Hot Shot Rates Per Mile: How Hotshot Loads Are Priced

Hot shot rates are the number everyone wants and nobody can give you honestly as a single figure. This guide explains how hotshot loads are actually priced, why we don't publish a national average, which loads pay differently, and how to build the one number that matters most: your own minimum rate per mile.

How hotshot pricing works

Most hotshot loads are posted or offered as a flat price for the load (the linehaul). You turn that into a rate per mile yourself. Some shippers and brokers quote per mile directly, especially on longer runs, and a few short local moves carry a flat minimum charge.

Two numbers matter, and they're often confused:

• Rate per loaded mile: pay divided by the miles with freight on the deck. This is what brokers talk about.
• Rate per total mile: pay divided by loaded miles plus the empty (deadhead) miles to the pickup. This is what your truck actually earns.

On top of the linehaul, a rate confirmation can include accessorials: detention when you're held past the free time at a shipper, layover for an overnight wait, TONU (truck ordered, not used) when a load cancels after you're dispatched, tarping, extra stops and sometimes a fuel surcharge. They're only paid if they're on the rate con, so read it before you sign.

Why you won't find a reliable national hotshot rate

You'll see "average hot shot rate per mile" figures online. Be careful with them. Most published spot rate averages describe semi-truck equipment classes like flatbed and van. Hotshot loads are a mix of partials, single machines, expedited freight and the occasional full deck, so a single average blends very different jobs. Posted rates also aren't the same as paid rates.

That's why this guide uses clearly labeled EXAMPLE numbers. For a real reference, use the lane: recent rates on the board's rate tool for that origin and destination, what brokers paid you or others on the same lane, and your own records.

Same pay, different truck earningsEXAMPLE

Load pay$1,200

Loaded miles400

Rate per loaded mile$3.00

With 50 empty miles to pickup$2.67 per total mile

With 200 empty miles to pickup$2.00 per total mile

Same load, same broker rate, a third less earned per mile the truck turns. That's why we compare loads by total miles on our hotshot loads page and in every offer we send.

Hot shot loads that pay differently

• Same-day expedited. A shipper paying to move something now usually pays more per mile than for planned freight, especially oilfield and industrial hot parts.
• Short local loads. Often a flat price that looks high per mile because the miles are few. Check what it pays per hour, not just per mile.
• Equipment. Priced by weight, size and the securement it needs. Oversize or permitted loads should pay for the permit and the extra time.
• Campers and travel trailers. Hotshot camper hauling is usually quoted per mile or as a flat delivery fee per unit, sometimes from dealers moving inventory. You need the right hitch and coverage for a towed unit you don't own, so confirm both before quoting.
• Vehicles. Car haulers usually price per vehicle, with the rate depending on the number of units and the lane.
• Weekend and holiday loads. Fewer trucks want them, which can help your rate.

What shippers pay vs what carriers get

"Hot shot shipping rates" from a shipper's side include the broker's margin. A broker charges the shipper one price and pays the carrier less; the difference covers the broker's work and profit. Carriers rarely see the shipper's price, which is one reason negotiation matters. If you work direct with shippers, you can quote the full rate, but you also take on the sales and billing work.

Your minimum rate: start from cost per mile

Your minimum isn't a market number. It's your cost per mile plus the profit you need. Work it out once a month:

1. Fixed costs per month: truck and trailer payments, insurance, ELD and phone, registrations, accounting.
2. Variable costs per mile: fuel (price per gallon ÷ miles per gallon), maintenance and tires, tolls.
3. Miles per month, loaded and empty together.
4. Cost per mile = fixed costs ÷ total miles + variable cost per mile.
5. Minimum rate per total mile = cost per mile + your profit target per mile + any percentage-based fees.

Cost-per-mile worksheet, one truckEXAMPLE

Fixed costs per month$3,300

Total miles per month8,000

Fixed cost per mile$0.41

Fuel: $3.80/gal ÷ 10 mpg$0.38

Maintenance and tires$0.18

Cost per mile$0.97

Profit target per mile$0.60

Minimum before a 7% dispatch fee$1.57

Minimum per total mile with 7% fee$1.69

EXAMPLE numbers. Use your own costs and the current diesel price for your region from the EIA's weekly fuel update. The percentage fee is divided out, not added: $1.57 ÷ 0.93 = $1.69. Note how fixed costs per mile rise when miles drop: in a slow month at 5,000 miles, the same $3,300 is $0.66 per mile.

The hot shot rate calculator runs this worksheet and checks any load against it. For the costs behind those lines, see hotshot startup cost and hotshot insurance cost.

Why hotshot rates drop, and what to do about it

Rates fall when there are more trucks than loads. Hotshot is easy to start, so capacity grows quickly in strong markets; when freight slows, semis take partials they'd normally skip, and new carriers sometimes accept anything to get going. Seasons matter too: construction and agriculture slow in winter in many regions.

What helps in a soft market: count empty miles in every decision, chase backhauls before you deliver, build relationships with brokers and shippers who repeat freight, and say no to loads under your minimum. A truck parked for a day costs less than one hauling at a loss.

Negotiating a hot shot rate

• Know your floor before you call. Your minimum per total mile, not per loaded mile.
• Use the facts of the load. Empty miles to get there, a tight pickup window, a heavy or awkward load, a lane that's hard to reload out of.
• Counter every time. The posted rate is the broker's opening number.
• Get accessorials in writing. Detention, layover and TONU terms belong on the rate con.
• Be willing to walk. Brokers call back more often than new carriers expect.

How much of all this ends up in your pocket at the end of the month is covered in how much hotshot drivers make.