One of the biggest decisions that will effect the operation of your hotshot business (which will make a bigger difference in the particular make of truck you use) is the type of fuel to use for your truck. All heavy duty trucks are available with a powerful gasoline engines at much lower prices.

Keep in mind, your engine power is probably not the limiting factor in how much you can tow. 

Advantages of Diesel

• Approximately 10% better fuel economy for hauling equivalent loads
• Much higher towing capacity (keep in mind you’re still limited to 26000 GCWR pounds if you do not have a CDL – so unless you have a CDL, and a truck and trailer that is otherwise suited for these weights, you won’t be able to take advantage of this)
• Exhaust brake can make mountain descents easier
• Better resale value
• Can be easier to fill up a long truck/trailer combination at a diesel fuel island

Advantages of Gasoline

• Much lower cost of purchase ($10k+)
• Not subject to extremely costly emissions related maintenance
• Gasoline currently costs considerably less than diesel per gallon

When you factor in the extreme costs of ownership of a modern diesel, and the limits on the amount of weight you can tow commercially, it’s clear there is a strong case for a gasoline engine. Of course, most people who own heavy duty diesel trucks don’t use them for anything that requires the sort of capabilities they offer. If driving a large diesel pickup is one of the perks of the job to you, you should certainly take this into account even if the numbers don’t make sense. (They almost certainly don’t)