Hotshot Equipment List: What to Carry, Printable

Key point: federal rules require only two pieces of safety gear on a hotshot truck, a rated fire extinguisher and three warning triangles, but the securement rules decide how much strap and chain you carry, and that's where most new hotshots come up short.

This hotshot trucking equipment list is the one we'd hand a carrier on their first day with our desk. It covers what the law requires, what flatbed freight needs, and what keeps a breakdown from costing a day. Print it, or download the CSV and add your own prices as you buy.

Hotshot equipment list

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Required safety equipment

• Fire extinguisher, UL 5 B:C (or two rated 4 B:C) (49 CFR 393.95(a))Mounted, charged, gauge visible, labeled with its rating.
• Three reflective warning triangles (49 CFR 393.95(f))Bidirectional, FMVSS 125. Six fusees are the legal alternative.

Securement gear

• 4 in ratchet straps, WLL marked (49 CFR 393.108)Enough to secure your heaviest usual load with spares. Unmarked 4 in webbing counts as 4,000 lb WLL.
• Transport chain and binders (49 CFR 393.108)Grade 70 is common for equipment; 3/8 in Grade 70 is rated 6,600 lb WLL. Binders rated at least as high.
• Edge protectors and corner guardsKeep straps from cutting on steel and pallets.
• Winch bar (if your deck has winches) (49 CFR 393.112)Every tiedown must be adjustable by the driver in transit.
• Chocks, wedges or blocks (49 CFR 393.106(c))Anything likely to roll must be chocked so it cannot come loose in transit.
• Dunnage: 4x4s and boardsFor blocking, spacing and getting forks or straps under freight.
• Anti-slip (friction) matsUnrated mats count for 50% of the weight on them.
• Tarps, bungees and tarp strapsLumber or steel tarps if you want tarped loads.
• Measuring tapeCheck length and width against the rate con before you load.

Truck, hitch and trailer

• Spare tires for truck and trailerWith a jack and lug wrench rated for the weight.
• Tire pressure gaugeDuals and trailer tires checked cold.
• 7-way plug tester and spare bulbsA dead light is easy to spot from the road.
• Breakaway battery charger or testerThe breakaway must hold the brakes for 15 minutes.
• Gloves, flashlight, basic toolsWrenches for the hitch and binders, wire, fuses, tape.
• Site PPE: hard hat, vest, boots, glassesMany yards and job sites require it to load.

Documents in the truck

• Driver's license and medical certificate (49 CFR 391.41)
• Registration and proof of insuranceTruck and trailer.
• Periodic inspection proof, truck and trailer (49 CFR 396.17)
• ELD information packet (49 CFR 395.22(h))Data transfer sheet, malfunction sheet and 8 days of blank logs.
• Rate confirmation and bill of ladingFor the load you are hauling.
• Company name and USDOT number on both sides of the truck (49 CFR 390.21)

What the federal rules require

Two items are required on every truck that counts as a commercial motor vehicle (49 CFR 393.95):

• Fire extinguisher. UL rating of 5 B:C or more, or two extinguishers rated 4 B:C. It must be marked with its rating, show at a glance whether it's charged, and be mounted so it can't slide or roll. A placarded hazmat load needs 10 B:C.
• Warning devices. Three bidirectional reflective triangles, or at least six fusees.

The rest of the required items are paperwork: periodic inspection proof for the truck and the trailer (49 CFR 396.17), the ELD information packet with eight days of blank logs (49 CFR 395.22), and your name and USDOT number on both sides of the truck (49 CFR 390.21). The full rule list by setup is in hotshot trucking requirements.

Securement gear: how much you need

The securement rules don't name a number of straps to carry. They set a minimum per load, so your kit has to cover the heaviest freight you plan to book:

• Count by length. An article over 10 ft that isn't blocked at the front needs two tiedowns, plus one for every 10 ft or part of 10 ft after that. A 40 ft bundle needs five.
• Strength by weight. The working load limits (WLL) of the tiedowns must add up to at least half the cargo weight (49 CFR 393.106). A strap over the top from one side of the trailer to the other counts its full WLL; one hooked from the trailer to the cargo counts half.
• Use marked gear. If a strap or chain isn't marked, the rules assign it a default WLL, and it's low: 4,000 lb for unmarked 4 in webbing and Grade 30 proof coil values for unmarked chain (49 CFR 393.108). Marked Grade 70 transport chain in 3/8 in is rated 6,600 lb.

Kit for a 16,000 lb, 20 ft loadEXAMPLE

Tiedowns by length (over 10 ft, up to 20 ft)3

Aggregate WLL needed (half of 16,000)8,000 lb

Three 4 in straps over the top at 5,400 lb marked WLL16,200 lb

Minimum to use3 straps

EXAMPLE load. Equipment on wheels or tracks weighing 10,000 lb or more is different: it needs at least four tiedowns, front and rear. Work out any load in the tiedown counter in our hotshot tie-down rules guide.

Carry more than the minimum. Straps get cut and chains get left at shippers, and a strap with a cut or burn can't be used at all.

Truck, hitch and trailer kit

The gear that keeps a small problem from ending the day:

• Spares. A spare for the truck and one for the trailer, with a jack rated for a loaded dually.
• Lights. A 7-way plug tester and spare bulbs. A dead light is easy for an inspector to spot from the road.
• Breakaway battery. Trailers required to have brakes must have a breakaway system that holds the brakes for at least 15 minutes (49 CFR 393.43). A dead battery defeats it.
• Site PPE. Hard hat, vest, safety glasses and boots. Most yards, plants and job sites won't let you on the deck without them. That's their rule, not a federal one, but you'll be turned away all the same.

What to buy first on a tight budget

1. The extinguisher and triangles. They are required, and inspectors look for them.
2. Enough marked straps for your heaviest load plus two spares.
3. Edge protectors. They're cheap, and they save straps.
4. Chocks and a few 4x4s.
5. Chains and binders when you start hauling equipment.
6. Tarps last, and only if you want tarped loads. Many hotshot loads don't need them.

We don't list prices here. They change by brand, store and month, and no single public source covers them. The CSV has a blank column for what you actually pay, which is the number your startup cost plan needs.

How this list was put together

We started from the federal rules that apply to a for-hire hotshot in interstate commerce (49 CFR Parts 390 to 396, checked on the eCFR on October 26, 2026) and marked each required item with its section. The rest comes from the loads our dispatchers book and the questions brokers and shippers ask before they release freight. We review the list every year and when a rule changes; the next scheduled review is October 2027.

Your insurer may ask about your securement gear after a cargo claim, which is one more reason to buy rated gear; see hot shot trucking insurance. For which loads your setup can take, see hotshot loads.