A hotshot driver is a truck driver who hauls equipment and special deliveries for clients. They are responsible for delivering time-sensitive loads that need to be transported to one customer quickly. Hotshot trucking is different from expedited shipping, which usually involves a motor carrier keeping vans, tractor-trailers, or even pickup trucks waiting on standby to get the job done. Instead of keeping expedited shipping vehicles on standby, hotshot hauling jobs are distributed to various drivers through load boards. Hotshot drivers are mostly small owner-operators with a single truck or micro fleet who get into hotshot given greater flexibility and low startup costs. They usually work within a tight geographic radius, spend more time at home, and circumvent some of the regulations involved with larger vehicles and longer hours on the road. Hotshot drivers typically use a pickup truck with a trailer or other specialized hauling equipment, but they may also operate a larger vehicle. Most of what hotshot truckers haul is agricultural equipment, construction equipment, machinery, LTL (less-than-a-truckload) items, and other critical loads that need to be transported to one customer quickly. Hotshot trucks fall into commercial truck classes three, four, and five, and each class is determined by the vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) . Hotshot drivers need to have several qualifications, including a commercial driver’s license and their own vehicle. They only need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) if gross weight exceeds 26,000 pounds. Hotshot trucking is a great first step to becoming a professional truck driver, and it is relatively easy to get into. The advantages of becoming a hotshot driver include competitive jobs, relatively easy entry, and the demand for this type of transport service is not going away. Hotshot drivers can make as much as $100,000 a year or more, but the median yearly owner-operator salary for hotshot truck drivers is between $49,000 and $75,000.