The definition of hot shot

Expediters with straight trucks were originally called hotshotters . Now hotshot is mostly a flatbed or stepdeck trailer pulled by 1 tons to Class 8's . Hotshot loads are like flatbed expedite , needing to move ASAP with exclusive use of the trailer . Smaller hotshot loads can be moved in almost any vehicle that can carry the weight .
Many hotshotters are O/O's with their own authority . Some lease to hotshot carriers .
There are not nearly as many true expedite loads as there used to be . When the economy went down the tubes shippers were less willing to pay expedite rates and expedite carriers began accepting ltl freight for lower rates .
The majority of expedite freight is moved by large carriers but they don't own any trucks . The cargo vans and many TT's are run by owner operators . Most of the straight trucks are owned by fleet owners hiring drivers as I/C's . The standard pay by fleet owners is a 60/40 split with whichever party is paying the fuel getting 60% of the gross revenue plus 100% of the FSC . In most cases the drivers get the 60% .

 

An interesting article on the history of Roberts Express . The article was written in 1998 the same year FedEx bought Roberts and it became FedEx Custom Critical . That same year FedEx bought RPS from Roadway and it became FedEx Ground . http://www.fastcompany.com/35095/roberts-rules-road

 

A hotshoter is someone that's available to go do a load at any time day or night 2pm or 2am don't matter. Someone that can get the load there ASAP!!

 

A brand of electric cattle prod

 

In the expedite world, pickups and trailers are one of three things - a car hauler, a hotshot rig or someone who is hauling for fun.

Expedite is a completely different thing, although they does the same thing as hotshots, they do it in a rig that is anything other than a pickup and trailer.

Expediting isn't what it used to be, it was a way to get Just In Time (JIT) auto motive freight moved from one plant to another. It has moved into the LTL world with not much being so important that it needs to get there yesterday but rather "get it off the dock now".

The problem with expediting is that the rates are sub-standard compared to other things mainly because everyone and their brother's dog have gotten into it thanks to the internet and load boards. Once a load that cost $3 a mile to take for a team with a $160k setup is now getting about $1.25 a mile.

 

The real problem with expedite rates started when the automotive freight went away and carriers dropped rates to get whatever freight they could .
I had considered teaming with my wife for a year then becoming a fleet owner but carrier ads now say a flat $1.20 a mile for a straight truck . It's not worth investing in trucks .

 

True to a point, automotive freight didn't go away, there is a lot of it there, even in 2009 there was a good level of freight. but the problem has been with the amount of carriers involved. Once it was roberts and somewhat ... that was really it. Then after these other carriers got into it, and roberts got sold off to fedex, rates took a tumble. THEN when the popularity of it gave us E-1, Panther II and so on - with L-1 now fully involved, rates are essentially crap.

IF I wasn't involved with other things, I would consider getting a few tractors into this stuff, maybe straight trucks (I have run across a lot of older ones for cheap) but not vans.