GEICO commercial truck insurance

Trucks and operations GEICO covers

GEICO's truck page lists the vehicle types it can find coverage for:

• Dry vans
• Refrigerated trucks
• Flatbed trucks
• Auto haulers
• Dirt, sand, and gravel trucks

For-hire carriers, who move freight belonging to other people, are covered. So are private carriers, who only haul their own goods and never work for hire. The page also explains that your rate can depend on how well you follow USDOT rules, the kind of cargo you haul, the type and condition of your truck, and how your inspections have gone.

Who stands behind a GEICO commercial auto insurance policy?

The company named on your policy takes on the risk and pays claims when they are covered. GEICO's commercial FAQ notes that policies are underwritten by Government Employees Insurance Company. Sometimes, though, GEICO Insurance Agency, LLC arranges the coverage instead. The policy then comes from National Indemnity Company or from an insurer outside the GEICO family.

Because of that, your policy paperwork might show a company name that isn't GEICO. The company named on your policy is the one that handles your claims.

Owner-operators: leasing to a carrier or running your own authority

GEICO has a section on its truck page for owner-operators who hold a permanent lease to a motor carrier. During the lease, the carrier needs exclusive possession, control, and use of the truck for the whole term. The carrier's insurance filing covers you while it dispatches you. You still need non-trucking liability or bobtail coverage, and you also need physical damage coverage for the truck you own.

Running under your own authority means your insurer must send proof of your liability coverage to FMCSA. GEICO says it usually completes your insurance filings after your call. That matters, because a federal deadline applies. After your authority application is posted, the insurer must file within 20 days, or the application is dismissed by FMCSA.

Hotshot trucks and cargo coverage

Among the trucking businesses it insures, GEICO lists hot-shotters and expediters. GEICO's cargo page lists dually pickups as for-hire vehicles that often need cargo coverage.

Cargo coverage attaches to a commercial auto policy through an endorsement. An endorsement is a simple add-on that alters or expands your main policy. That way, you buy one truck policy and add cargo to it. Here are a few rules to know:

• Motor truck cargo coverage may not be offered in all states.
• Goods you own yourself are not covered by cargo coverage.
• Trailers over 3,000 pounds gross vehicle weight are not covered automatically unless the policy lists them. Gross vehicle weight refers to the trailer together with everything loaded on it.
• Refrigerated loads may include reefer breakdown coverage. It covers spoilage if the refrigeration or heating unit suddenly breaks down by accident.

Federal rules do not require freight carriers to carry cargo insurance. Still, many brokers request it.

How much liability coverage your truck needs

Federal minimum limits vary with your truck's weight rating and the cargo you carry. Your truck's weight rating is the most it can safely weigh when loaded, including the truck itself, as set by the manufacturer. Many brokers want limits above what the law requires.

Brokers such as C.H. Robinson, along with TQL, Uber Freight, and Amazon Relay, want $1,000,000 in auto liability plus $100,000 in cargo coverage. Haul only inside one state and that state sets your minimum.

Box trucks

Box trucks are not named on GEICO's truck page among its vehicle types. Dry vans are listed, and private carriers hauling their own goods are covered. Your box truck might fit one of those groups, though you will want to confirm that when you request a quote.

A box truck rated at 10,001 lbs or more that crosses state lines must have a USDOT number. Federal liability minimums apply to box trucks just as they do to every other truck.

Questions from truckers