Unbelievable hotshot trucking week

[@alexmolina3552]

Currently working on my cdl and ordered a 2024 ram 5500. You inspired me and keep me motivated, thank you for your videos man!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! That is awesome. Nice truck you are getting. Good luck!

[@neiljackson8313]

can you tell me which website you went to for your CDL?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@neiljackson8313 I got my CDL before rules changed for what’s required. I didn’t have to take a class.

[@alexmolina3552]

@@neiljackson8313 Look online for a good trucking school around your area and they’ll help you with your cdl permit, It is 3 tests that you have to pass at the DMV. The trucking school of your choice will then start driver training, they will train you for the truck inspection test and behind the wheel test.

[@ridindirtyface]

@@neiljackson8313 If you have your own equipment you can just test locally at the DMV, thats what I did. Failed once, passed the 2nd time. Class A CDL with automatic restriction only $85!

[@Javs_817]

I love the content man, keep it up! Thanks for including how you secure your load

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Appreciate the support.

[@juanv8319]

Alex, great video as always! Glad to see you’re able to get loads In this winter! I had to stop driving for now especially with this weather, couldn’t bare seeing anymore accidents and risking myself to be involved in one, especially driving through I22 mostly, and decided to head back to FL from MO last week! I also wanted to mention thanks for showing how you use different techniques on strapping because not all learn or have been taught how to properly secure and strap the right way or even yet save time on certain parts of strapping! I’m one who’s also still learning different techniques because one of my challenges or weak point I should say, are the individual 2 inch straps!! Ohh man I get soooo much excess strap after ratcheting that I sometimes won’t know where to put the excess amount! I definitely need to try out your method ASAP where you put it under the tight part itself and strap that excess strap with the load great advice! Again wanted to say great content, hope everything is doing well with you and your family, and God bless man!! 🙏🏽

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Really appreciate your support. It definitely is dangerous driving in the winter but the bills still have to be paid so can’t stop working. I try to avoid going to areas that have bad weather but sometimes that’s impossible. If the roads get bad I’ll stop and will not risk getting into an accident. The 2” strap usually does have a lot of excess left over and for me the easiest is to roll it up and use a bungee to secure it. Some people told me there are better ways to store excess strap but I have to visually see that. Take care and be safe.

[@wesidejay]

Anytime there’s an upload I’m THERE! Thank you for these vids man really helps push me more into getting my hotshot business started. Hope your doing well man

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Really appreciate it. This week was awful just because I had to be in a certain place to catch my flight. Next time should be better motivation 😁👍🏻

[@PowerlifterRich]

I stayed parked the whole week myself lol! Everything was too dangerous, ppl driving too slow, and all stores shut down. Was a no brainer to me on this weather. Glad u stayed safe!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes better safe than sorry. Not worth an accident because then you’ll be out longer. Stay warm and safe on the road 👍🏻

[@Blue_Sky_Hotshots]

Ya the weather is crazy. I ran a load from home here in Southern Oregon down to LA and then grabbed a reload back up here. I tried to stay south so I didn’t have to deal with the snow and ice, but it was really windy on my way back up I-5.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I don’t know how cold it was in Oregon but Midwest was ridiculously cold. Cali was great weather though. Winter time is the worst. Soon it’ll be warm again though. Stay safe.

[@troyopsahl228]

Unbelievable!!!!At least you're warm now !!!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes. Very true. For a week at least 🤣

[@alvinmann7675]

Enjoy the securement 👍Hope the flight went well and enjoy that fam time! Pretty shotty of them to back out of the load. Of this whole business that's the thing I think would really set me off. Have you ever had them tell you to take the load back? Hopefully the dealer gets that dpf right for you bud. Stay warm and safe👍

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! The flight was great and warm weather is amazing. Yeah it suck’s when you drive to 2-3 hours to get a load and they cancel the last minute. Once I drove 3 hours in Cali traffic and when I got to a shipper they said someone took that load. These idiot brokers double brokering. At least I ended up taking this load at a bit of a reduction in price but it’s better than nothing because I had to catch my flight. I’ve never had anyone tell me to return a load. They would have to pay for that. Still waiting to hear from the dealer about the DPF. They had bad weather in St. Louis today. Freezing rain so some mechanics didn’t show up.

[@ashton2355]

Good job man, I’m glad u still making, we recently just shut down out two trucks and trailers, rates are so bad, not enough loads going out, especially on our area and that’s us dead heading almost 200 miles to start the week, tried and tried to get direct customers but we keep losing them cause of people who would do it for cheaper, insurance is crazy for no good reason, we just keep having to loan more and more money just to keep going as long as possible but this time there’s no more money to loan, selling the trucks and trailers and switching back to regular 9-5, me and my brother love doing this job, but it’s just almost impossible with these market.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Sorry to hear it didn’t workout for you. Good luck on the 9-5. As long as you make money it’s better than trucking because you will always be home.

[@ashton2355]

@@Mr.AlexKogan that is one good of best thing I look forward on is being with my kids and wife everyday, take care on the road man.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@ashton2355 Thank you! I would love to have a job that would keep me home. That’s the worst part of this job. Being away from family.

[@Darkforces1231]

about to start my own hotshot business next month, you’re videos get me exicted bought a 3500 gmc dully and a 40ft gooseneck big trex flat bed thank you Alex 🙌

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Hey thanks for watching. Happy to hear you enjoy the videos. Good luck on starting your journey.

[@yrbuddy77]

Thank you for the video, was curious how you were doing out here because it's been rough. I encourage anyone looking to get into this to know there "CPM" cost per mile. Mine is $1.44 alot of the the loads i'm looking at CDL hot shot the rates are 0.78 cents a mile alot under a dollar, so your partial game must be strong If i was non cdl I would be even more nervous. The good thing about Alex is he gives it to you straight and will provide receipts if you challenge him. I was really hoping this video was gonna be a he made money video to erase my fears of how bad it is out here.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you for the support. Unfortunately this video showed a bad week but again this is specifically because I had to be in St. Louis to catch a flight and I was short on time. There were other loads going different directions that would have made me more money but sometimes unfortunately we have to take a cut to make it to where we need to be.

[@Larryburrito]

Great videos. Ive always wanted to get into doing this type of business. Currently have a class b with air brakes and passenger endorsements. I love driving everywhere and i hate working with other people😂😂😂

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thanks. You’ll definitely love this then. All you do is drive and you’ll be by yourself always 🤣🤣🤣

[@Larryburrito]

@@Mr.AlexKogan amen brother, safe travels😎

[@gatorfdx]

You are fast becoming a major influencer.... I just haven't figured out if it's for hot shot or donuts! Lol 😅

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Most likely donuts 🤣🤣🤣

[@borelymartinezcastro7010]

Great video Alex. How much weight you can tow with your CDL set up?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! With my trailer rating I can put 15,800 on it.

[@demri123]

Good time to be in FL

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes you are correct. Its nice and warm here. Kinda windy though but at least not cold.

[@dilloncooper1012]

Alex, any chance you would be willing to walk me through the process of how you find the jobs? I’m 29 years old with a class A CDL & I would like to learn more on the trade. I’ve drove tractor trailers for almost 5 years now. 😊

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

My dispatcher does most of my load booking. You can sign up for a load board. A popular one is Truckstop and there’s also DAT. You can search for loads on the load boards. When you find one and are able to get through to a broker than you’ll need to do a setup with them via email. They will also tell you what paperwork they need from you. I suggest getting a dispatcher to do all that for you.

[@ThomasEvanchick-gk7os]

Sorry to hear about the bad week .iwas hoping for the opposite.next time buddy!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Every time I plan to be in St. Louis this happens. I’m not sure why. There were good loads going opposite direction than I needed to go.

[@ibfrosty08]

Do you call the receiver beforehand to confirm the address and make sure you have room for your trailer to maneuver around? Seems like rolling around with a 40 ft deck in unfamiliar areas would be really stressful.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I usually look up the facility on Google maps and confirm the company is at that address and see what type of room they have to maneuver.

[@DavidCJohnson]

appreciate your videos Alex... I actually just p[icked up a 40' GN last night and getting my equipment together ... Q. How much is your average weight on the trailer at any given time?... I know one of your videos you were at 12k, and you mentioned you don't like to be too heavy, whats the average?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Average is 8 k I would say.

[@350psi]

I’m new to your channel thank you for your videos. I’m thinking of doing some hotshot, I keep wondering why you twist your straps? I’m new to all of this and still/want to learn thank dude 👍🏼

[@paullarkin8536]

If you don't put a twist your strap, you will hear it vibrating as you drive down the road.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you for your support! I twist the straps to keep them from vibrating while driving. If you have a long stretch of a strap you need a twist there. Only if it’s open to where the wind will hit it.

[@SteveAndNathanielServices]

hope your having a good day today man

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Had a great day today.

[@BigBobDookie]

You would think that if you are heading to the Show Me State they would have Showed You some money!😂

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

You would think 🤣🤣🤣 Not this time I guess.

[@good2gogeartx348]

Where do you park your truck and trailer when you travel?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Truck stop when I’m working and at a trailer lot when I fly home. I have monthly parking at the lot.

[@good2gogeartx348]

Good deal. I was wondering.

[@Mondabarber]

Why add the two different size straps? On the first load wanting to get into the game just wondering so when I get out there!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

No reason for it. For me it was easier to put thinner ones in certain parts because of the shape of the crate. Other than that there’s no reason.

[@Mondabarber]

Thank you for reply!

[@jevonjohnson6395]

Hey Alex what eld set up do you use?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I use Motive.

[@TheGuaduas]

Hey Alex thanks for sharing. Whats the MPG on that pickup truck?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

It all depends if I’m pulling the trailer or not, what type of load is on the trailer. With a trailer and a low load I average 11-12 mpg

[@TheGuaduas]

@Mr.AlexKogan thanks for reply

[@Empower-master]

You inspired me to look into hotshotting but I hear that it’s a bad time to get into the game. What is your advice?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! It is a tough time right now. Definitely worse than it was a few years ago so I can’t give any advice if it’s worth getting into right now. There will be good weeks and bad weeks but overall I’m doing ok but my authority isn’t new anymore. New authority will be much harder to get loads.

[@Empower-master]

@@Mr.AlexKogan thanks for the respond, brother. Safe travels.

[@joshpiercey7187]

How do you get the fuel from the tank in the back of your truck to the truck fuel tank

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

It’s gravity fed. It’s tapped into then filler tube so it just drips down.

[@joshpiercey7187]

I really enjoy watching your videos I used to be a truck driver owner operator when I was 19-24 I had 3 Kenworth trucks but now I have a small excavation company for the past 17 years but I would love to get back on the road with a setup like you have. Best of luck to you and keep up the great work and videos

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@joshpiercey7187 Thank you! Really appreciate ya. 👍🏻

[@Oscar-xy5df]

Hey brother I’ve been watching your videos I’m interested on doing this for a living do you have any advice of how to get started not as an owner operator. I would like to learn the profession first before doing the investment

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Hey what’s up! There really isn’t any advice on how to get started working for someone. You have to find someone who’s hiring that seems like a trustworthy person to work for and make sure they offer to pay enough. 30% of the gross is normal and you should have no expenses besides food for yourself.

[@Knightonday365]

Sanitube,lol I work down the street

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Ha! That’s pretty cool. Small world.

[@BENNHENDRICKS33]

It seems a lot of the country was under terrible conditions most of the week. Better than being parked i guess. Make it up on the next one.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes. Bad weather all over. Didn’t make as much this week but will definitely try to make up next time I’m out. 👍🏻

[@CertifiedForkLiftOperator69420]

Broker forgot to pay their electric bill. Why they shorted you $150 😂

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Probably 🤣🤣🤣

[@fltllc4136]

Do you twist the strap so it’s easier to view ?

[@miguelmorales2367]

You twist them so they not flopping with the wind and come loose

[@miguelmorales2367]

Alex on your 2 inch ratchet strap it has a pocket on the slack of it and the rest of the strap that’s left after straping your load down, you fold it and put it inside that pocket and torque that ratchet once or twice so it can stay in there tight and you avoid doing all that rest work you did there at min 7:12

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@miguelmorales2367 I’ve been told that but I have to visually see it to be able to understand where that strap gets tucked into.

[@jdizzle6324]

Alex, what's the average weight of your loads?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Average is 8-10k

[@experiencemiami]

why do you flip the 4 inch strap and not leave it flat ?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

To keep it from vibrating from the wind.

[@HoppyDuroseauREALESTATE]

Hey Alex, What company are you? i am looking to get my truck with a company as an owner operator.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Hey what’s up! I don’t do lease on at this time.

[@mloml41]

How long is your trailer?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

40ft

[@David-td5po]

That trashy broker probably booked it to another carrier for a cheaper rate. Then called back and told you it was cancelled. #DirtyBrokerGames.

[@tristanhernandez7261]

Happens all the time and they just say that the shipper canceled the load, but you know someone got it for cheaper

[@David-td5po]

@@tristanhernandez7261 But if a carrier does it to them because the carrier found a better paying load then all hell breaks loose and they want to ban you from working with them and the whole nine yards. 😂

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@David-td5po you are so correct on that. It’s unbelievable. All because they have the load and we want it. So they feel that they are in control.

[@patrickpittis5690]

Why do you twist your straps

[@jdizzle6324]

so they dont play like a reed!!

[@Blue_Sky_Hotshots]

@@jdizzle6324 lol exactly

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

They flap if you don’t. Not always but where there’s a long stretch of the strap it needs a twist.

[@mikelopez4148]

Why don’t you just do semi truck hauling ???

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

No reason. Never wanted to do semi.