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Trucking Insurance

A motor carrier may not operate until the federal minimum insurance is in effect, and an interstate carrier for hire needs its filing accepted before its authority is issued. Start with what you have on file, and we will tell you what is still missing, from your liability limits to your cargo and your equipment.

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Your Business, Part by Part

An illustrated truck. No people.

  1. 1 of 5

    Before the Truck Goes Out

  2. 2 of 5

    Your Authority Waits on a Filing

    For hire interstate carriers must have insurance filed with FMCSA before operating authority is issued.

  3. 3 of 5

    Federal Liability Minimums

    Interstate for hire carriers of nonhazardous freight in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 of liability coverage, and hazardous materials require more.

  4. 4 of 5

    The Proof of Insurance Is Kept on File

    Proof of insurance is kept at your principal place of business, and the MCS-90 is one accepted form.

  5. 5 of 5

    Coverage Has to Be in Effect Before You Operate

    You may not operate until the coverage is in effect.

    Ask AboutCommercial auto

    Coverage depends on the policy terms.

Insurance for Owner Operators, New Authorities and Fleets

You might be an owner operator under your own authority, a new venture waiting on its first filing, or a fleet with drivers, a yard and a shop. What the rules ask of you starts with what you haul, where you haul it and what the truck weighs.

If you haul non hazardous property for hire across state lines in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, the federal minimum is $750,000 of public liability coverage. Oil and other listed hazardous materials require $1,000,000, and certain bulk hazardous materials require $5,000,000. Those are floors, and a shipper’s or broker’s contract can ask for more.

An owner operator leaning on his truck in the yard, looking down at his phone.

Trucking Operations We Insure

Tell us what you run and what you haul. These are a starting set.

Owner operators.
One truck, your own authority and your name on the door.
New authorities.
A carrier that needs coverage in place before the first load.
Fleets.
Several power units, a roster of drivers and a yard to keep them in.
Dump trucks.
Aggregate, fill and debris on local and regional runs.
Tow trucks.
Recovery and towing, with someone else’s vehicle on your hook.
Hot shot haulers.
Pickups and flatbed trailers moving time sensitive freight.
Don’t see yours here? Tell us what you need covered.

Trucking Insurance Coverage

Auto Liability Insurance for Trucking

Your truck crosses the center line on a wet night and hits a car. A business auto policy pays others for the injury or damage your business is legally liable for, up to the policy limits. It is the coverage the federal minimums and your filing are built on.

Physical Damage Coverage for Trucking

Your rig jackknifes on ice, or the tractor is stolen from a lot overnight. Collision coverage pays for damage when a vehicle hits an object or overturns. Comprehensive pays for most other causes, such as fire, theft, flood and falling objects. Liability does not pay for your own truck.

Motor Truck Cargo Insurance for Trucking

A load of electronics disappears from a truck stop, or a pallet shifts and breaks in transit. Motor truck cargo coverage protects your customers’ goods while your business transports and delivers them. A broker or shipper may ask to see it before you take the load.

General Liability Insurance for Trucking

A visitor trips in your yard, or a forklift damages a customer’s dock. General liability pays damages your business is found liable for, plus your legal defense. It leaves out auto liability, which belongs on the auto policy, so the two work side by side.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Trucking

A driver wrenches a back unloading, or falls from the cab step. Workers’ compensation pays for medical care and replaces part of lost wages, regardless of who was at fault. A general liability policy leaves injuries to your own employees out.

Umbrella Insurance for Trucking

A serious crash with several people hurt can cost more than your auto liability limit. An umbrella policy sits over and above your other liability policies and responds once their limits are used up. Ask about it when a contract asks for more than your auto limit.

Commercial Property Insurance for Trucking

Your shop, your parts room and the tools you keep in the yard can burn or be broken into. Commercial property insurance protects company property against losses such as fire, smoke, wind, hail and vandalism. It covers the place you run the business from.

Hired and Non Owned Auto Coverage for Trucking

Your dispatcher runs to the parts store in a personal car, or you rent a pickup for a week. Hired and non owned auto coverage is the piece to ask about when vehicles your business does not own are used for its work.

Coverage Truckers Can Be Missing

Gaps often show up at a scale house, at a broker’s desk or after a loss, when someone reads the policy line by line. A carrier can have a policy in force and still be short of what the authority, the contract or the claim needs, because each policy names what it covers and leaves the rest out. These are the places to look, and each one is a fair question to bring to your quote.

The filing, not only the policy.
For hire interstate carriers need proof of insurance filed with and accepted by FMCSA before their authority is issued or stays in force.
The proof in your office.
Proof of financial responsibility is kept at the carrier’s principal place of business. The MCS-90 endorsement is one accepted form.
Your own rig.
Auto liability pays other people. Damage to your truck needs physical damage coverage.
Your customer’s load.
Cargo is its own coverage.
A personal umbrella.
A personal umbrella typically excludes claims from business use of a vehicle.
The limits in your contract.
The federal amounts are minimums, and a shipper or broker can ask for more.

If an Insurer Has Said No

That is one insurer’s answer, not the last one. Insurers have different underwriting standards, and a decision by one company does not mean another will not offer coverage.

Hard to Place InsuranceNonrenewed or Cancelled Policies

Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance do I need to start operating as a for hire trucking company?

A motor carrier may not operate until the federal minimum financial responsibility is in effect. A for hire interstate carrier must also have proof of insurance filed with and accepted by FMCSA before its authority is issued.

How much liability coverage do the federal rules require?

If you haul non hazardous property for hire in interstate commerce, in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, you need at least $750,000. Certain bulk hazardous materials require $5,000,000, and oil and other listed hazardous materials not in that class require $1,000,000. These are federal minimums, and your contracts may require more.

What is an MCS-90?

It is an endorsement that is one accepted form of proof of financial responsibility. Proof is kept at the carrier’s principal place of business.

Does my liability policy cover the freight I haul?

No. Auto liability pays others for injury and damage you are liable for. Your customer’s goods are covered by motor truck cargo coverage.

My trucking insurance went up at renewal. What can I do?

Ask your insurer or agent to explain in writing what changed, and then consider asking an independent agency for a second look. We represent you, not a single insurance company.

An insurer did not renew my trucking policy. Where do I start?

Begin with Nonrenewed or Cancelled Policies, and note the date your coverage ends. No agency can promise a placement.

Can dump trucks, tow trucks and hot shot haulers be insured?

Tell us what you operate and what you haul. Your account can be reviewed, and no agency can promise a placement.

Related Resources

November 12, 2026Trucking Insurance Requirements: Federal Minimums and FMCSA FilingsYour policy ends soon and your authority waits on a filing. If you haul non hazardous property for hire in interstate commerce, in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, you need at least $750,000 of public liability coverage.

Bring Your Authority Date and What You Have on File.

Start your quote with both, and see what is still missing.

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