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How to start a hotshot business: what it costs and what to do first
Updated
Hotshot carriers need the same federal filings as any interstate carrier: a USDOT number, $300 MC authority, a BOC-3, UCR and liability insurance on file. Your truck and trailer ratings decide whether you need a Class A CDL, and the 3500 badge on the truck settles nothing. Insurance is the number to price first, since hotshot owners report anywhere from $4,200 a year to $2,700 a month.
At a glance
- CDL
- Class A at 26,001 lb combined with a trailer over 10,000 lb
- Government filing fees
- $0 USDOT number, $300 MC authority
- Used dually plus used 40 ft gooseneck
- $43,000 to $75,000 (sum of one 2026 guide's ranges)
- Owner-reported insurance
- Median about $16,100 a year across eight reports
Which CDL a hotshot rig needs
A hotshot rig needs a Class A CDL when the combination is rated or weighs 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated or weighs more than 10,000 lb. Ratings count even when you run empty.
Take a pickup rated at 14,000 lb pulling a trailer rated at 14,000 lb. That's at least 28,000 lb with a trailer over 10,000 lb, so the rig is Class A even if the scale ticket is lighter or the registration is lower.
Staying non-CDL means keeping the combination at 26,000 lb or less, or the trailer at 10,000 lb or less, by rating and by actual weight.
Below the CDL line, the federal safety rules still apply once the combination reaches 10,001 lb.
- a medical card for the driver
- hours of service: 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off, a 30-minute break after eight hours of driving, the 14-hour window and 60 or 70 hours on duty in seven or eight days
- logs on an ELD, unless the short-haul rule or another exception applies
Running with a CDL adds drug and alcohol testing. A self-employed CDL driver joins a consortium's random testing pool, passes a pre-employment drug test before driving and names a consortium or third-party administrator (C/TPA) in FMCSA's Clearinghouse. Non-CDL operations fall outside those testing rules.
Fuel tax, plates and Form 2290
- IFTA. A combination over 26,000 lb running in two or more member jurisdictions needs an IFTA license and two decals. Quarterly returns are due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. A two-axle pickup doesn't meet the three-axle test, since trailer axles don't count toward it, but the combination qualifies on weight once it's over 26,000 lb.
- IRP. The same weight line applies to apportioned plates when you run in two or more jurisdictions. Fees depend on your base state's schedules and your miles in each jurisdiction.
- Form 2290. The heavy vehicle use tax starts at 55,000 lb taxable gross weight.
What it costs to start
| Cost | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Used diesel 3500-class dually, three to six years old | $35,000 to $60,000 | One 2026 financing guide |
| Used 40 ft gooseneck | $8,000 to $15,000 | Same guide |
| New 40 ft gooseneck | $12,000 to $22,000 | Same guide |
| MC authority | $300 | FMCSA, per authority type |
| USDOT number | $0 | FMCSA |
| BOC-3 | $20 one-time to $125 a year | Three process agents' published prices |
| UCR | $55 for 2027 | Zero to two power units |
| DOT physical | $89 to $150 | Published clinic prices |
| Consortium, CDL only | $85 to $170 a year | Two providers' published fees, one from May 2025 |
| Pre-employment drug test, CDL only | $69 to $85 | Same two providers |
| Clearinghouse query, CDL only | $1.25 each | FMCSA |
| Load board | $59 to $339 a month at DAT, $42 to $159 at Truckstop | Published plans, per user |
| Dispatcher, optional | 7% per load or $280 a week | One dispatch service's published hotshot price |
| Diesel | $6.179 a gallon | U.S. on-highway average, EIA, October 12, 2026 |
At October 2026 prices, the used truck and used trailer ranges add up to $43,000 to $75,000 before tax, delivery and repairs. The guide carries a 2026 label with no exact date and publishes no sales sample, so price the actual rig you plan to buy.
What hotshot owners report paying for insurance
The federal floor is $750,000 in liability once the rig reaches 10,001 lb. Brokers usually ask for more: 20 of the 21 brokers that publish a liability minimum on their own pages want $1 million or more.
Eight hotshot owners in the forum reports gave a yearly or monthly figure. Counting monthly payments times 12, they run from $4,200 to $32,400 a year, with a median of about $16,100.
| Owner report | Amount | Limits and coverage they stated |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | $2,700 a month | $1 million liability, $150,000 cargo |
| Florida | About $1,200 a month | $1 million auto, $1 million general liability, $100,000 cargo |
| Quote | $25,000 for the year | |
| Hotshot setup | $8,600 a year | $1 million liability, $250,000 cargo |
| Truck plus a new 53 ft trailer | $4,200 a year | Full coverage |
| Payment plan | $3,491.60 down, then $1,397.64 a month | Physical damage included. Liability limits as posted were unclear |
| Payment plan | $3,500 down, then about $1,800 a month | Poster believed $1 million liability and $100,000 cargo |
| Two years' driving experience | $15,375 a year | $100,000 and $1 million, as posted |
Quotes for the same new business can land far apart. An agent posting in December 2024 listed three insurers' quotes on one new hotshot venture: $10,000, $31,000 and $54,000, with no period given. Have every agent quote the same limits, so a spread like that compares like for like.
See what the coverage costs before you buy. The startup cost estimator holds a hotshot quote comparison. Startup cost estimator
Where the first loads come from
- Brokers. TQL lists hotshot among the equipment it uses and asks for $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo, with standard pay in 28 days. C.H. Robinson's published wait is seven days of active MC authority. Other published waits run from 60 days at Ryder to one year at Mode Global and Penske Transportation Management.
- Load boards. DAT and Truckstop let brokers set authority-age rules, so some posts stay closed to a new MC at first.
- Securement. Open-deck loads need enough tiedowns with the right working-load limits, plus blocking and edge protection when the freight calls for it. Long or oddly shaped freight can also need state route and size permits.
- Leasing on skips the broker wait, and the carrier keeps a share of each load. Compare the two on lease on or own authority.
For the load side, see hotshot loads and hotshot insurance. You file your USDOT and MC applications yourself, directly in Motus.
Run your own numbers. Enter your truck and trailer prices, your state and your insurance quote. The estimator adds the filing fees, UCR and the plans you pick, then shows how much cash gets you to the first broker payment. Startup cost estimator
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a CDL for hotshot trucking?
You need a Class A CDL when the combination is rated or weighs 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated or weighs more than 10,000 lb. Ratings count even when you run empty, so the 3500 badge on the truck settles nothing.
How much does hotshot insurance cost?
Eight hotshot owners gave a yearly or monthly figure. Counting monthly payments times 12, they run from $4,200 to $32,400 a year, with a median of about $16,100.
How much does it cost to start a hotshot business?
One 2026 guide's ranges for a used diesel dually and a used 40 ft gooseneck add up to $43,000 to $75,000 before tax, delivery and repairs. FMCSA charges $0 for the USDOT number and $300 for MC authority.
Does a hotshot need IFTA?
Yes, once the combination is over 26,000 lb and runs in two or more member jurisdictions. Even with a two-axle pickup, it qualifies on weight.