Truck Insurance: Bobtail Insurance for Independent Owner/Operators

Anyone who owns a vehicle wants to keep it in good repair.  Our vehicles are essential for getting us from place to place and, in the commercial trucking industry, essential to making a living. 

Unlike your average W2 truck driver employee, independent owner/operators working in the commercial trucking business depend on their vehicles in order to make their living.  Because of this fact, driving a commercial truck without adequate truck insurance is a huge gamble that almost certainly will not pay off.

Federal laws mandate that all drivers of commercial vehicles be covered, at the very least, by a primary liability insurance policy.  These policies provide coverage for costs associated with damage from accidents caused by commercial truck drivers.

This type of truck insurance coverage will be provided to independent drivers by the motor carriers who contract them for as long as they are on active dispatch.  Once you complete the haul, however, you are no longer covered.

Several important supplemental insurance options exist for independent owner/operators, which include:

Non-Trucking Liability

Bobtail insurance is sometimes called non-trucking liability because it ties in with liability coverage when independent truckers are off the job.  It’s also referred to as deadhead insurance.

Non-trucking liability insurance is a common type of policy that is purchased by independent haulers to act as liability insurance when they are off the job.  Because employers often provide liability coverage to independents on the job, it wouldn’t make sense for an independent driver to purchase their own full liability policy.

Instead, they can purchase a bobtail insurance policy that they only pay for when not being covered by an employer.

Physical Damage Insurance

The worst thing that can happen to an independent trucker is to find his or herself without a truck because it was too damaged to fix.   Physical damage insurance is a handy type of truck insurance that covers damage costs to personal property whether the truck is on the road or not.  And, unlike trucking liability insurance, physical damage insurance coverage is applicable regardless of fault.

Further Truck Insurance Reading:
For more informative truck insurance articles, visit some related titles such as: Truck Insurance: Bobtail Insurance and Non-Trucking Liability or Trucking Insurance: Basic Commercial Insurance Definitions.