There are a lot of auto transport trucks on the road. How many, you ask? Thousands. While the actual number is at least four digits, we don’t really know exactly how many there are. But we know it’s high. Of those carriers, the majority transport cars on open ten car haulers. We’ve talked about these kinds of trucks before; they’re everywhere on the road. You’ve likely seen more than a few yourself just driving around. But did you know that there are a lot of different types of car transport trucks? It’s true! While the ten-car carrier is the most well-known transport truck out there, it’s far from the only one.
There are two-car haulers, three-car haulers, six-car haulers, nine-car haulers. And then there’s hot shot auto transport. Hot shot auto transport services are grouped in with all the rest of the haulers on the road. So long as they have a license, they can move cars. But what is hot shot auto transport? Is it the same as any other type of car shipment? What makes it different from standard carriers? We’re going to dive into that right here. We’ll explain how it works, how it differs from other methods of transport, and more.
What is hot shot auto transport?
Hot shot auto transport is when someone who owns a pickup truck with a trailer (usually a 1-3 car hauler) ships a car instead of a dedicated transport truck. That’s it. Instead of a large truck coming to pick your vehicle up with a massive trailer, it’s a pickup truck and a small trailer.
Hot shot auto transport companies are often independently owned and operated. This means that the driver is usually the owner of the company, and he has someone at home finding him new loads to ship. Hot shot rates are about the same as any other type of transport truck. What we mean by this is that hot shot haulers want the same loads as any other type of car hauler. So it won’t affect your cost to ship your vehicle if you want a hot shot carrier or not.
Hot shot carriers can haul both open and enclosed, and most brokers like us don’t differentiate the type of truck the carriers use. Most customers don’t care what kind of truck is hauling their vehicle, so long as it’s done right. Hot shot haulers operate the same way as any other truck. They have to follow the same laws, the same rules and regulations. They still have to be fully licensed and insured to transport vehicles and drive a commercial vehicle. All that’s different is the size of the truck and how many cars they can haul.
Are hot shot auto transport services safe?
Absolutely. Hot shot auto transporters have to abide by the same rules and regulations as any other carrier. As we mentioned above, this means they have to be fully licensed and insured. They have to stop at the same weigh stations as any other type of truck. Hot shot haulers also have to keep a log book and have to abide by the same driving rules and restrictions as any other hauler.
The configuration of the truck has little to do with how safe your vehicle is while in transit. What’s really important is the trailer. Open hotshot haulers typically drive lowboys or flatbeds and haul regular vehicles with it. Enclosed haulers typically have a multi-car racing trailer that can fit 1-4 cars, depending on the size of it.
There are also “wedge” trailers, which can haul up to three cars at a time. These are the most common form of hot shot trailers, and you’ve likely seen one pulled by a big pickup truck before. They operate much the same way as a regular ten-car open hauler, too. So really, there’s not much difference other than the engine that’s hauling it.
Advantages of hot shot auto transport
Hot shot auto transport has some inherent advantages over traditional shipping services. For one, hot shot trucks can usually get into areas that regular ten-car haulers can’t. Places like cul-de-sacs and neighborhoods are hard for regular ten-car haulers because of the size of their truck and trailer. Low hanging trees and tight turns make it hard for them to operate – or, sometimes, impossible – in those areas.
Hot shot haulers, though, can usually get down those narrow residential streets because the low-hanging trees are usually tall enough to avoid. Wedge trailers line up the cars, they don’t stack them, so height isn’t as big of an issue. Also because of this, hot shot transporters usually make pickup and delivery easier on the customers. Usually with big carriers you have to meet them somewhere nearby like a large parking lot. This is so they don’t have to deal with low hanging trees and tightly-packed streets. But with a hot shot hauler, that isn’t always the case.
Some hot shot haulers may run into the same issues, of course. It depends on the trailer, the load, and much more. But typically, a major advantage of hot shot transport is simply the fact it’s easier for them to get around areas that regular car haulers can’t.
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Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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