It isn't one policy — it's a package of coverages, each protecting a different part of your operation. Here's a quick guide to every one: what it does, the limits to expect, and where to go deeper.
Package them, and you're covered end to end. Here's how they fit together.
Coverage for your truck & trailer
Comprehensive and collision that repair or replace your own tractor and trailer after a crash, fire, theft, or weather — the one thing your liability policies never pay for.
Covers non-owned trailers and chassis you pull under a written interchange or UIIA agreement at ports, rail yards, and terminals.
Coverage for the freight you haul
Pays for the freight in your care when it's lost, stolen, or damaged — the coverage brokers verify before they'll tender you a load.
An excess cargo limit for a single high-value load that exceeds the limit on your standard policy — bought load by load.
An endorsement on your Motor Truck Cargo policy that pays for a refrigerated load lost to spoilage when the reefer unit or its power source fails — a loss standard cargo coverage typically excludes.
Coverage for the people behind the wheel
Medical, disability, and death benefits for a driver hurt on the job — common for owner-operators and 1099 contractors.
Statutory injury coverage for W-2 employee drivers — required in most states once you have employees.
Two commonly confused liability coverages that protect a leased-on driver running without a load or off dispatch.
Coverage for your liability to others
Pays for injury or property damage you cause to others — the coverage that keeps your authority active.
Different from a standard business's general liability: a trucker's GL is premises-based only. It covers injury or property damage at your own location — an office, yard, or terminal, like a visitor slipping in your lot. Anything arising from operating, loading, or unloading a truck is excluded and handled by your auto liability.
Stacks additional limits on top of your primary policies when a contract — or a severe claim — exceeds them.
What you need depends on how you run. Find your situation and start there.
Run a brokerage, not a fleet? See Freight Broker coverage →
The FMCSA requires two coverages to keep your authority active: Commercial Auto Liability ($750,000 minimum, though most brokers require $1,000,000) and, for most operations, Motor Truck Cargo. Everything else is optional under the law but protects exposures those two don't.
Physical Damage covers your truck and trailer — the equipment. Motor Truck Cargo covers the freight inside. They're separate policies: one accident can damage both, and each is paid by its own coverage.
Yes. A broker's contingent cargo policy protects the broker, not you, and usually only pays when your coverage fails to. As the carrier, the freight is in your care, so brokers require your own Motor Truck Cargo — usually at least $100,000.
Both apply to leased-on owner-operators. Bobtail covers the truck when operated without a trailer; non-trucking liability covers it during personal, off-dispatch use. Your lease usually dictates which one you must carry.
The federal minimum is $750,000, but nearly every broker requires $1,000,000, and many contracts now ask for higher limits backed by an excess or umbrella layer. Hazmat and specialized operations carry higher federal minimums.
Tell a specialist how you operate and we'll walk you through what's required, what's smart, and what you can skip — no quote required to get answers.
