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5 Best Cities to Start a Hotshot Trucking Business

Are you wondering which city is best to start a hotshot trucking business? If YES, here are 5 best cities to start a hotshot trucking business. Hotshot trucking, like expedited trucking, is all about getting a load delivered within a particular time frame.

Hotshot truckers are hauling loads that are delicate enough that not getting them on time might shut down a company’s productivity.

Think construction materials, heavy equipment, machinery, or farm materials. Have it in mind there are no hard and fast rules on how far a hotshot trucker goes to deliver a load, as hauls can be anywhere from 50 miles away to across the country.

But when you factor in time constraint and the hotshot trucking requirements, hotshot loads are most often local hauls. Hotshot and expedited trucking companies are quite similar especially since they both haul time-sensitive loads and those loads are more or less smaller than the loads hauled by traditional trucking companies.

While there are a few people that drive a truck just because they love to be on the road for long hauls, most people do it because it is where the money is, and it is their career. Howbeit, if money matters to you, then it is crucial to know where to find the best pay, insurance, and location.

When it comes to hotshot trucking, where you live can play a primary role in how much you get paid. The difference between state lines can be over $50,000 in annual pay. Nonetheless, here are the best cities in the United States to start a hotshot business.

Best Cities to Start a Hotshot Trucking Business

  1. Morristown, TN

Morristown is located along Interstate 40, Interstate 81, and Interstate 75 and is just east of Nashville. These 3 interstates all have more than 8,500 trucks per day along its route, making them one of the densest trucking routes in the nation.

Also note the city enjoys easy access across four major cities: Louisville, KY; Nashville TN; Charlotte, NC; and Atlanta, GA, all within a four-hour drive. In addition, construction and manufacturing make up about 35 percent of Morristown’s economy, leading to more import and export of materials for the industry within Morriston.

Morristown boasts 162 percent more jobs for truck drivers compared with the average U.S. city, and Morristown truck drivers earn an average of $50,180 per year, which is 10 percent higher than the national average. Also, note that the city enjoys an amazing cost of living that is 16 percent lower than the rest of the country.

  1. Odessa, TX

Odessa started as a city located as a stopping point and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. It is situated just four hours west of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The city’s economy has been mainly driven by oil production; however, it has been diversifying and is becoming a growing logistics center.

In recent times, Odessa has become a major distribution center for Family Dollar in 2003 and Coca-Cola in 2007. The city is one of the stops along Entrada al Pacifico or Trade Corridor 56, which serves as the route from the Pacific Ocean port of Topolobampo in the Mexican state of Sinaloa to Texas.

Odessa is well noted as one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 2.7 percent, which is a full 1 percent lower than the national average, and the city hosts 270 percent more jobs for truck drivers than the average city. Truck drivers earn an average of $48,010, 5 percent more than the national average, while the cost of living is 13 percent lower than the rest of the nation.

  1. Joplin, MO

Situated in southwest Missouri, Joplin is right along historic Route 66 and was the top city to consider as a hotshot driver.

Geographically, Joplin is the center of what is known as the Four State Area: Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri, and the aggregate population of neighboring counties is over 210,000 people, making Joplin the fifth largest metropolitan area in the state of Missouri.

In addition, there are also a number of trucking lines, such as Contract Freighters, Inc (CFI), headquartered in Joplin, as the city is near the geographic and population centers of the nation. This makes Joplin a prime area for trucking jobs.

Since the city is located near main truck routes and even the railway, Joplin hosts 125 percent more jobs for truck drivers than the average number of jobs for the top 50 cities in our study and 336 percent more jobs for truck drivers than the average city. Truck drivers in Joplin also earn $42,060 per year and enjoy a cost of living that is 21 percent below the average.

  1. Fayetteville, AR

Just east of Oklahoma City, Fayetteville is well situated just right along the Interstate 49/US Route 71 and is the third largest city in Arkansas. Fayetteville is located just 30 min from Bentonville, home of Walmart headquarters, making it a perfect location for a hotshot. The city is also home to the University of Arkansas and has the third best schools in the state.

Just south of Fayetteville are Interstate 40 and 30, which are renowned as some of the busiest trucking routes in the US, with more than 8,500 trucks driving through these routes per day. Both highways connect run straight through Memphis, TN; Nashville, TN; and south to Dallas, TX.

Fayetteville has almost 3 times more jobs for truck drivers compared to the U.S. average. On average, a truck driver in Fayetteville earns an annual salary of $48,790, which is 7 percent higher than the national average, and the cost of living is 13 percent below the average.

  1. Danville, IL

Note that this city sits at the heart of a tri-city triangle, between Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis, which are all major metropolises of the 3 states:

Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana. Danville became a major industrial city in the 19th century owing to major coal mining and still has its roots in manufacturing, retail trade, and transportation, and warehousing, making up about 33 percent of its occupations.

Well situated at the intersection of Illinois Route 1, US Route 136, and US Route 50, Danville is at the center of some of the most traveled trucking routes. Danville is also the center of at least 4 different railways: Norfolk Southern Railway, Beaverville and Southern Railroad, CSX Transportation, and Kankakee.

Most truck drivers in Danville earn an average annual salary of $54,770 which is 20 percent more than the national average while the cost of living in Danville is 27.2 percent lower than the rest of the nation.

Although the Danville metro population is only 76,806, the earning opportunity due to the frequency of shipments around the area makes the city an attractive location for truckers, with Danville hosting 103 percent more trucking jobs than the average city.