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Hot shot trucking
Not every load needs 48 feet of deck. A hot shot — a one-ton or larger pickup, more often than not a dually, pulling a gooseneck trailer — moves smaller flatbed freight faster and leaner than booking a semi for half a deck.
What a hot shot setup is
A heavy-duty pickup (1-ton and up, usually dual rear wheels for stability under load) hitched to a gooseneck trailer riding in the truck bed. The gooseneck coupling puts the weight over the axle, which is what lets a pickup legally and safely haul serious freight — typically up to the mid-teens in thousands of pounds, on 30 to 40 feet of deck.
When hot shot is the right call
- Smaller machines — mini excavators, skid steers, compact tractors and attachments.
- Partial flatbed loads that don't justify a full semi — a few pallets of block, a bundle of steel, one crate.
- Hot freight on the short lanes: hot shots book fast and run fast, which is where the name comes from.
- Tight sites a full truck-and-trailer can't reach — jobsites, farms, residential deliveries.
When it isn't
- Weight past what a gooseneck legally carries — that's flatbed or lowboy territory.
- Freight taller or wider than legal on a low gooseneck deck without permits.
- Full-deck loads where a semi's per-mile economics win — we'll tell you which side of the line your load falls on.
Common questions
Is hot shot cheaper than a regular flatbed?
For loads that fit one, usually yes — you're not paying for deck you don't use, and on shorter lanes the economics favor the pickup. Past a certain weight and size the semi wins; that math is part of every quote.
Can a hot shot move my skid steer or mini excavator?
That's classic hot shot freight. Give us the machine's weight and transport dimensions and we'll confirm the setup and quote it — see our heavy equipment shipping guide for what to have ready.
One call books your freight.
No portals, no accounts, no nine-field forms. Tell a real broker what you're shipping and we'll have pre-screened carriers competing for your load.