Coverages
Truck insurance coverages for owner operators, explained
What each policy line does, what it excludes, who requires it, and how it is priced. One page per coverage, written for someone who knows trucking and is new to insurance.
The seven coverages
| Coverage | What it does | Who requires it |
|---|---|---|
| Primary auto liability | Pays third parties when your truck hurts someone or damages property. The one coverage FMCSA requires before an authority activates. | FMCSA |
| Physical damage | Repairs or replaces your own truck and trailer after collision, fire, theft, or weather. Priced as a percent of insured value. | Your lender |
| Motor truck cargo | Your legal liability for freight lost, damaged, or stolen in your custody. | Brokers and shippers |
| Truckers general liability | Injury and property damage away from the truck: docks, yards, customer sites. | Shippers, some brokers |
| Non-trucking liability | Covers a leased-on operator when the truck is used off dispatch. | Your lease agreement |
| Trailer interchange | Physical damage to trailers you pull under a written interchange agreement. | The interchange agreement |
| Reefer breakdown | Cargo loss when the refrigeration unit fails. An endorsement to cargo, not a standalone policy. | Optional; reefer haulers |
Which coverages do you need?
Start with your situation
I run under my own authorityPrimary liability, physical damage, cargo, general liability, and the FMCSA filings that go with them.→
I'm leased to a carrierNon-trucking liability and physical damage on your own equipment; what the carrier covers and what it does not.→
Not sureFive questions, and the quiz lays out your coverage stack.→
Want a quote?
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