Glad to see you again! I like how you strap/bind your loads--you take care and pride in what you do-taking care of the customers eventually takes care of you. Have a good down time at home- Safe travels!!
Happy Thanksgiving Alex, I hope you're doing well my friend. Like you, I found that the week leading up to Thanksgiving sucked! I could barely get out, and when I did, getting home was worse. After scouring the load boards for hours, I decided to cut my losses and head home. I was in PA and ended up taking a load to Alabama and then dropped over to LA to eat some turkey with the family. Stay safe AND warm out there. PS I finally got my Chinese diesel heater installed, it rocks.... well, almost. Don't believe the instructions about only drawing a very small amount of juice from your truck batteries, it left me dead in the morning twice. So, I ordered a power station to run the heater and fridge during the night. If you want to know about the installation of the heater, hit me up on the number that you have. I'm very particular about drilling, cutting, or otherwise modifying my truck in any way. My install is about as non-invasive as you can get. Later bro, Have an extra donut or two, it's Thanksgiving!!!!
Hey David! Hope I remembered your name correctly 😁 yeah it’s tough leading up to holidays especially if you need a load to take you a certain direction. There were good loads going out west to Utah and Arizona but that would never get me home in time so I had to turn a few loads down. I actually just finished installing my diesel heater. Went with Espar brand. Very curious to see where and how you installed yours because I’ve never seen them installed in crew cab trucks. From what I’ve read and learned about these heaters, running them on low setting will draw minimal battery power. Around 1 amp an hour. I believe both my batteries are 80 amps each. Probably a good idea to have a jump start pack in case but when I fired mine up even in turbo mode I didn’t see my voltage going down at all. I made a video on my install so that will be released soon. It was actually a very time consuming install especially with the weather being cool and rainy. Have a Happy Thanksgiving my friend and talk to you soon 🙂
Hey Alex, just throwing this out to you. My deck started weathering and of course showing all the nicks and chunks out of the wood and the oil stains, so I grabbed a gallon of stain/paint that’s made to withstand the elements and abuse and it really made it look so much better and protects it really well now too. I did mine in a dark grey color and it matches my truck and trailer well.
Hey! Yeah I’ve seen videos of people doing that but I think I’d need to sand the top portion of my deck to freshen it up and then maybe stain it. Getting too cold to do it now plus it’s so hard to find free time. Definitely will look into doing that. 👍🏻
@@Mr.AlexKogan I hear that for sure, finding the time is definitely the hardest part. I thought I’d have to sand mine down a bit too from all the junk, but I just pressure washed it good and let it dry out and it went on really well and covered up all the stains nicely. I did it in the summer though. Stay safe man!!!
@@Blue_Sky_Hotshots Pressure washing. Yes. Why didn’t I think of that. That’s probably the way I’d need to do it as well. Thanks for the advice. Will have to get that done when it’s warmer.
Happy thanks giving bud. Many blessings. Love the content you put out there. Looking to pull the trigger on hot shoting.. just need to educate my self a little more.
Keep up the great work Alex! And Happy Thanksgiving! Maybe I'll see you out on the road one day, I'm in the process of getting started in the industry myself.
@@Mr.AlexKogan I love how dedicated you are sir. You respond to all your messages. You’re a smart grounded man. I hope 2024 is a great year for you personally and professionally.
@@Trashman702 Thank you! I appreciate my viewers for supporting my channel so I show the same respect in return by always responding to all the messages
Hi Alex, Thanks for keep up the good work uploading these great videos… If you don’t mind sharing with us how do you book your loads? You do it yourself or are you having a dispatcher? Happy thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! I use a dispatcher to book my loads but also have Truckstop load board my phone and I keep an eye on it constantly. In case my dispatcher misses something.
I think you have the right trailer (being CDL) for what you do while others just don't. You obviously have heavier axles than the guys that run single wheels. THEY are always having axle problems. WAY BACK in the early '90s (BEFORE CDLs) I bought a 48' wedge style car hauler trailer that had previously been used to haul 3 custom vans at a time. IT had tandem axles with dual wheels and I hauled for used car dealers with a '79 F350 460 gas engine all over Florida many loads of full size sedans, never an issue with the trailer carrying the weight, (Truck was a little wimpy at times...lol
I’ve never gone over what my weight limit is and I try to not even come close to it. Only once I had a load that was almost my max weight limit and I hated every minute of it. Going through Colorado mountains.
Those are not my work shoes but I threw them on that day for the heck of it. Honestly I haven’t seen many Tim Hortons around where I’ve been. At least not on my resets.
Hey Alex I’m new to your channel but have seen all your other videos and had a quick question obviously your probably a CDL driver but if I wanted to go the non-CDL route do I still need to have an ELD as if I was a CDL hotshot driver
@@Mr.AlexKogan oh and sorry I forgot got to ask besides the eld what else is needed to get started I mean I know I should know all this by now since I am a truck driver and have my CDL A but I just want to know the steps to do it right and happy thanksgiving to you and your family
Job hunt is going back intermodal converting 7 million - 11 million loads from trailers to containers all local now mileage loads available eliminating Soto e over the road loads
That sounds like an awesome trailer. As long as you truck and trailer length is legal which for some reason I think it’ll be longer than allowed 65 ft. I’d get into it. Since you already have the truck and trailer, why not?
The broker sets a price for the load and says it requires a tarp. You either agree to it or try to raise the price as with any other load or simply don’t take it.
@@richardbarkley9909 I have over 100k on these tires and never had a single problem with them. They are 14 ply tires. The only problem I’m having now is I found out my shocks are dead on my trailer so my tires have been wearing unevenly. Also I think that’s what’s been causing my vibrations at 60-65 mph. Ordered new shocks and will be replacing them.
So they don’t vibrate from wind. You only have to do it if there’s a long stretch of strap. Kinda hard to explain what I mean. Of you have a tall load or if there’s a big open space where the strap doesn’t contact anything, you want to twist it or it will vibrate while driving
Hey Alex love the video! I'm 21 and see you as a great mentor. I just got a 2024 RAM 3500 with a gooseneck setup and looking for a trailer at the moment. I wanted to know if I have to wait 21 business days to get activated for my authority, and I also wanted to ask if I can get your email or number to give some more information, I'm willing to pay since I'm very inexperienced!
Hey, thanks a lot! Really appreciate ya. Authority is different for everyone but usually takes 20-30 days I believe. If you can, message me on Instagram and if not, give me your email and I’ll contact you.
Mine was slow because I needed to get home so had to turn down loads that would have taken me out west. There were some good paying loads going that way.
Glad to see you again!
I like how you strap/bind your loads--you take care and pride in what you do-taking care of the customers eventually takes care of you. Have a good down time at home- Safe travels!!
Thank you Glenn!👍🏻
Happy Thanksgiving Alex, I hope you're doing well my friend. Like you, I found that the week leading up to Thanksgiving sucked! I could barely get out, and when I did, getting home was worse. After scouring the load boards for hours, I decided to cut my losses and head home. I was in PA and ended up taking a load to Alabama and then dropped over to LA to eat some turkey with the family. Stay safe AND warm out there.
PS I finally got my Chinese diesel heater installed, it rocks.... well, almost. Don't believe the instructions about only drawing a very small amount of juice from your truck batteries, it left me dead in the morning twice. So, I ordered a power station to run the heater and fridge during the night. If you want to know about the installation of the heater, hit me up on the number that you have. I'm very particular about drilling, cutting, or otherwise modifying my truck in any way. My install is about as non-invasive as you can get. Later bro, Have an extra donut or two, it's Thanksgiving!!!!
Hey David! Hope I remembered your name correctly 😁 yeah it’s tough leading up to holidays especially if you need a load to take you a certain direction. There were good loads going out west to Utah and Arizona but that would never get me home in time so I had to turn a few loads down. I actually just finished installing my diesel heater. Went with Espar brand. Very curious to see where and how you installed yours because I’ve never seen them installed in crew cab trucks. From what I’ve read and learned about these heaters, running them on low setting will draw minimal battery power. Around 1 amp an hour. I believe both my batteries are 80 amps each. Probably a good idea to have a jump start pack in case but when I fired mine up even in turbo mode I didn’t see my voltage going down at all. I made a video on my install so that will be released soon. It was actually a very time consuming install especially with the weather being cool and rainy.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving my friend and talk to you soon 🙂
Hey Alex, just throwing this out to you. My deck started weathering and of course showing all the nicks and chunks out of the wood and the oil stains, so I grabbed a gallon of stain/paint that’s made to withstand the elements and abuse and it really made it look so much better and protects it really well now too. I did mine in a dark grey color and it matches my truck and trailer well.
Hey! Yeah I’ve seen videos of people doing that but I think I’d need to sand the top portion of my deck to freshen it up and then maybe stain it. Getting too cold to do it
now plus it’s so hard to find free time. Definitely will look into doing that. 👍🏻
@@Mr.AlexKogan I hear that for sure, finding the time is definitely the hardest part. I thought I’d have to sand mine down a bit too from all the junk, but I just pressure washed it good and let it dry out and it went on really well and covered up all the stains nicely. I did it in the summer though. Stay safe man!!!
@@Blue_Sky_Hotshots Pressure washing. Yes. Why didn’t I think of that. That’s probably the way I’d need to do it as well. Thanks for the advice. Will have to get that done when it’s warmer.
Happy thanks giving bud. Many blessings. Love the content you put out there. Looking to pull the trigger on hot shoting.. just need to educate my self a little more.
Thank you! Appreciate your support on UA-cam. If you have any questions, I can try to answer them.
Great video. Enjoy the securement. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family bud.
Thank you my friend! Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving Alex! thanks for the video.
Tom, thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving Alex! Sucks it was a slow week but getting home time is definitely worth it.
Thanks Justin! Happy Thanksgiving! Yes home time is much needed. Can’t make all the money in the world 😁
Keep up the great work Alex! And Happy Thanksgiving! Maybe I'll see you out on the road one day, I'm in the process of getting started in the industry myself.
Justin, Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. Good luck with getting started. See you out there one day 👍🏻
Happy thanksgiving Alex!
Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Turkey Day driver. Be safe. Keep makin that cash.
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
@@Mr.AlexKogan
I love how dedicated you are sir. You respond to all your messages. You’re a smart grounded man. I hope 2024 is a great year for you personally and professionally.
@@Trashman702 Thank you! I appreciate my viewers for supporting my channel so I show the same respect in return by always responding to all the messages
Alex, Have a good thanksgiving.
Thank you my friend! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well 🙂
Hi Alex, Thanks for keep up the good work uploading these great videos… If you don’t mind sharing with us how do you book your loads? You do it yourself or are you having a dispatcher? Happy thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! I use a dispatcher to book my loads but also have Truckstop load board my phone and I keep an eye on it constantly. In case my dispatcher misses something.
Your doing great Alex!!
Thank you! 🙂
No 🍩🍩 today Alex 😂😂😂
Not this time 😁 in the future videos for sure though 👍🏻🍩
I think you have the right trailer (being CDL) for what you do while others just don't. You obviously have heavier axles than the guys that run single wheels. THEY are always having axle problems. WAY BACK in the early '90s (BEFORE CDLs) I bought a 48' wedge style car hauler trailer that had previously been used to haul 3 custom vans at a time. IT had tandem axles with dual wheels and I hauled for used car dealers with a '79 F350 460 gas engine all over Florida many loads of full size sedans, never an issue with the trailer carrying the weight, (Truck was a little wimpy at times...lol
I’ve never gone over what my weight limit is and I try to not even come close to it. Only once I had a load that was almost my max weight limit and I hated every minute of it. Going through Colorado mountains.
pretty impressive keeping those chuck Taylors clean 👍. Have you found a Tim Hortons yet? Lol.
Those are not my work shoes but I threw them on that day for the heck of it. Honestly I haven’t seen many Tim Hortons around where I’ve been. At least not on my resets.
@@Mr.AlexKogan yeah, I have the same chuck Taylors. I have them in all different colors. At least you have style hotshotting lol.
@@lowlightguy6606 haha. Yeah. Chucks are my gym shoes and overall I think they style well with shorts and tee shirts.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Whats up, Alex! Hope all is going well besides the slow week!
What’s up Brett! Everything is good. Had to go home so was turning down good loads that would have taken me out of my way. 🤷♂️
Keep it up brother 💪🏻
Thank you !👍🏻
Hey Alex I’m new to your channel but have seen all your other videos and had a quick question obviously your probably a CDL driver but if I wanted to go the non-CDL route do I still need to have an ELD as if I was a CDL hotshot driver
Hey, thanks for the support. Yes you would still need an ELD even though you’re non CDL. Same DOT rules to follow.
@@Mr.AlexKogan thank you very much and I love your videos man
@@trkr19 Thank you! Really appreciate ya. 👍🏻
@@Mr.AlexKogan oh and sorry I forgot got to ask besides the eld what else is needed to get started I mean I know I should know all this by now since I am a truck driver and have my CDL A but I just want to know the steps to do it right and happy thanksgiving to you and your family
@@trkr19 Happy Thanksgiving!
1. Register your company with your state.
2. Apply for DOT
3. Get commercial insurance
4. Apply for authority.
Do they provide their own 4x4 lumber most of the time?
Yeah, majority of the time the dunnage is provided by the shipper. Sometimes you get these weirdos that say you have to bring your own. 🤷♂️
Who do you use for your dispatch service
Unfortunately I don’t give that information out.
If u think it’s slow now just wait and see what’s coming for 2024.
We will have to see but hopefully no worse than it is now.
Job hunt is going back intermodal converting 7 million - 11 million loads from trailers to containers all local now mileage loads available eliminating Soto e over the road loads
Hey, I have a ram 5500 with 53 foot diamond c step deck…think it’s worth it to get in to hotshot?
That sounds like an awesome trailer. As long as you truck and trailer length is legal which for some reason I think it’ll be longer than allowed 65 ft. I’d get into it. Since you already have the truck and trailer, why not?
Thank you man for the feed back. Great videos.
@@kylestuckey9717 Thank you!
Do you get paid an additional fee for tarping?
The broker sets a price for the load and says it requires a tarp. You either agree to it or try to raise the price as with any other load or simply don’t take it.
@@Mr.AlexKogan Thanks for the clarification. Happy Hailing.
how often do you get drug tested
Once a year.
Hope you can at least spend time with your family. That's the one thing that is probably most challenging.
Yeah. Home right now for a few weeks. 👍🏻
Do you run recaps on your trailer?
The tires that are on it are retreadable but I’ll probably just get new ones when it’s time.
@@Mr.AlexKogan I think thats best. Do you have many trailer tire problems?
@@richardbarkley9909 I have over 100k on these tires and never had a single problem with them. They are 14 ply tires. The only problem I’m having now is I found out my shocks are dead on my trailer so my tires have been wearing unevenly. Also I think that’s what’s been causing my vibrations at 60-65 mph. Ordered new shocks and will be replacing them.
@@Mr.AlexKogan Nice!! Good call!
Why do you twist your straps?
So they don’t vibrate from wind. You only have to do it if there’s a long stretch of strap. Kinda hard to explain what I mean. Of you have a tall load or if there’s a big open space where the strap doesn’t contact anything, you want to twist it or it will vibrate while driving
@@Mr.AlexKogan Thanks!
Hey Alex love the video! I'm 21 and see you as a great mentor. I just got a 2024 RAM 3500 with a gooseneck setup and looking for a trailer at the moment. I wanted to know if I have to wait 21 business days to get activated for my authority, and I also wanted to ask if I can get your email or number to give some more information, I'm willing to pay since I'm very inexperienced!
Hey, thanks a lot! Really appreciate ya. Authority is different for everyone but usually takes 20-30 days I believe. If you can, message me on Instagram and if not, give me your email and I’ll contact you.
It'd be nice if you did timelapse videos while you are strapping things, less boring.
Some people actually enjoy the strapping part. There are beginners that watch videos and want to see how it’s done.
Everybody makes $40k a month then they quit lol
Honestly I have no idea what you’re talking about.
@@Mr.AlexKogan look up all the UA-cam hotshot guys they’re all gone a broker based business model is not sustainable
I run 3 car hauling it was very slow week
Mine was slow because I needed to get home so had to turn down loads that would have taken me out west. There were some good paying loads going that way.