Where do you start? What should you do first? What should you do next? Well, here’s the order of the things you need to do. It’s a step-by-step guide with nine clear steps. Just follow along. 1. OPEN AN LLC IN YOUR STATE You need a business to get paid. Regardless of what you do — whether you’re a driver, owner, operator — you’re going to need a company. So you open your own business. You could either go to LegalZoom or do it yourself — either is fine. But doing it yourself is a little cheaper. 2. GET A TAX ID NUMBER This is also called an EIN (Employer Identification Number). It’s like a Social Security number for your business. Your business can now accept checks and other payments. Once you have your LLC and your tax ID number, you can take those two things and go to the bank for the next step. 3. OPEN A BUSINESS BANK ACCOUNT When you open your account, put down your initial deposit, whatever that is — $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000. Going forward, deposit all payments to this account.
Hotshot trucking is often associated with commercially driving an F-350 and pulling a gooseneck or 5th wheel trailer to haul construction materials, cars, sheds, horses, etc. Hotshot freight is simply hauling for a single customer that is needed in expedited fashion. We often see farmers hauling equipment for personal use that want to take the next step to hauling commercially for customers. In other cases, a driver wants to be their own boss but worries about going into debt from purchasing a big rig. The question we hear most often is “Do I need a CDL for Hotshot?” According to regulations, a commercial driver’s license is not required in many states until you are driving vehicles commercially over of 26,000 lb. In some states a CDL is required for vehicles weighing more than 10,000 lb. If you are looking to get started, below are 5 reasons why we recommend getting your CDL when hauling hotshot versus non-CDL hotshot. REASON #1: CDL hotshot drivers have flexibility and a back-up pla