Types of trucking insurance, in plain English

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 6, 2026

Federal rules require for-hire interstate carriers of general freight to carry public liability coverage (at least $750,000 for vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more), and FMCSA's filing chart lists the cargo insurance requirement for general-freight carriers as $0. This page explains what each common coverage does, using NAIC and federal definitions where they exist. Where we couldn't find one, we say so. [1][2]

Primary auto liability

This is the coverage the law requires. Commercial auto insurance protects a business against legal liability for injuries to people, or damage to others' property, caused by accidents involving its vehicles. The insurance industry's product coding (maintained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, NAIC) defines Truckers coverage as coverage for businesses transporting property by auto for hire.

"Primary" means the coverage that takes precedence when more than one policy covers the same loss. FMCSA's rules define primary security as the coverage responsible for the first dollar of public liability.

For a for-hire carrier of general freight in vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more, the federal minimum is $750,000. Your insurer proves it to FMCSA with a BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing, or a surety files a BMC-82 bond. See trucking insurance requirements. [1][2][3][4][5]

Excess and umbrella liability

NAIC defines excess or umbrella liability as coverage above a specific amount set in a basic policy issued by the primary insurer. For the federal filing, FMCSA's Form BMC-91X can represent full coverage or any level of aggregation of the required limits. When limits are aggregated, each insurer files its own BMC-91X. [3][6]

Motor truck cargo

The public liability coverage under the federally required MCS-90 endorsement expressly doesn't apply to property you transport as cargo.

FMCSA doesn't require cargo insurance for general freight. Household goods carriers must carry $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence. Federal law (49 U.S.C. 14706) makes the carrier that issues the receipt or bill of lading, and the delivering carrier, liable for the actual loss or injury to the property. See motor truck cargo insurance. [5][7][8][9]

Physical damage

Auto physical damage insurance covers material damage to your own vehicle, including collision, vandalism, fire and theft. Liability coverage, by contrast, is for injuries and damage you cause to others.

A deductible is the dollar portion of a covered loss that the policyholder pays. [3]

Bobtail and non-trucking liability

We couldn't find an official definition of "bobtail insurance" or "non-trucking liability" from a regulator, so we don't define them here. Read a policy's wording to see what it covers.

The federal rule we could verify that mentions bobtail insurance is 49 CFR 376.12, part of the federal rules on equipment leases. It requires the lease to say who is responsible for providing any other insurance coverage for the leased equipment, naming bobtail insurance as an example. If the carrier will charge the equipment owner back for any of that insurance, the lease must state the amount. If the owner buys insurance from or through the carrier, the lease must say the carrier will provide a copy of each policy on request and a certificate of insurance showing the insurer, policy number, effective dates, amounts and types of coverage, the cost to the owner for each type, and the deductible the owner may be liable for. [10]

Occupational accident

We couldn't verify an official plain-language definition of occupational accident insurance. In NAIC's product coding used for state rate and form filings, occupational accident is listed under workers' compensation, described as "insurance that covers occupational accident to include comparable workers' compensation."

Workers' compensation itself covers an employer's liability for injuries, disability or death of its employees, without regard to fault, as prescribed by state or federal workers' compensation laws. [3][4]

General liability

NAIC defines comprehensive general liability as coverage of all business liabilities unless specifically excluded in the policy contract. Check the exclusions to see what a particular policy leaves out. [3]

Trailer interchange

NAIC's definition of Truckers coverage includes "the specialized liability exposure created by trailer interchange agreements." We couldn't verify an official definition of trailer interchange coverage as a separate product, so read the policy and the interchange agreement itself. [4]

Common questions