Hey Alex, Man you really are an inspiration! Thank you for continuing to put out this great information. A couple questions: -what dispatch service do you use? I know it’s out of the country. -did your dispatcher have a hard time getting you loads since you are new MC? -did you setup your LLC in Florida? - what gear ratio does your truck have? I’m serious about getting a truck and setting everything up. Have my cdl since 2020 don’t want to work for anyone else anymore. Have a college degree and hated hated sitting at a desk looking at excel all day. Thanks again man!
Hey Joe! Thank you so much!!! As long as I have questions from you guys, I can incorporate them into my videos so I try to do my best to bring the information that I know to you guys. If in anyway it helps, my dispatch service is Smart Logistics. Surprisingly when my authority was new I was still doing good. Way better than I thought it was going to be. I had $5-7k a week average weeks. My LLC is setup in Missouri because insurance is $10k per year cheaper there. Florida is one of the most expensive states for insurance. My truck has a 4.10 gear ratio which is standard on max tow package with high output engine and Aisin transmission. I do understand that you hate a desk job. I cant stand being trapped in a building all day long. As for new insurance, the quote was from progressive. There are one of the top companies for trucking insurance. They will also offer discount depending on what eld company you use. Mine is Motiv so they offer a discount up to 15%.
Thank you so much for the knowledge and advice! I’m going for it wife gave the go ahead. Just have to figure out how to form in Missouri since I live in PA. I don’t mind hard work and getting out the truck. Looking forward to being out on the road with you! Just have to get all this paperwork done which seems daunting. Lol . Thanks man!
@@joe2689 Hey not a problem. You can do it in PA. Insurance might be good there. You have to have a physical address to register your company. I have an address in Missouri so that’s how I was able to do it.
@@Mr.AlexKoganyup! insurance quote for a 3500 ram like yours wasn’t bad for me. I heard so many horror stories about needing to put down thousands just to get coverage. That wasn’t the case for me. Yeah I formed my LLC last night. Doing rest of paperwork tonight to form authority. Hopefully I can be rolling soon.
Thanks for the video. Appreciate the honesty. You definitely give out some good useful information in this industry. Be safe out there! Maybe we will cross paths on the road.
Hey Alex! I’ve been watching a decent amount of your videos here lately. Appreciate your channel and getting to learn about the hot shot business, even though I have no plan to get into this line of work, I still enjoy the content.
Loved the info, I Own 2 Dump Trucks for heavy Highway construction, but we slow down during the winter and don’t work for 4 months, I’m kind of contemplating doing Local Hot shot during the Winter months. If I could make about 1500 local part time (6-8hrs a day) I’d love to do it.
What’s up Harley! Appreciate you watching my videos. I am pretty chill and have lots of patience. There are plenty things that make me mad too. lol. I try to keep my cool though most of the time. Better to save your nerves vs stressing and being mad.
Solid video man👍🏼. Great content for those of us looking to get into the business. Question: are you running non-CDL on your setup? What’s your GVWR on truck? GVWR on trailer?
Hi Alex, this is Ali. I have to say first of all, this is a great video!! I felt like in academy for introduction to Hotshot Trucking Business. I am very interested to get in. And let me ask you some questions: 1.How much you put as down payment for 140,000 dollars setup? 2.Do you consider truck and trailer finance as expense? 3.Which fuel card you use? 4.And do you work 25 days on duty-5 days off for 15 grand in month? Thank you Alex. For great informations!!
Hello Ali. Happy to hear you are enjoying the videos. Down payments are different for everyone. What I put down doesn’t mean you’ll put down. Loans are based off your credit score and debt to income ratio. What the bank gave me might be different from what you would get and maybe you’ll want put more down to keep your payments lower. Yes I consider it an expense because I have to pay for it every month and it depreciates. I use RTS financial provided fuel card. My work schedule is never the same so I can’t answer the last question. I don’t really count how many days on and how many off. I just go with the flow. 👍🏻 Don’t count how much you can make in a certain amount of days. This job is different every day and week and your income will never be the same. You’ll have good weeks and terrible weeks.
That's so great!! Do you have any insight on if this can be lucrative on more of a local basis? I.e. intrastate or bordering states? I'm highly considering giving it a go, (non-cdl), to start but wouldn't be able to be out that long just yet. Thanks for all the info! Happy 4th!
@@lfod79 I think to be able to do this locally you have to have a personal relationship with shippers that will constantly use you. If you go off load board, it’ll be hard to stay local and make money. My opinion.
Thank You for your honesty about all this stuff I would like to ask you how did you register your truck in Missouri and you live in Florida because I live in Florida also and what's A Good dispatching service out of Florida or the Best One To Use .Thank you
Leroy, you are welcome! I was able to register my truck in Missouri because my parents live there and there’s a physical address. On dispatch companies I don’t know of any in Florida nor can I tell you how to find a good one. They all start calling you when you get your authority and offering their service. They all promise $8-10k per week. lol. That’s so funny. I think maybe you can google dispatch companies and call a few. I’m using the company that I used when I was working for someone
Hey alex I want to get into hotshot non cdl to start what company do you recommend to go with I have 2019 ram 2500 I own a 16 equipment trailer. I would lease a 40 ft. What do you recommend
perfect video, I have CDL A and no experience yet, thinking getting into hotshot business, I am living in Orlando, I have good credit score above 780+. I am searching the job currently. I am newly married no kids, so I will drive with my wife. I am a business owner also, but I can drive and business can keep working. I need an advice where to start. Do you have any training opportunity for me with any other companies you know. Please let me know
Thank you! Unfortunately I don’t have any connections with anyone that can train you. RU-vid will have a lot of training videos but it’s not the same as hands on.
I don’t know what lost hotshots setups cost. Everyone’s is different. Based on personal preference. Some have trailers that cost $50-70K so I can’t say most are $100K. Trucks have gone up in price and availability is limited for the HO Cummins with Aisin transmission.
Yes. I started as non cdl when I worked for someone. Could only take 8000lb maximum weight. The trailer was a 40ft big Tex 16GN with two axle single wheels.
@@Mr.AlexKogan I’m in the very beginning stages of starting out my trucking company. I’m gonna do a full year of non CDL and see how it goes. Right now just trying to get some funds piled up for a truck and trailer
Wow. The fact that you can’t spell says a lot about you. If there’s nothing here to see then move on. For some viewers there’s actually something to see here.
@@Mr.AlexKogan i meaaannn. how i text in a comment has nothing to do with you participating in the blind leading the blind playing trucc driver! yall b in tha way out here n take tha easy way in this industry. nobody respects yall out here
Everyone I know and myself when your running your own truck and leased onto a company paying your own fuel and ins. You get 80% they get 30% as they dispatch you or you dispatch yourself through them, and thier dot and mc number....
Nice informative video man! I used to do car hauling for 6 month and that mostly put me into financial pit due to the amount of non-CDL tickets, bad company dispatching and starting as owner operator straight from the beginning (6 digits loan for the truck). Currently working on my CDL and should be ready to get back on the road mid March. Currently I have a dilema to either jump on semi or turn to flatbed/step deck hotshoting with my Ram 3500 (HO Cummins, Aisin and of course dually. My question would you be interested to assist with suggesting dispatching company that could also rent a trailer? Thank you ahead for the answer.
Hey Alex, subscribed. I like your upfront and candid approach. I am very seriously considering getting into Hotshot. I was laid off in May from my corporate IT sales job which was my field over my 35 year career. I need to work for 3-5 more years. I have no actual truck driving experience. I've had no accidents, 4 speeding tickets since getting my license at 16. Last ticket was 82mph in a 70mph zone in 2014. I have done a ton of research and taking notes on everything from my rig set up, strapping equipment, tools, what I personally need in the truck during a couple day haul, how to load etc. It's a bit overwhelming but I feel like anything else I will make mistakes but learn from them. I will run non-CDL, and hope to lease on. I plan to run regional due to family considerations. Once I gain more experience and my comfort level goes up my goal is to do OTR 1 week out of the month and regional the other 3 weeks. Is this a realistic approach in your mind? Does the company I lease on with provide a dispatcher to find my next load? Any other advice? Thank you in advance. Doug
Hey Doug, thanks for being a subscriber. I appreciate the support. I my opinion regional is going to be tough to make money unless you have personal clients who constantly move things. The way business is right now makes it hard to get loads for OTR so regional I imagine is going to be very hard. Being OTR for a week at a time also lessens your chances to make money. It depends what your foil is, how much minimum you want to make in that week. As to leasing on to a company, I think every company will be different. Some may provide dispatch, some may provide their own insurance too. Depends how much fee they will charge you for leasing on. I’ve never leased on so I don’t have too much info on that.
Alex, thank you for your candid response. I am trying to figure this out and I find your response quite helpful. If you are ever stopped in or around Louisville, KY I will gladly buy you a few donuts. Seriously want to pick your brain. Wealth of knowledge. @@Mr.AlexKogan
Hi Doug, just to take on consideration the assurance cost. I'm in same page with you, but I decided to go in CDL School to get a CDL-A, in first year I'm planning working for a big company them in second year starting by my self.
That is awesome if you can do that kind of income in a sprinter. Definitely easier that hauling a trailer. Kinda hard to believe though but anything is possible. What kind of things do you deliver?
@@Mr.AlexKogandry freight up to 4,000 pounds I got sleeper built in. So I sleep comfortably every night. Not everyone makes it in this industry but I have cuz I know how to make money here. The Mercedes sprinter is the only one that can fit 4 pallets and still have a bed built in . It’s the longest and tallest.
Diet is the most important thing to being in shape. You need to know how many calories you need in a day to maintain your body weigh and then work off that. If you want to cut/loose weight, you need to take away 500 calories from your daily maintenance calories per day. In a week this way you’ll loose a pound of fat. On my resets I hit the gym and sometimes if I have no load I’ll go to the gym as well.
Hey Alex, good information man thank you What are the prerequisite when you’re buying a truck anything particular that you look for fifth wheel set up any gooseneck set up? You also mentioned around $1600 a month for the insurance for the truck and the trailer is this just the physical damage or does it include the cargo and liability as well?
@@JesalBrahmbhatt Hey! When buying a truck it’s personal preference on what you want. On a ram Truck I wanted a HO engine and the Aisin transmission. Also max tow package which includes 4.10 gears. On the insurance it included everything, cargo too. My price has since gone down big time for insurance. It gets better as time goes by. Especially after 2 years of being on your own with no claims.
Hi. I've been watching your videos lately, considering a career change and keep finding myself wanting to haul hot-shot. One of your videos you said you have your own broker? Does he work for you? Or do you go through like a 3rd party?
Thanks for the information. I'm currently on training with a company to be driver but I really want to get into hot shot once I get enough money to finance a truck and trailer. I got CDL so hopefully I'll be able to get in to CDL hot shot. Will be looking for your other videos!
Right now it’s best to stay with a company. There is not much freight and the big companies are going to get most of that. Do not get the bug to go by equipment and start a business because a guy on RU-vid does it. I almost did and now that I’ve been driving a semi for 3 years, I’m so glad I did not by a consumer pickup and start a company. I’d be bankrupt right now. Driving across the country for weeks and sleeping in a pickup truck is just a dumb idea and you will regret it. Big truck is where it’s at.
@@highball7347 I will have to disagree with you. You’d rather drive for a company and take home $1500-2000? How would you live off that amount of money? Yes semi truck is more comfortable when it’s time to sleep and maybe make yourself some food but let’s face it, semi truck is not where it’s at. It’s harder to go places in a semi truck. You have to be way more careful with the routes you chose, on your resets you can’t go to most places I can go in my truck. You can only go to Walmart and bigger plazas like that. More break downs with semi trucks, guaranteed. DOT pays way more attention to semi trucks. I can give you endless reasons why semi trucks are not better. Winter time you guys get stuck going uphill in snow because you are only rear wheel drive. Bigger companies don’t get most of the loads. That’s absolute BS. 👍🏻
According to Google type B cdl is for a straight truck type of vehicle like a box truck and you can’t haul more than 10,000lb. That’s what Google says. I have a class A.
No I don’t idle it. I have a Milwaukee fan that I use but that doesn’t get the job done all the time. Sometimes I’ll start the truck for a little bit just to get it cool. This year I’m getting a zero breeze ac unit. Battery powered.
Hi Alex. Enjoy your video's, 80s and 90s ran my own trucks in the uk. To many regulations, i now have Ranger and car trailer, been in the industry on and off over forty years. I looked at your video on your sleeping arrangements in your ram , i want to do something similar only problem is I'm over 6ft, sleeping in the ranger would be tight, what's the width in your truck? Keep the vids coming dude.😁👍
Thank you Peter! Appreciate your support. I fit a twin size mattress in the truck. Had to trim the width but the length fit. It’s 75 inches. There’s a company called Woodhouse that sells DOT approved sleepers. DOT approved is only required if you are a team driver but they do sell the full kits that come with modified door panels that allow you to extend the mattress into each door panel. That way you would fit easier when laying down. Here’s the link to the company. www.woodhouse.com
Well the 1500 is a gas powered. How will you fill mot up when you have a trailer behind you? You need a diesel truck for the power and to be able to pull in to truck stops to fill up. 2500 and higher depending on how much weight you need to pull.
So I would say they’re 12 K axles. It’s a nice set up. That’s why I’m asking. everybody’s having spring sales on Trailers right now Dimond C and PJ. Great video by the way
Great video, Alex! Very informative. Yes, those Diamind C trailers are the real deal, but you're also correct on the pricing. PJ has the same set up and is just as good. I'll be looking forward on the trailer video and the securing equipments you use. Thanks again for the content and stay humbling as usual.
Thank you Len. I hope I said your name correctly. I did this one while being on the road because I promised to make one and didn’t want to take a long time to do it. Ideally I would have liked to record it at home vs in my truck. I couldn’t even find a normal place to go sit down where it’s quiet to record. It always ends up being in the truck 🤣 The trailer video I will have to do when I’m in a quiet area because at a truck stop it would be too loud. Will get that recorded as soon as possible. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for your support!!! 👍🏻
@@Mr.AlexKogansup Alex, with the new authority once you reached ur 3 months mark ur through the gate. And there is about 7 brokers that will work with new authority straight out the gate but most RU-vidrs won't said it bcuz,the game is a competition. Most RU-vidrs lifestyle is too high for them to keep up in hotshot world, most RU-vidrs won't give the real information to viewers believe.
@@lyfeaboveallthings Hey what’s up!? You are correct. There are brokers and companies that will work with you right as you start new authority and after 3 months the gates open up but majority of the brokers want to see at least 6 months. I’ve even gotten some that want a year or more. Like I was saying when I started new I was doing good at $5-7k average per week. Surprised me a lot. I was prepared for slow time when I was new but it was the other way around. As for a lot of RU-vidrs that do hotshot, you are correct. They mislead people, make up stories and so on. It is a competition out there but you can’t make all the money in the world. Someone else will always get a piece of the pie 😁
If you don’t mind me asking who is the dispatcher company you’re working for. I’ve hauled non CDL for 18 years hauling pallets on a 20 foot pj trailer 200 pallets at a time. I’ve got a 2019 ram 3500 Cummins tradesman flatbed truck with aisen transmission w 85k on it . I just bought a PJ 40ft deck over 25k trailer w no air ride yet but thinking about installing after my first couple loads. I’m liking your advise about getting a dispatcher company to work with. My name is sterling clark and I’m from Toledo Ohio. Thanks for your time and great advice.
@@Mr.AlexKogan Sounds about right. I had talked to a driver and he was making roughly $80,000 after expenses, he was making payments on his truck and trailer. He told me what killed him was hotel stays.
@@mtvjackass74 why would he stay at hotels? Why would you go through all the trouble looking for a hotel and trying to park your truck and trailer there. That’s what truck stops are for. Everyone sleeps in the truck.
I do have a question. Do you mind sharing how to get a dispatcher or one you recommend? If it’s to personal dm or email. I’m out of Florida Also and just getting into hotshot but have cdl for 16 years. Thanks
I do not give out my dispatchers info. I found my dispatcher through a company I used to work for. I can’t really tell you how to find a good one. Probably googling will give you some results to choose from.
Thank you. Honestly it’s always different. For instance, I was just on the road for two weeks and grossed almost $18k. Not bragging but just to give you an idea. Sometimes I have to be on the road 3 weeks to make that.
Hi Alex, enjoy your videos a point about the uneven tire where on the trailer it could be tire pressure and also as a tire start to wear they probably do need to be balanced. Keep up the good work he threw me off with all the sugary donuts, the oatmeal, peanut butter and bananas. I thought what a great meal I need to lose weight and then the donuts came in ha ha ha.
Thank you! The tire pressure is good in the tires. Keep them around 95-100 cold. Could have been worn shocks. Unfortunately no one balances trailer tires. At least that’s what all the shops say.
Hi Alex, thanks for the Information and I'm trying to go into hotshot business, so all information for me is really crucially important. So I need more specific information, só we can please 🙏 be on touch for?
Normally my schedule was 2-3 weeks on the road and then one week at home. Last few months I’ve been on the road anywhere from 1-2 months at a time. Trying to make as much as I could to spend a few weeks at home in a row vs one week.
Hey Ken. When I was working for someone as a hotshot driver, they were using this dispatch company so when I left I just stuck with that same one. Don’t really know a proper way to find a good one. When you get your authority, they all automatically start calling you and offering dispatch services as well.
Based on the 3 years that I have been learning about hotshot and semi...most everyone I knew that was in hotshot moved on to semi...and say they wish they had left HS quicker...and that is is a lot easier to get loaded in semi because the trucking market is built around semi. From what I have seen in the last year...seems hotshot is dead...but looks like you are making decent money. I wonder if you were still doing non CDL hotshot if things would be a lot harder for you than they are right now.@@Mr.AlexKogan
Usually 2-3 weeks at a time before taking a week off but lately I’ve been working 2 months at a time. Trying to take a few weeks off at the end of the month. Yes I drop my trailer at a truck stop while on my reset and go do my personal stuff.
