Me and my wife were talking the other night, and the subject of hotshot hauling came up, and made me start thinking. This is my 1st stop, and i see plenty of CTD pulling so why not. You can answer here, or PM me.

1. Do I need a dually or will a heavy suspension 250 do the job (i know which is better, but can it be done) 3.54 or 4.10 gears?

2. 5th wheel or will Bumper mount work?

3. Can I work Owner Operator for local trucking companies, or are there ones that just line up hotshot work?

4. Insurance, Permits, License, etc I know I need Commercial Insurance, but do I need a CDL(what class?, etc) Stop at scales, do log books,etc?

5. Can I haul anywhere in the US, or am I only limited to the Eastern US?

6. Estimate wise, how much would I be looking to spend to get started? Truck excluded

7. Any ther helpfull info? I dont mind working hard, and my dad has driven big truck for years, if you drive "smart" can you make decent money? decent hometime?

Thanks to all.

 

This is my "todo " list. Thinking about getting into the business hauling cars with my truck.

-Get an insurance quote - 750K liability "for hire" not sure about not for hire requirements. 75K cargo?

-Get FMCSA handbook - $5 at truck stop (Small green book).

-Get a process agent. This is someone who forwards legal forms or court orders to you. You need one for every state in which you drive through and/or
are authorized to operate in. $50 per year?

-DOT Physical - $60/3 years - Any outpatient clinic should know how to do this. Might need to bring them a form to fill out or they might have the
form. Your DOT physical card needs to be kept on your person.

-Get in the drug pool - Join OODIA - 45$/year - You need to be in a random drug pool and nobody is going to random drug test themself right? I think OOIDA will put you in a pool?

-Magnetic Sign on truck or vinyl sticker on window - $50 - Must have your business name or DBA, city/state, USDOT #, MC # and I think your GVW or GCWR???

-DOT inspection on truck/trailer - $75

-Business cards - $50 - Might provide DBA name, phone number, states served, commodities hauled, etc

-Register truck as commercial - $148 for 9000 lb. - This will differ state to state. Many states will have you register the truck for the gross
combined weight rating. In NJ, you have to register the truck seperately from the trailer and your GCW if the GVW of the truck plus the GVW of the
trailer.

-Register trailer as commercial - $29 for 1 year or $88 for 4 years - See above

-Re-activate MC # - $70 - A new one is $300. ** only for "for hire" operations... not for hire doesn't need this.

-Re-activate USDOT # - $0 - A new one is free from usdotnumberregistration.com or www.safersys.org.

B-OL Forms, log book, maintenance logbook etc., etc. - $25

Stuff you must have according to the FMCSA
WHEEL CHOCKS- $20 for a pair
extra headlight, taillight, brakelight bulbs - $10
fuses - $10
Mud flaps?

I am sure this list is incomplete. I am still on step #1.... some of it you can see i've been through before... i.e. I wasted $300 on an MC number that got taken away because I wasn't ready to use it yet... (NO INSURANCE = NO MC #)

 

Go to Hotshothauling.com they will be able to answer alot of your questions. I do it here in Tx and it takes some $ to get started. Best thing to do is try to lease on with someone.

 

I just found that website Rich, Thanks. What differs from leasing on to doing it yourself? Do I need a trailer, commercial insurance, etc?

 

Some will do it with out a trailer, but most won't. Plus when you lease to an outfit they handle all the paperwork and regs and you pay them for the ins and run under their numbers