A hot shot is one kind of expedited truck, built for heavy freight on an open deck. Some urgent loads need a hot shot; others are better in an enclosed van or straight truck. HotShotTrucking.com arranges both and matches the truck to the freight.
Expedited is about speed
Any truck dispatched for one urgent load and run direct.
Expedited trucking means a truck is dispatched quickly for one urgent shipment and driven straight to the receiver, with no other freight on board and no stops at terminals. It is about speed and directness, not about a particular kind of truck.
That is why expedited freight can travel in many vehicles. A Sprinter van carries urgent boxes and a pallet or two. A straight truck carries several pallets, often with a liftgate. A hot shot carries heavy freight on an open deck. Even a 53 ft dry van or flatbed can run expedited when a full load is urgent.
The common thread is that the truck works for one shipment until it is delivered. HotShotTrucking.com arranges expedited trucks of every size, including hot shot expedited loads, matched to the freight.
Built for heavy freight
A hot shot is an expedited truck with an open deck.
A hot shot is a heavy-duty pickup pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer. It carries up to 16,000 lbs on a deck of up to about 40 ft, and because it is smaller than a tractor-trailer, it can be dispatched quickly and reach sites a semi struggles to get into. In other words, a hot shot is one kind of expedited truck, built for heavy freight that rides on an open deck.
The open deck is the key difference from an enclosed van or straight truck. Machinery, pipe, steel and equipment can be loaded from the side or top with a forklift or crane, then strapped or chained down and covered with tarps if needed.
That makes the hot shot the go-to choice for heavy, urgent freight. HotShotTrucking.com arranges hot shot expedited loads across the country.
The freight decides
Open-deck heavy freight goes hot shot; enclosed freight goes in a box.
The freight decides between a hot shot and an enclosed expedited truck. Choose a hot shot for heavy or bulky freight that can ride on an open deck and needs to move fast: a pump for an oil well, a part for a farm machine, a bundle of pipe, a load of steel or a piece of construction equipment. A hot shot also suits sites where a full tractor-trailer cannot easily turn or park.
Choose an enclosed van or straight truck when freight must stay dry or secure, when it is palletized and needs a liftgate at a site without a dock, or when it is a small load of boxes. For very heavy or full loads, a 53 ft dry van or flatbed may be needed.
HotShotTrucking.com looks at the freight, the sites and the deadline and recommends the truck that fits.
Heavy urgent freight
Oil, construction, farms and plants all rely on hot shots.
Hot shot expedited loads come from industries that move heavy freight on tight timelines. Oil and gas operations need pumps, valves, pipe and tools at drilling and production sites, often in remote areas. Construction companies need steel, lumber, equipment and materials when the crew is ready to work.
Agriculture relies on hot shots for equipment parts and implements during planting and harvest, when a broken machine cannot wait. Manufacturers move heavy parts and machinery between plants, and equipment dealers deliver machines and attachments to customers.
What these loads share is weight, bulk and urgency, the combination hot shots are built for. HotShotTrucking.com arranges hot shot expedited service for each of these industries, and enclosed expedited trucks when the freight needs them.
Trucks and trailers
Hot shot truck5 / 6
Construction, oilfield and farm equipment, machinery
About hot shot trucks
A hot shot pairs a heavy-duty pickup with a gooseneck flatbed trailer. It is the fast choice for equipment and machinery that need an open deck but not a full semi. Ramps at the back let rolling equipment drive straight on.
Price a hot shot truck
Send the pickup, delivery and weight, and we'll match the truck to your load.
Details get it moving
Weight, size and site access decide the truck.
Speed starts with dispatch. A hot shot can usually be dispatched quickly because it is a smaller truck and many operate across the country, so one is often near the pickup. Remote sites, such as oil fields, farms and construction sites on rural roads, are where hot shots shine, because they can reach places a full tractor-trailer cannot.
Open-deck freight needs to be secured properly with straps, chains and binders, and covered with tarps when weather calls for it. To book, have ready what the freight is, its weight and dimensions, how it will be loaded and unloaded, both addresses, site access details and the deadline.
Complete details get the right truck moving quickly. HotShotTrucking.com arranges hot shot expedited loads with one dispatcher following each load to delivery.
A load goes right when one person owns it, the option fits and the updates are honest.
“I had a single point of contact assigned to our shipment that was fantastic on keeping me updated every step of the way.”
Pamela · TrustpilotWhen you call HotShotTrucking.com, you reach a real person right away, and that same person owns your load from the first call to final delivery. You never have to explain it twice.
Your dispatcher books it, follows it the whole way and is the person you call next time.
“I called up at 7:30 pm... one that was secured cancelled at the end of the day. Todd quoted three shipments on the spot... The last shipment was picked up at Midnight.”
Susan · TrustpilotEvery load is different, and the right solution is the one that actually fits. We arrange hot shots, Sprinter vans, box trucks, straight trucks, 53 ft dry vans and flatbeds that run direct.
We match the load to the option it needs, so you never pay for capacity or speed you do not use.
“True to word. They did exactly what they said they would do.”
Dan · TrustpilotUrgent freight is stressful enough without wondering whether you have the full story. We give you the price before you commit, the timeline as it actually stands, and if something goes wrong, you hear it from us first.
That includes telling you when another truck fits your load better.
talk to an expeditor now
Call (800) 604-2511
