Frustrated by trying to find carriers to deliver its garage equipment reliably, carefully, and cost-effectively to customers around North America, global equipment manufacturer BendPak, Inc. started its own private fleet. Building on that experience, BendPak introduced Bolt Transport, a hot shot transportation provider offering nationwide delivery of freight of all sizes.
“We started Bolt Transport to serve our customers and other shippers that need to transport long and heavy, hard-to-move loads,” said Pat Weber, BendPak director of sales and business development. “Bolt’s goal is to help customers cut their shipping expenses and help alleviate the current lack of freight capacity in the U.S.”
Hot-shotting generally means delivering time-sensitive or oversized LTL (less-than-truckload) freight within a set timeframe to a single customer or location. Along with traditional hot shot service, Bolt Transport also offers small package delivery, “high touch” white glove (typically for handle-with-care packages) services, messenger services, and logistics solutions. Logistics offerings include efficiently coordinating and moving materials, inventory, or equipment.
The Bolt fleet is domiciled in two locations: Theodore, Alabama and Santa Paula, California. The company runs medium-duty trucks and 45’ tarped flatbeds for hot shot hauls, as well as smaller trucks for lighter-duty services.
Key reasons for selecting Bolt Transport include:
- Time-sensitive/expedited delivery: Bolt is dedicated to hitting customers’ time-sensitive schedules and expected transit times. Customers can plan on deliveries, installs, and contractor timelines for their equipment being expedited to a location.
- Loads arrive damage-free: In order to fill an entire van trailer with freight, LTL carriers must stack it. Stacked freight can lead to damages, scratches, and unhappy customers. As a hot shot carrier using a flatbed trailer, Bolt Transport doesn’t have this problem, so freight arrives undamaged.
- Visibility of customer shipment/equipment: Bolt drivers call into customer service 24 hours before delivery and Bolt can track the vehicles and transit times for each load. This gives customers confidence that their products or equipment will be delivered on the date promised.