Local Trucking Companies

Both are single-unit trucks with the cargo box mounted on the same frame as the cab, so neither pulls a separate trailer, and the terms are often used interchangeably. In freight shipping, a box truck usually means the smaller version, with a box of about 12 to 16 ft that carries up to 5,000 lbs. A straight truck usually means a larger unit with a box of about 22 to 26 ft that carries up to 9,000 lbs. Many have a liftgate for deliveries without a dock. Box trucks suit a few pallets in town, while straight trucks handle several pallets or bulkier loads that still do not need a tractor-trailer.

A hot shot truck is a heavy-duty pickup that pulls a flatbed or gooseneck trailer, with a deck of up to about 40 ft. It carries up to 16,000 lbs. Hot shots handle urgent loads that are too large or heavy for a van but do not need a full tractor-trailer, such as machinery, pipe, construction materials and replacement equipment. Because the truck is smaller than a semi, it can often be dispatched quickly and reach job sites with limited access. The freight usually travels as a dedicated load, driven straight from pickup to delivery without stops at terminals along the way.

Every interstate carrier and broker has a USDOT number, and most also hold operating authority with an MC number. You can look up either one on the FMCSA website, which shows whether the company's authority is active, what kind of operation it runs and its safety record. Brokers must also keep proof of financial security on file. For insurance, ask for a certificate of insurance that lists cargo coverage, and compare the coverage amount with the value of your freight. If a broker is arranging the move, ask which carrier will haul the load so you can look that company up as well.

A trucking company, often called an asset carrier, owns or leases its trucks and employs or contracts the drivers who haul the freight. A freight broker does not run its own trucks. It arranges the shipment with a licensed carrier, books the truck and manages the move for the shipper. Both need federal operating authority. A carrier is limited to the trucks it has free that day. A broker can reach trucks from many carriers, which helps when a load comes up at short notice or needs a specific type of truck. HotShotTrucking.com is a licensed broker, and a licensed carrier hauls every load it books.

A dedicated truck shipment uses one truck for one shipper's load. The truck goes straight from pickup to delivery, with no other freight on board and no stops at terminals along the way. That differs from LTL, or less-than-truckload, shipping, where several shippers' freight shares a trailer and moves through terminals where it may be unloaded and reloaded. A dedicated truck usually costs more than sharing space, but it is faster and handles the freight fewer times. It is the common choice for urgent parts, fragile items and loads that must arrive within a narrow window.

Federal hours-of-service rules limit how long a commercial driver can work. A property-carrying driver can drive up to 11 hours after a 10-hour break and cannot drive past the 14th hour after coming on duty. Drivers who stay within a 150 air-mile radius and return to their base can use a short-haul exception that eases some record-keeping. For a shipper, these limits matter most late in the day. A driver who started early may not have enough hours left to finish a longer local run, so a second driver or truck may be needed to deliver on time. Booking early leaves the most room.

This page is written for shippers, but drivers often ask this. The 7/3 rule is one way a driver can split the 10 hours off duty that federal hours-of-service rules require between shifts. Under the FMCSA sleeper berth provision, a driver can take at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and pair it with a separate break of at least 3 hours, off duty or in the berth, so the two periods add up to 10. The pairing pauses the 14-hour on-duty clock rather than restarting it. FMCSA also allows an 8/2 split under the same rule. Because the provision depends on a sleeper berth, it mostly applies to regional and long-haul drivers. Local drivers who go home each night usually take their full 10 hours at once.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate pay figure for local drivers. Its closest measure covers heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, whose median annual wage was $58,640 in May 2025. Local pay is often hourly or daily rather than by the mile, and it varies with the metro, the license class, the type of truck and whether the job includes loading and unloading. When comparing offers, look at the hourly rate, guaranteed hours and overtime rules, not just the headline number. HotShotTrucking.com is a freight broker that dispatches licensed carriers for shippers, so it does not hire drivers directly. Drivers looking for local work should apply to carriers in their area.

It depends on the truck. A Class A commercial driver's license covers combination vehicles, such as a tractor-trailer or a heavy pickup towing a large trailer, with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 lbs or more when the towed unit is rated over 10,000 lbs. A Class B license covers single vehicles rated at 26,001 lbs or more, such as larger straight trucks and dump trucks, towing no more than 10,000 lbs. Many box trucks, sprinter vans and smaller straight trucks are rated under 26,001 lbs and need no CDL, unless they carry placarded hazardous materials. A hot shot driver needs a Class A once the truck and trailer together cross those combination limits.

Demand for drivers is steady rather than booming. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. It expects about 214,500 openings a year on average over that decade, many of them to replace drivers who retire or change careers. The agency does not split those figures between local and long-haul work, and openings vary by region and license class. Local job boards and carrier career pages give the clearest picture for a given metro. For shippers, a tight driver market is one reason a single local fleet can be fully booked on short notice.