Something like a car transporter or similar. Just a dual wheeled pickup and gooseneck.

Thoughts as a career or just a quick turn side job? Would it require a CDL? I’m sure insurance would be significant.

Look-up hotshot trucking on U-tube. Some guys do a channel and break down the costs and income. I would stay away from auto transport, some states make you have a tow license. The profit margin for auto's is very small. RV's are another low paying job.
But the special loads that someone needs fast, and is smaller than a semi truck load is where its at. Builder needs a unit of lumber, and it's 100 miles away? That sort of thing.

There are quite a few that do it. I hired one from Texas to haul the Kubota I bought. These guys drive, and I mean drive. Like cover miles like nobody else. It is the only way to make $. I would not do it. Especially thinking it is going to be a part time job. It is a lot of time in the saddle. Like sixteen hours a day behind the wheel or more. No thanks.

I use them all of the time, you would have to drive your ass off to make a profit. Significant start up costs, Insurance and complying with the DOT. See link

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regi...-i-need-usdot-number

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
These guys drive, and I mean drive. Like cover miles like nobody else.

Yep. I recall a news story from a few years back about a hotshot driver who put 1 million miles on his Toyota Tundra in like 8 years. That's something like 125,000 miles a year, or around 10,500 miles per month.

(Cool story. Toyota ended up taking it back for R&D purposes, and gave him a brand new one in exchange. They wanted their engineers to tear it apart and see what that many miles in such a short time had done to it.)

Tough way to make a living.

Might be difficult to get into initially but I'd also attempt parts running for aviation. As an aircraft mechanic we'd order parts and had couriers drive them from a base that had the part, to the base that needed the part (within driving distance, otherwise a chartered flight was ordered).

FWIW, the Oil Patch is not doing as well as it was doing a few years ago. It's always been cyclical, up and down.

When it's up and they're drilling like crazy, the Hot Shot drivers make a killing. It costs a shitload of money to drill or service a well, the hourly costs are staggering, so when something happens and parts are needed, these small operators are running like crazy. They can work 24/7 if they want, but of course they can't.

Right now I can't see getting a hot shot operation going.
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Anything over 10,001 pounds I believe, that’s truck, trailer and load and you you have the same regulations as a Semi. I know DOT just absolutely hammers those guys in this state because some of them think they can run dirty and get away with it. I see more hotshots pulled over than big trucks lately. Just be aware of all the rules and regulations, and yes you would need a CDL

quote:

Originally posted by Oaklane:
Anything over 10,001 pounds I believe, that’s truck, trailer and load and you you have the same regulations as a Semi. I know DOT just absolutely hammers those guys in this state because some of them think they can run dirty and get away with it. I see more hotshots pulled over than big trucks lately. Just be aware of all the rules and regulations, and yes you would need a CDL

Actual weight or GVWR of 26,001 or more wether single vehicle or combination or a required placard amount of HAZMAT would require a cdl.

SR025… I did not know that, thank you for clarifying, I always was under the impression that anything over 10 thou commercial needed a cdl, not necessarily class A

I had to look it up because I couldn’t remember anymore, I stand corrected and SR025 is correct

quote:

Actual weight or GVWR of 26,001 or more

It’s a bit more complicated than that. It includes any combination vehicle (truck + trailer) regardless of weight if the trailer has a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or more.

I could hook a single axle trailer to one of my trucks loaded to 9,000 pounds and be fine if I was under 26,000 gross. But I could hook up an empty tandem axle equipment trailer that weighs 3,500 pound and need a CDL.

I just bought a non-running truck from Santa Fe, NM.

I posted my needs on Uship (like ebay for transportation services).

The bids ranged from $770 - $1800. Most offers were for legitimate big-rig stacked car haulers. The big trucks wouldn't work well as this truck was not in a position to be easily loaded.

I ended up paying $860 ($60 went to the listing service) for transport. The guy doing it was in the NM area and trying to make his way back towards Florida, picking up loads along the way.

Making the round-trip myself with a rented tow dolly would have worked out to a similar cost with fuel, hotel and trailer rental.

This service seems like a good way to get your feet wet if you have the equipment to take a job.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

Actual weight or GVWR of 26,001 or more

It’s a bit more complicated than that. It includes any combination vehicle (truck + trailer) regardless of weight if the trailer has a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or more.

I could hook a single axle trailer to one of my trucks loaded to 9,000 pounds and be fine if I was under 26,000 gross. But I could hook up an empty tandem axle equipment trailer that weighs 3,500 pound and need a CDL.

26,0001 and greater with a gvwr or actual weight on trailer of 10,000 or more would make the cdl be a class A. If the trailer is less than 10,000 but combination is 26,001 or greater it would be a class B cdl.