Privacy Policy

1. Scope of Privacy Policy & Commitment

Hotshot Express (operating as hotshotnow.ca), headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, is dedicated to protecting the privacy, security, and confidentiality of personal information collected from our commercial clients, shippers, individual customers, drivers, and site visitors.

This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information in full compliance with Canadian federal privacy statutes, specifically the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Alberta Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

2. Information We Collect

To provide 24/7 direct hotshot freight transport, logistics quotes, custom haulage dispatch, and account management, we collect specific types of business and personal information:

• Account & Contact Data: Customer name, company name, business address, email address, phone numbers, and job titles provided during quote requests or account registration.
• Dispatch & Shipment Details: Pickup and delivery facility addresses, contact personnel on site, site safety requirements, special handling instructions, and cargo manifests.
• Financial & Payment Information: Billing addresses, corporate credit account details, credit card numbers, EFT payment records, and tax identification numbers processed via secure payment gateways.
• Real-Time Delivery & GPS Data: Precise GPS coordinates, driver location updates, and timestamped Proof of Delivery (POD) electronic signatures obtained during transit.
• Website Technical Data: IP addresses, browser types, device information, operating system details, and session activity logs recorded when interacting with hotshotnow.ca.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process personal and corporate freight data strictly for legitimate logistics operations and administrative purposes, including:

• Freight Dispatch & Transit Execution: Scheduling trucks, assigning drivers, issuing Bills of Lading (BOL), and providing live tracking updates for hotshot shipments.
• Customer Support & Quotes: Calculating spot freight rates, issuing official haulage estimates, and responding to 24/7 dispatch desk inquiries.
• Invoicing & Account Management: Processing payments, conducting commercial credit checks, issuing monthly statements, and maintaining transaction records.
• Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring compliance with National Safety Code (NSC) rules, Alberta Transportation regulations, TDG safety tracking, and commercial insurance documentation.

4. Data Protection & Cybersecurity Standards

Hotshot Express employs robust technical, physical, and administrative security controls to protect your data against unauthorized access, loss, theft, alteration, or disclosure:

• Access Control: Access to customer financial records and dispatch data is restricted strictly to authorized operations personnel requiring information for duty fulfillment.
• Secure Storage: Digital data is stored on secure, firewall-protected servers located within Canada, complying with strict Canadian privacy residency standards.

5. Cookies & Web Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and session tracking scripts to optimize user experience, remember quote form selections, and analyze aggregated site usage statistics.

• Essential Cookies: Required for fundamental website navigation, online booking forms, and security features.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us measure visitor traffic, popular freight origin pages, and performance metrics via tools such as Google Analytics.
• Managing Cookies: You can disable cookies at any time through your web browser settings, though doing so may limit certain interactive quote calculation features on hotshotnow.ca.

6. Third-Party Data Sharing & Subcontractors

We share information with third parties only when necessary to perform freight haulage or fulfill legal obligations:

• Subcontracted Carrier Partners: Information (such as pickup/delivery site addresses, cargo weight, and site contact numbers) is provided to verified owner-operators or carrier partners dispatched under Hotshot Express brokerage agreements.
• Payment Gateways & Financial Institutions: Credit card processing and banking networks utilize customer billing information solely to complete payment authorization.
• Legal & Law Enforcement Mandates: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, regulatory transport audit, or safety investigation by Alberta Transportation or Canadian law enforcement.

7. Data Retention & Archival Policy

Hotshot Express retains personal and transactional data only as long as necessary to fulfill transport services, satisfy corporate accounting audits, and fulfill legal requirements.

• Commercial Billing & Tax Records: Freight invoices, payment receipts, and Bills of Lading are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years in compliance with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations.
• Inactive Account Data: Customer accounts inactive for more than seven years are securely archived or permanently shredded and deleted from digital active databases.

8. Your Privacy Rights & Choices

Under PIPEDA and Alberta PIPA regulations, customers and users possess clear rights regarding their personal data held by Hotshot Express:

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about your customer profile or business account.
• Right to Correction: You have the right to request updates or corrections to outdated or inaccurate account contact details.
• Marketing Opt-Out: You may unsubscribe from commercial service update emails or newsletters at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link or contacting dispatch.

9. Privacy Officer & Contact Desk

If you have questions, concerns, or formal access requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please reach out to our Designated Privacy Officer: