page.
- 1Gross for the week$5,200
- 2Fee rate (MC under 6 months)7%
- 3Dispatch fee$364
- 4You keep$4,836
Q-01How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
With us: 7% of gross while your MC is under 6 months, 5% automatically after, 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more. No setup fee, no minimums, no contract, fee only on loads hauled. Industry quotes of 8 to 12% are common for thinner service; compare included lists, not just percentages.
Q-02Does a hotshot need an MC number?
For-hire interstate freight, yes: operating authority, USDOT number, FMCSA insurance filing, BOC-3 and UCR, regardless of CDL status. Intrastate-only operations fall under state rules, which differ by state. Crossing a state line even once a year puts you on the federal side of that fence.
Q-03Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
Only if your weight ratings say so: Class A CDL when the combination is rated 26,001 lbs or more with a trailer GVWR over 10,000 lbs, per 49 CFR 383.91. Non-CDL hotshots keep the combination rating at or under 26,000 lbs. Check plates, not opinions, and remember CDL status also triggers DOT testing rules.
Q-04Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Yes, constantly: hotshot is one of the most common new authorities there is. We start with brokers that take young MCs, keep your packet tight, and build the on-time record that opens the stricter brokerages as your authority ages past their filters. The first weeks take extra calls; we make them.
Q-05Will you force me to take loads?
No. Every load arrives with the full numbers, the broker sends the rate confirmation directly to you, and nothing books without your yes. Pass freely; the next option is our problem. A dispatcher who punishes a pass is a dispatcher to leave.
The gooseneck is hitched. The paperwork is sorted. Go.
7% while your MC is young, 5% after, every load your call, and a dispatcher who answers nights and weekends, not a phone tree. Application takes about 2 minutes.