Line 01 / Hot shot dispatch service
A hot shot dispatch service that prices every load against your fuel
Hotshot money lives in two numbers: the rate per mile and what the truck burns getting there and back. A load that looks great on the board can pay less than a plain one once the empty miles and the fuel come off. We book against your per-mile cost, for CDL and non-CDL rigs, at 7% of gross with no contract.
Line 02 / Rate ranges
What hotshot loads pay, and why nobody can give you one number
There is no official national hotshot rate index. Rate figures you see online are estimates, often from companies selling something. The closest published benchmark is DAT's flatbed spot rate, because a lot of hotshot freight is flatbed-type freight on a smaller deck.
Read it with care. Hotshot loads are often partials or expedited runs. A small partial can pay less per mile than a full flatbed load, while an urgent oilfield part can pay far more. What matters is the rate per mile of the loads you actually haul, against your own cost per mile.
Hotshot dispatching services earn their fee in that gap: knowing which brokers move hotshot-sized freight in your area, and pricing each offer with the deadhead and the fuel already counted. Run any offer through the rate per mile calculator before you say yes, with the empty miles included.
DAT flatbed spot linehaul, week ending Aug 14, 2026
$2.72/mi
+35.7% (+$0.71/mi) vs a year earlier
Excludes fuel surcharge. A benchmark for full flatbed loads, not a hotshot rate.
Source: DAT, Flatbed Report, Aug 17, 2026 · checked Oct 2026
EIA U.S. diesel, week of 2026-09-28
$6.382/gal
Source: EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update · checked Oct 2026
Line 03 / Sample lanes
Three hotshot lanes, printed: rate, fuel, fee, what's left
Three made-up lanes with made-up rates. Fuel uses the EIA diesel average for the week of 2026-09-28 and a loaded fuel economy you can change. Edit the rate on any receipt and watch the net per mile move. The short partial with the long deadhead is usually the one that disappoints.
EXAMPLE LANE
Oilfield equipment, expedited window
EXAMPLE LANE
Partial, two pickups
EXAMPLE LANE
Building materials, gooseneck
Made-up lanes and rates. Edit the rate on any receipt. Insurance, the truck and trailer notes and maintenance still come out of what's left.
How we price a hotshot offer before it reaches you
- + Weight and length first: if the load won't fit your deck or your rating, it never reaches you.
- + All-in rate: the linehaul divided by loaded plus empty miles, not just the loaded ones.
- + Fuel at today's price and your real mpg, so you see what the trip costs before you commit.
- + The reload: what moves out of the delivery area, so a good load in doesn't strand you.
- + The broker: days to pay and payment history, checked before we call you.
For a whole trip, including the return, the trip fuel cost calculator adds up the gallons and the dollars. Bring that number to the broker, not after the load.
Line 04 / IFTA, CDL and the 26,000 lb line
IFTA for hotshots: it's the combination that counts
A pickup on its own is never an IFTA vehicle. Hook up a gooseneck and the question changes, because IFTA looks at the weight of the whole combination.
The IFTA rule
A qualified motor vehicle has two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight over 26,000 lb (11,797 kg), or three or more axles regardless of weight, or is used in combination when the combined weight is over 26,000 lb.
A one-ton dually with a 40 ft gooseneck is often rated well over 26,000 lb combined, so it is a qualified vehicle: an IFTA license, decals and quarterly returns. A lighter combination at or under 26,000 lb is not. Use the registered or rated weight, not what you happen to be hauling today.
Source: IFTA, Inc., IFTA Articles of Agreement (effective Aug 26, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
Non CDL hotshot dispatch
A Class A CDL is needed for a combination rated at 26,001 lb or more when the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb. Stay under either line and the rig can be run without a CDL, which is why so many hotshot carriers choose their trailer ratings carefully. We dispatch both, and we match loads to what your rig and license allow.
Source: eCFR, 49 CFR 383.91, commercial motor vehicle groups · checked Oct 2026
Fuel tax by state
IFTA tax is settled by the miles you drive in each state, not by where you buy fuel. If you are IFTA qualified, see IFTA tax by state for the current rates and filing portals.
General information, not tax advice. Rules and rates change every year and depend on your situation: confirm with a tax professional before you file. We are not a tax preparer or accountant.
Line 05 / Questions
Hotshot dispatcher questions, answered
Dispatch for hotshot loads at 7% of gross, on loads you haul only. Everything included and never charged is on our dispatch fees page.
How much does hot shot dispatch cost?
7% of gross on loads you haul. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no contract: cancel with 30 days notice. Hotshots sit in the 7% tier because loads are smaller and more of them are needed to fill a week, which means more calls per dollar booked.
What is a good rate per mile for hotshot?
A rate that clears your cost per mile on all the miles, loaded and empty. There is no official national hotshot rate index, so treat any average you read online as an estimate. DAT's flatbed spot rate is the nearest published benchmark, but hotshot loads are usually smaller and priced differently.
Do hotshots need IFTA?
If the truck and trailer together weigh more than 26,000 lb (gross or registered gross weight), or the power unit has three or more axles, the combination is an IFTA qualified motor vehicle and needs an IFTA license to run in more than one jurisdiction. A combination at or under 26,000 lb does not.
How much fuel does a hotshot use?
It depends on the truck, the trailer, the load, the terrain and the wind, so a published average won't match your rig. Track your own: fill up, log the miles until the next fill-up, divide. At the current EIA diesel average, one mile per gallon either way moves your fuel cost per mile by several cents.
Can you dispatch a new MC hotshot?
Yes. New MCs and hotshots share the 7% tier, so there is no extra charge. The first weeks lean on brokers who work with new authorities. Clean deliveries and fast paperwork open the rest.
Will you force me to take loads?
Never. Every load is offered to you with the lane, miles, deadhead, weight and rate. The rate confirmation goes straight to you, and you confirm or decline. A decline costs nothing and doesn't count against you. We'd rather lose a load than book you on one that doesn't pay your numbers.
Before you compare hotshot dispatch companies
Ask each one how they price deadhead, whether the fee is on loads you decline, and whether the rate confirmation comes to you or to them. Ask for a sample week of loads for a rig like yours. A dispatcher who can't show the math on a hotshot lane won't do the math on yours.
Every quarter, loaded and on paper
Send your truck, trailer, ratings and home base. We book hotshot loads that clear your per-mile cost and keep your miles organized for the IFTA quarter. You confirm every load.
7% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.
IFTA quarters: next four due dates
Weekend due dates roll to the next business day