Switching from hotshot to Flatbed

[BadDog]

(08-07-2018 )Redland1 Wrote:  Hello all.I’m very excited to have found this forum.I have been hotshotting out of San Antonio,Tx with my own authority for the last four years and it has gone well.But more hotshots keep popping up every day and 99.9% don’t know anything about the business and haul for dirt cheap lowering the rates in the area.Its a niche in the market that anyone with a dually and some money or good credit lying around can get into pretty easy with no prior trucking experience and think they can make millions,but they end up failing and dropping the rates along the way.Prior to hotshotting I drove Tri Axle drive vacuum trucks in the North Dakota oilfields and also water tankers.Seeing that there is not much room to expand in hotshotting and the limits I have in weight 18k and in feet 40,I am wanting to step up to a 48’ flatbed.

What I’m looking for is either a 2008 and up Peterbilt,Kenworth,Pro Star,or Freightliner with a Cummins and 13 speed trans and a budget of 40k for truck.I will be hauling loads up to 48k plus truck and trailer which I don’t know their exact weight yet.With the hotshot I run just Texas and I plan to do the same until ELD’s go into effect in December 2019 and then I will reinstate my MC.Right now I’m running just DOT and Texas DOT.

I have a bit of experience with emissions systems problems on semi’s and on diesel pickups.I have performed a lot of parked regens on the side of North Dakota highways since the DPF full warning lights would come on and recommending the parked Regen.On the Vac trucks they had a button for it and you would engage parking brake,depress clutch and then hold the parked Regen button for a set amount of time and it would Regen.On my hotshots when any components of the emissions systems failed I would just delete the whole system with a tuner and straight pipe the exhaust.

Any suggestions on what gearing? What are the problems with deleting a tractor and how much does it usually cost?

I'm in DFW and new as well. The biggest thing I have found is a lot of shippers look at is the age of your MC. Most of the large one's want to see 6 months old. So register your USDOT and MC asap. It will greatly increase the loads available to you. Second, Research rates on the boards. If you see a really good rate before you accept it look for a return load. It doesn't do good to take a $3.50 mile load if you have to dead head back. Stay with a Cummins on whatever truck you choose. When getting a trailer get a 53ft. I bought a new step deck aluminum and would get a steel/aluminum hybrid if doing over. New doesn't matter!! Just good shape. I know this is a little off base but it is very important to your success..