just had the front end done on the truck, I am not sure if the caliper is sticking, or if my problem is elsewhere.

driver side after a 7 mile run and 1/4 mile cool down to the house the hub is ~195 and the caliper is ~215

passenger side hub is ~255 and caliper ~298

I do get some smell of brake pad material now and then. New pads with existing calipers were used. caliper slides were well cleaned.

My concern is that the one side may be sticking a bit, but the temp it self doesn't seem terrible, but there is a big difference side to side.

How fast were you going before that stop? How much does the truck weigh and how hard was the stopping? Quick, fast and n a hurry stops or light brake pedal pressure for this stop Hard quick stops make a lot more heat than slow and easy stops due
You might want to check the front bearing preload, on the front spindles for being too tight on both hubs

It is a 1992 Dakota club cab 2wd, unladen, aprox 6.5 miles was driven on open highway at 70 mph, then a normal slow down and turn onto a 45 mph road, for about .75 miles, then to 25 mph for the last .25 miles, with minimal braking.

Caliper is probably dragging some with fresh pads , how many miles on them ? I just changed out a dragging caliper on my 98 Ram , 196k plus miles , unknown as to the miles on them , I bought it used at 172k . I did the touch test , the side that was dragging was a lot hotter to the touch than the non dragging side . Now that I've swapped it out it's as cool at the other , but now the brakes are darting to the side I changed out so I'm changing the other , along with rotors and calipers ...

I'd probably just change them both , Autozone for my 98 2500 2wd were only 37 a pop with a lifetime warranty ...

I think a better "rule of thumb" would be that both the left and right front calipers and discs/rotors should be close to the same temperature regardless of the driving pattern. The same goes for the rear left and rights being somewhat close in temperature. If one side or one brake caliper and disc are higher or colder than the others it generally mean that brake has an issue. Could be as simple as a bad flex line or sticking caliper pistons. Replacing very worn brake pads and keeping the same (original?) calipers usually means the caliper piston(s) extend out far and get corrosion or dirt on them and when pushed back in for the new thicker brake pads they tend to stick. Doesn't mean they don't work stopping most means they don't retract back far enough to not drag. Usually quicker and cheaper to replace the caliper and move on.

This. The actual temperature can vary wildly depending on use, but the side to side difference should be minimal.

I had to replace the brakes on my wife's vehicle EVERY SINGLE YEAR. You read that right. She traveled a decent bit for work and averaged about 50k miles a year. The point im trying to make is the brake hardware in that system was polished clean and new hi temp synthetic grease used every time. The brakes were flushed and bled every year. She had a caliper hang up on her out of the blue at 250k miles. It doesn't matter what practices or how perfect you try to make everything work, sometimes things just give up the ghost. The car had a new hose and caliper installed and got moved down the road at 274k miles.

Are the calipers and front hoses still oem to the truck?

If so, I would replace them simply because of age, especially the hoses, they can look good from the outside but can be failing inside and not allowing the fluid to leave the caliper.

Everything was replaced less than 20K miles ago. Calipers are steel piston, not phenolic, rotors were also replaced, and are still in great shape. Pads were only about 1/2 worn, but while the front was torn apart I had the new pads and put them on.

All this was about 8 years ago, the truck doesn't get driven much, and over the last 3 years has had less than 5K miles due to an electrical/computer issue. So if parts need to be replaced I am not entirely surprised. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't jumping the gun and trying to fix a problem that really wasn't a problem. As maybe the pads possibly dragging because they are a bit thicker than an OEM set, or maybe the little bit of surface rust that was on the rotors caused the issue.

But It seems like I should just go ahead and get a new set of calipers, and bearings (quality ones are cheap insurance), and hoses, and just have them put on. Thanks for the advice guys. I kinda knew where this was heading, but when you can't work on your own stuff, repairs get significantly more costly.

Something else- I replaced the entire brake setup on a 2012 f150 2 years ago, all parts bought through advance auto. It didn't even make it a year, the front rotors started to blue and it was a stinker. The culprit- the brand new brake lines. Factory brand replacements were sourced and we all lived happily ever after. Sometimes aftermarket parts are just garbage.

My new calipers have arrived.

I am adding a bit of a personal touch for possibly the next guy...

Wow Bimbo break calopers I hear those are only on the best vehicles

i have heard those are even better than those Wildwood brand calipers. great choice !