Hot shot trucking for urgent open deck freight

The rig and its limits

A hot shot rig is a one ton class pickup, or a slightly larger medium duty truck, pulling a gooseneck flatbed trailer that is most often 30 to 40 feet long and 102 inches wide. The gooseneck hitch sits over the rear axle in the truck bed, which lets the trailer carry far more than a bumper pull. Most of these trailers also ride lower than a semi flatbed, which leaves a little more room for tall pieces.

Weight is the real limit. Depending on the rig, its trailer and the license the driver holds, a hot shot usually carries somewhere between about 10,000 and 16,000 pounds. Anything heavier, or longer than the deck, belongs on a full size flatbed, which can take roughly 48,000 pounds.

What hot shot freight looks like

Most hot shot work is single pieces and short loads, put on with a forklift at the side of the deck or a crane overhead: a skid steer or a compact tractor, a crate of pump parts, a bundle of steel or pipe, a generator, lumber and roofing for a job site, or the replacement part for a machine that has stopped a production line. What these loads share is timing. A hot shot is usually easier to find on short notice than a full flatbed, and it goes straight from pickup to delivery.

Because the deck is open, the driver secures the freight with chains or straps and covers it with tarps when it has to stay dry. Let us know if your freight needs tarps, edge protection, blocking or a particular way of loading, so the carrier arrives with the right gear.

How we cover hot shot loads

The trucks we own are tractors with 53 foot dry vans, which leaves hot shot work to independent carriers hauling under our broker authority. Each one passes a Highway check before we offer it the load. We confirm its rig is rated for the weight and length of your freight, and we follow the move through to a signed delivery.

Lanes that fit a hot shot

Hot shots make the most sense on regional runs where speed matters more than capacity: out of the Phoenix area into Southern California, Inland Empire freight headed for Las Vegas, from the Central Valley over to the Bay Area, or out to a job site anywhere in between. They also work on longer trips into Utah, Nevada, Oregon or Texas when one piece has to get there ahead of a full truck.

Details for a hot shot quote

A hot shot is quoted per trip, from the distance, the weight, the size of the freight, the securement it needs and how soon it has to move. Tarps, a second stop or time spent waiting are part of the quote when you tell us about them up front.

• Each piece's length, width, height and weight
• Loading and unloading method: forklift, crane, ramp or by hand
• Whether it needs tarps or special securement
• Pickup address and when the freight will be ready
• Delivery address and the latest arrival that still works