Non-CDL hotshot
A lighter combination rating means a smaller payload, so we look for lighter, higher-value freight: parts, small equipment, expedited partials. Non-CDL drivers aren't in the DOT drug and alcohol testing program.
Hotshots
Hot shot dispatch service that weighs the load and the cancellation risk before you hook up.
Hotshot work pays for speed: a part for a stopped plant, equipment for an oilfield, a partial that can't wait for a full truckload. It also runs close to the limits. Your payload is tight, the load might cancel after you've driven an hour to it, and a dispatcher who books by rate alone can put you over weight or on a free trip. Our hotshot dispatchers check both before the offer reaches you.
That's the difference between a hotshot dispatcher who knows the work and one who just forwards postings. Weight, readiness and the cancellation terms get checked first, and the rate comes after, because a great rate on a load you can't legally carry, or one that cancels when you arrive, pays nothing.
CDL or non-CDL, gooseneck or bumper pull, dually or medium duty. You set your ratings once; every offer is checked against them.
Hotshot dispatching services get the same few questions every time. Straight answers first, then the tools behind them.
Hotshot questions, answered first
How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
The same as any truck we dispatch. 5% of linehaul and accessorial pay for one truck with 6 months or more of authority, 4% for two trucks or more, and 7% while your MC is under 6 months old. Hotshots don't pay a higher rate here. Tolls and scale tickets that get reimbursed are never in the fee, and idle weeks cost nothing.
How much weight can my hotshot carry?
It depends on your own ratings, not a typical number. Start from your combination rating, subtract the weight of the truck fueled and the empty trailer and an allowance for you and your gear. Then check the trailer's own rating and your axle and tire ratings; the lowest limit wins. The payload card on this page does the first part with your numbers.
What is TONU in trucking?
Truck ordered, not used: a payment owed when a load is cancelled after you've been dispatched to it. Hotshot loads cancel more than most, because they're often urgent and plans change. A TONU only helps if the amount is on the rate con before you roll and you get the cancellation in writing.
Do I need a CDL to hotshot?
It depends on the weight ratings. A pickup and trailer whose combined rating is under 26,001 lb can run without a CDL, unless it hauls placarded hazmat. If the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb, it needs a Class A CDL. Check the ratings, not the load.
Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Yes. Some brokers won't book a new authority, so we start with the ones that will on your lanes and get the first loads right on paperwork. The fee is 7% until month 7, then 5% with one truck. Every load is still yours to accept or decline.
Can I say no to a load after you find it?
Yes, always. We bring the load with its weight, dimensions, rate, pickup window and terms, and you decide. If you accept, the rate con comes to you to sign. If you decline, it costs nothing, and we look for the next one. Nothing is booked under your authority without your yes.
Payload and TONU: the two checks that protect a hotshot load.
On the left, put in your own ratings and weights. The card works out how much you can legally carry from your combination rating and from the trailer's own rating, takes the lower one, and tells you whether an offered load fits. Every hotshot load we offer has gone through that check against the numbers you gave us, using the shipper's stated weight plus a margin, because posted weights are often estimates.
On the right is a made-up cancellation. The rate con had a flat TONU written on it before anyone rolled. The truck deadheaded to the pickup, the shipper cancelled, the cancellation came in writing, and the claim went out the same hour. Without the TONU line, the same morning would have been an unpaid trip.
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14,000 lb of legal payload
Limited by the combination rating. Axle and tire ratings and state limits can lower it further; check your door stickers.
The load fits.
- RATE CON SIGNED, TONU $15008:05
- DISPATCHED, ROLLING09:30
- DEADHEAD 96 MI TO PICKUP11:20
- SHIPPER: LOAD NOT READY, CANCELLED11:35
- CANCELLATION IN WRITING11:50
- TONU CLAIM SENT WITH PROOF12:10
With TONU on the rate con, the drive out pays something. Without it, it's a free trip.
Want the full calculation with axle splits? Try the max payload calculator. More on cancellations is in what TONU means in trucking.
Non CDL hotshot dispatch or Class A: what changes.
The ratings decide, not the load on the trailer that day. A combination needs a Class A CDL when it is rated at 26,001 lb or more and tows a trailer rated over 10,000 lb. Below that, a hotshot runs without a CDL, unless it carries placarded hazmat.
Source: 49 CFR 383.91(a)(1), checked October 2026
CDL hotshot
A heavier rating opens more freight, including heavier equipment and longer decks. Under your own authority, DOT testing applies and you need a random testing pool before the first load.
Dispatch for hotshot loads: what we book.
- Expedited parts and equipment. Time-critical freight for plants, farms and job sites, often same day or overnight.
- Oilfield and construction. Pipe, tools, skids and small machinery, with site access confirmed before you go.
- Partials and LTL-sized freight. Loads too small for a full truck but too urgent to wait for one.
- Vehicles and machinery that fit. Within your deck length and payload, secured to its tie points.
Before a hotshot offer reaches you, we check:
- Weight against your payload, with a margin over the posted figure
- Dimensions against your deck length and width
- Pickup readiness, so you don't deadhead to a load that isn't there
- TONU and detention terms on the rate con
- Delivery window against your hours and the drive
- Where the delivery leaves you for the next load
Hotshot loads move fast, so offers often come with a short window to answer. That's why your settings matter: when the offer already fits your weight, lanes and rate floor, a quick yes or no is easy.
One more thing we confirm on urgent loads: that someone will actually be there to load and unload. A plant that called for a part at noon may not have a forklift driver at midnight. A quick call before you roll saves a long wait at a locked gate.
Rates and deadhead
Hotshot rates swing with urgency and region, and a lot of hotshot miles are empty: driving out to a remote pickup and back from a remote delivery. A load that pays well per loaded mile can pay poorly once you count the deadhead. We look at the whole trip, from where you are now to where the load leaves you, and tell you the rate per total mile before you decide.
Securing hotshot freight
Hotshot loads are often oddly shaped: a skid with a motor on it, a bundle of pipe, a piece of farm equipment. Federal securement minimums still apply, based on each article's length and weight, and some freight needs chains rather than straps. We pass on the dimensions, weight and any tie-down points the shipper can tell us, so you arrive with the right gear.
Paperwork that moves fast
Urgent loads still need a signed bill of lading at pickup and a signed proof of delivery at the drop, and when a broker asks, a scale ticket. Photograph them as you go and send them the same day. On expedited freight, a quick POD often means a quick payment, and it makes the broker remember you next time they need a truck in a hurry.
Fast offers, still your decision.
Hotshot dispatch companies sometimes book first and ask later because the freight moves fast. We don't. Each offer reaches you with the weight, the rate and the TONU line, and you answer. Yes sends the rate con to you to sign. No costs nothing.
Speed still matters, so we make answering easy: the offer arrives by text with everything you need to decide in one message, and we hold it with the broker for as long as they'll let us while you think.
Load offer 1 of 2
ExampleOdessa, TX to Oklahoma City, OK
- Miles
- 395
- Rate
- $980
- Per mile
- $2.48
- 11,500 lb, under your payload
- TONU $150 if cancelled after you roll
- Same-day delivery window
Pickup Today 14:00
The fee: no hotshot surcharge.
5% of linehaul and the accessorial pay we collect for one truck past 6 months, 4% for two trucks or more, and 7% for a new MC until month 7. TONU counts as load pay when it's collected; reimbursed tolls and scale tickets don't. Example A week with $4,200 in linehaul and one $150 TONU carries a fee of $217.50. More on the pricing page.
Heavier or taller loads may belong on other equipment: hazmat and tanker dispatch and oversize load dispatch.
Every hotshot load weighed before it's offered.
Send the application with your truck and trailer ratings. Your first offer comes with the weight checked and TONU on the rate con.
You approve every load. No setup fee. No contract.