hot shoting

[cocoa2852]

im wondering if anyone can help me with some ideas i got a 99 f-350 7.3l auto that i want to start hauling with is there anything that i need to do to the truck i have a flashpac programmer and a magnaflow muffler and k n air filter but other than that what other things will i need to do to haul a 50ft 4 car hauler now the truck runs good but has 297.000 miles on it now is there anything i should be worried about at this point any advice will be appreciated thanks

[Tuscany]

If your looking to get into hot shotting on the side you had better have alot of money set aside for repairs, insurance, equipment, fees, maintenance, hotels, tires, etc etc. The point is some people make it look like there is a killing to be made hauling those campers and travel trailers and cars all over the country. Fact is if you want to make any money to support yourself you need to look at how many loaded miles you will be able to run.

You only get paid for loaded miles and yea depending on the load you may get $1.75 a mile but that's only loaded. If you have to drive all the way to say Indiana to pick up a camper from South Carolina your dead heading the entire way there. So you eat all the unloaded miles and fuel. Point is for all the loaded miles you run you will be doubling that in unloaded miles at least and thats a LOT of wear an tear on your rig. Most carriers won't even let you sign on until you have put down like $1500 cash in liability deposits (basically if you scratch a trailer during transport it comes out of that $1500) as well as having a goose neck, fifth wheel, and class 5 hitch with sway bars, break away setup, all kinds of mud flaps, and you pay them for your commercial tags and dot #'s.

I talked to a bunch of guys that do it and they all say unless you got some serious cash put away don't do it because it won't be long til your dead broke and selling everything to put food in your stomach. Also if you think that hey I am running these dead head miles myself and eating the cost why not just find me a load from here to there and I get paid for it, well sadly it won't work that way because when you sign on with whatever carrier you choose they will take most of your loaded mile pay from the side hauls you are doing to get by. They also say you better be putting at least half of your take home into a savings account so that you can buy a new truck every couple of years. It's not the glamourous life style that some make it out to be.

The whole traveling thing about hot shotting is not a relaxing atmosphere your are constantly running and racking up miles you don't get the "vacation" here and there that most think is possible with hauling hot shot loads on the side. Just hope this clears up any kind of vagueness on the subject. There is money to be made out there doing this, but you have to be willing to stay out all the time and be running constantly to make any decent money. I remember one guy in particular who makes $200k a year doing it, BUT he also is running about 2000-2500 loaded miles a week and for those loaded miles he's running around 2500-3000 unloaded miles a week. Just keep in mind its a very costly business to get into.

Also you better have a commercial license dot numbers commercial tags and commercial insurance if your going to be running a combination where the trailer is rated over 10,001#'s

[MDarrough]

What he said...plus, it's extremely hard to get started on your own, but most hotshot companies won't contract with you if your truck is more than 5 years old.

Good luck!!

Mark

[WD40]

What they said, plus where can you get $1.75 a mile for pulling campers?
Most I have talked to say around $1.27 per mile one way and never get
any back hauls. My truck will stay in my driveway before I pay them to
haul there campers.
Doug

[Tuscany]

You can make upwards of $2.00 a mile if you run a big trailer where you can load others more campers on it and you can also run doubles if you have the right endorsement on your license.

[cocoa2852]

thanks guys i apperciate all the info guess i got something to think about now

[StarDriver]

That truck won't have enough power to pull more than one trailer at a time, plus it's too old. You can mod it but it won't hold up as long.

[jesilvas]

I'd be worried about what's on the truck to begin with.
And would in now way tow something that size without a dually. Maybe even go up to a 450 or 550.

[StarDriver]

Originally Posted by jesilvas

I'd be worried about what's on the truck to begin with.
And would in now way tow something that size without a dually. Maybe even go up to a 450 or 550.

By the time you spend that kind of money, you can just as well pick up a good single axle or tandem semi tractor that will outwork any dually and last a lot longer.

[Schnot]

Not enough power to pull more than one trailer? I pull a 53' wedge with 2-4 trailers on it every day with a 2001 dually. Cruise at 70 no problem. I pull the hills at about 50. There's money to be made. Just not hauling campers.


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