Why most people are losing money hauling loads. Here is a question that always comes up when talking to others about hauling loads, or most commonly known as Hot Shot Hauling.

Is Hot Shot Hauling Profitable?

This all depends on what you consider your time and equipment worth. What do I mean? I consider my time away from my family worth a great deal. I consider my equipment worth a great deal as well.

Fuel is higher than it’s been in a very long time, so your hauling price has to not only pay for your fuel, but it also has to pay you a decent wage for your time and work spend doing this load. Your truck, trailer and other equipment is worth something…right? Yes, of course it is!

If you was working for someone at a job, wouldn’t you want a good wage to do that job? I would think you’d say yes? Because if not, you’d be looking for another job, wouldn’t you?

Time away from your family is also something to look at, because the one thing you can’t get back is, your time.

Here’s the number one problem with using load boards, or especially uShip. These people with no experience, no profile filled out, no pictures, and no reviews drive the price of most all loads down to where there is no money left to have a decent profit for the time and money spent.

These so called hot shot haulers cannot be found on Google, or Facebook, or anywhere else. How do you know if they are legit? If you can’t find them anywhere, more than likely they aren’t legit. If they have no profile, no pictures, or any kind of online presence, then keep looking for someone else to haul your loads. People that just started may not have reviews, but without a profile completed, and without pictures, how can this person possibly think anyone would take them serious for hiring them to haul their stuff all over the country?

Serious haulers take their jobs serious!! They will dress the part so to speak. In other words, the serious hauler will have a completed profile, some pictures showing they are actually real, and they should have, at least a Facebook account also supporting their self and business. How would you dress if you was going in for an interview for a good paying job? More than likely you’d dress the part wouldn’t you?

So why are these people losing money hauling loads? If you just read the above, you should have it figured out. On uShip we call it the no facers, the no profiles, the desperate bid low ballers. What this means is, these kind of people are so desperate to get loads, they forget they are there to make money and not lose money, they probably have a truck payment to make, fuel to pay for, insurance (hopefully) and all kinds of other expenses to pay. So when they drop bids by $500 to $1000 at a time, they are not being professional at all, it’s called desperation attempts. Hopefully the person wanting to hire someone will do some research and figure this person isn’t one they should hire, but honestly, most people wanting to hire someone to haul their stuff they are after one thing, and that is the cheapest, lowest bid possible, and fail to see who they are hiring. Shame on them too!!

So, is Hot Shot Hauling Profitable? Yes, if it is done right it sure is. For all those low ball bidders out there, please learn how to do it right, and have integrity! Your time is valuable, and so is your equipment, so take this serious and don’t be so desperate when doing your bidding.

Lowering bids by $1 or even $5 to $10 at a time if fine, but don’t drop bids by hundreds or even thousands at a time. This makes you look like the desperate fool you are acting like.

Pictures sell, and show you as a true professional! Make sure your pictures are good quality and actually your own pictures. Show your tow rig, your hitches, loads you’ve hauled, etc.

Get your profile completed, get at least one good picture of you or your rig posted…hopefully many pictures to give people some proof you are real. And don’t ask everyone on the load boards the same thing over and over, especially what their budget is. Not cool, and not professional!!

Be REAL, and be Professional!!

Make it a great day,

-Mike P.

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