Trucking coverage, explained plainly

Pays for injury and property damage you cause to others while operating your truck. If you haul for hire across state lines under your own authority, it has to be on file with FMCSA before your authority becomes active.

• Federal minimums for for-hire interstate property (non-hazmat): $750,000 for vehicles of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more. $300,000 for operating authority when every vehicle you run is under 10,001 lbs GVWR.
• Hazardous materials: $1,000,000 or $5,000,000, depending on the material and quantity. Some hazmat limits also apply to private (not-for-hire) haulers, to some intrastate hauling, and to certain hazmat in vehicles under 10,001 lbs.
• Contract limits: brokers and shippers can ask for more than the federal minimum. Tell us what yours require.

Pays to repair or replace your own tractor and trailer after a covered loss, such as a collision, fire, theft or storm. If your truck is financed or leased, your lender will usually require it and want to be listed on the policy.

• Value it realistically. Many policies pay the lesser of the value you list or the actual cash value, so an inflated value doesn’t buy you more, and a low one can leave you short.
• Deductibles change the price. We’ll show you how different deductibles compare.

Covers the freight in your care against covered loss or damage. It isn’t federally required for most general freight, but many brokers and shippers ask for it.

• Limits: tell us the highest-value loads you expect to haul and any cargo limits your contracts require.
• Commodity matters. Cargo policies can exclude or limit certain freight, so tell us exactly what you haul.
• Reefer loads: spoilage from a reefer breakdown is often a separate option, not automatic.

Can cover certain business claims that don’t come from driving, such as someone getting hurt at a yard or location you control. Claims from loading or unloading your truck are often handled under auto liability instead, and we check which policy may apply.

Many shipper and broker contracts require general liability, and some ask to be added as an additional insured. That takes an endorsement on your policy. A blanket endorsement adds businesses your written contract requires, but only when its conditions are met and only for what it covers; a scheduled endorsement names each one. We check the wording. A certificate alone doesn’t add anyone.

Two different coverages for owner-operators leased on to another company. They’re often confused, and the difference matters.

• Non-trucking liability usually covers your truck when you’re using it for personal, non-business reasons, off dispatch.
• Bobtail usually covers driving without a trailer. Whether it includes any business use depends on the policy.

Your lease says which one you need, and the policy wording decides what’s covered. Send us your lease and we’ll go over it with you. If you run under your own authority with primary liability, you usually don’t need either.

Can help pay medical costs and replace some lost income if you’re hurt while working. Many trucking companies require it from the owner-operators leased to them. It’s a separate policy with its own limits and terms. It isn’t workers’ compensation, and what it pays varies by policy.

Your insurance has to be on file before your authority goes active, and your customers want proof before you load. Here’s what’s what.

• BMC-91 or BMC-91X: the federal filing made with FMCSA on your behalf as proof of your liability coverage. It’s filed once your policy is in place.
• Certificates of insurance: proof of coverage for your brokers, shippers and lenders. A certificate shows coverage that’s in place; it doesn’t change or add coverage. Request a certificate.