Commercial Truck Insurance

Few businesses offer as much regulation and differentiation as the commercial truck insurance industry. Policies begin as broad as “general liability” but become as specific as “aggregate insurance.”

The commercial trucking industry is heavily regulated because it is so large, diverse and constitutes many safety issues for the general public.

As an extension of this, the commercial truck insurance industry has evolved to follow suit.

The truck insurance policies of most drivers and companies can be simple, consisting of just a few policies, or they can be quite complicated, consisting of many diverse and specialized policies, as is the case with larger motor carriers and fleets.

To keep it simple, it’s good to think of the basic parts that are essential to any complete trucking insurance: insurance for trucks, trailer insurance, cargo insurance and insurance for employees or business operations.

Insurance for Trucks

Of course, not every trucker will require insurance for trucks from all of these policy categories. Many independent owner/operators work in commercial trucking and are often covered—for the most part—by the truck insurance of their employing company.

Nonetheless, getting familiar with some of the most common insurance for trucks is almost always to your benefit before requesting free commercial truck insurance quotes from an agent. At the very least, you’ll have a good idea of what essential coverage you need, what you might not need and have a good knowledge base from which to formulate questions when talking to your agent about what policies are available to you.

Ultimately, talking to an expert agent should help you get to the bottom of any truck insurance questions you have—they may even make you aware of some additional things to consider, such as specific truck insurance regulations based on the state you’re licensed in or what particular filings your state requires.

Below are some of the most commonly purchased truck insurance policies and a quick description of what they do.

Trailer Insurance

Trailer insurance offers physical damage coverage to trailers owned by a fleet or motor carrier. Typically, basic truck insurance policies exclude trailers and cargo since they’re not always owned by the motor carrier. Many drivers work in the industry of hauling trailers they do not own—trailer insurance is a policy that can be added to your truck insurance if it’s beneficial to your business.

Tow Truck Insurance

Tow truck insurance is an example of specialty truck insurance that’s distinguished from other basic forms of trucking liability insurance and physical damage. Since tow trucks work in very specific capacities, yet don’t have the traditional need for cargo or trailer insurance, tow truck insurance offers owners a specific and streamlined truck insurance policy catered to the applications and environments specific to their vehicles.

Dump Truck Insurance

Another example of specialized commercial truck insurance, dump truck insurance is truck insurance coverage tailored to either rear or side-loading dump trucks. Since these vehicles have moving trailers and are used with those capacities in mind, they demand their own unique forms of coverage in dump truck insurance.

Trucking Liability Insurance

Primary trucking liability insurance can refer to general liability policy, which protects a business from litigation associated with their operations. Most commonly, however, trucking liability insurance is the basic commercial truck insurance policy required by law. Just like our common auto insurance policies, primary trucking liability insurance covers damages to property or public injury in the event a commercial truck is involved in an accident. While it doesn’t cover damages to the at-fault party’s vehicle or medical expenses, it is typically the only type of vehicle insurance mandated by law.

Find out more about trucking liability insurance!

Comprehensive Insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage may be the most important policy for truck drivers to consider. Comprehensive insurance protects your own vehicle from damages in accidents, regardless of fault. Comprehensive insurance also adds the benefit of offering truck insurance protection in the event things like fire, theft or vandalism occur. It’s truck insurance that’s always got your own vehicle and equipment in mind.

Read more about comprehensive insurance!

Physical Damage Insurance

Physical damage policies, similar to comprehensive coverage, offer truck insurance protection to your own vehicle in the case of an accident. Oftentimes, the two terms are used interchangeably, though sometimes physical damage policies offer more limited coverage than comprehensive policies.

Read more about physical damage truck insurance policies!

Bobtail Insurance

Bobtail insurance is a great form of primary trucking liability insurance for independent drivers. It provides truckers insurance to independent contractors during all the periods they are not covered by their employer’s truck insurance policies.

Find out more about bobtail insurance!

Trailer Interchange Insurance

Trailer interchange insurance is a policy that protects trailers owned by another company. It’s common in the trucking industry for one trucking company to finish hauls for another to save on resources. Trailer interchange insurance is designed for those instances where a written trailer interchange agreement exists.

Read more about trailer interchange insurance!

Freight Insurance

General freight insurance is the most common type of cargo insurance. If a motor carrier typically hauls similar general goods, they may benefit substantially from adding a general freight insurance policy to their commercial truck insurance. Sometimes industry-specific cargo will carry it’s own specific type of cargo insurance, such as produce insurance or household goods insurance. General freight insurance policies are usually reserved for dry, common goods varying in coverage from $10,000 to $100,000.

Read more about general freight insurance policies!

Questions? Request free truck insurance quotes to initiate a dialogue with an expert and friendly agent. Agents usually respond to quote requests within one business day.

Contact us today to request your free commercial truck insurance quote!