Truck insurance by truck type
What you pay and the coverage needed depend on your truck type. Choose yours below.
Hotshot truck insuranceA dually with a gooseneck or flatbed trailer.Liability minimum:$750,000when the combined rating of truck and trailer is 10,001 lbs or more.
What you'll usually pay: with a clean record,$665 to $1,165 each month;a new MC number means $1,000 to $1,800.
Flatbed truck insuranceWhat most brokers want:$1M + $100K,covering liability and cargo.
Box truck insuranceLiability plus cargo at$1M + $100Kis what most brokers ask; Amazon Relay asks the same.
Dump truck insuranceLiability minimum:$750,000for a rating of 10,001 lbs or more on trips across state lines; jobs within a single state follow that state's own rules.
Tow truck insuranceUsual cost:$355 a month,the median among new tow customers at Progressive.
Semi truck insuranceTypical cost: $734 to $926 per month.That's the average Progressive reports for for-hire trucks.
Reefer truck insuranceAcross state lines, the minimum liability is$750,000;get cover for a lost load if the cooling stops.
Log truck insuranceMinimum liability is$750,000when logs move over a state line; timber kept inside one state uses that state's rules.
Tanker truck insuranceLiability minimum:$5Mwhen a tank over 3,500 gallons holds hazardous material.
Hazmat truck insuranceLiability minimum:$1M to $5M.The federal government sets this floor, and the material decides the exact level.
Progressive Commercial (semi and tow) and Trucking Insurance Services (hotshot) supply these monthly figures.
Vans, haulers and specialty trucks
- Cargo van insuranceFederal line: 10,001 lbs. The weight rating where the minimum changes from $300,000 to $750,000.
- Sprinter van insuranceWeight rating: 9,050 to 12,125 lbs. Mercedes ratings for the 2500 to 4500; the weight decides the federal limit.
- Car hauler insuranceMinimum liability: $1,000,000. FMCSA counts a truck hauling vehicles in the $1,000,000 tier.
- Garbage truck insuranceMinimum liability: $750,000. Ordinary refuse across state lines; hazardous waste is $1,000,000.
- Livestock hauler insuranceMinimum liability: $750,000. No MC number for ordinary livestock, but the insurance and MCS-90 still apply.
- Fuel truck insuranceMinimum liability: $1M or $5M. Gasoline is $1,000,000; propane over 3,500 gallons is $5,000,000.
Federal minimums for each truck type
| Weight or load | Minimum liability |
|---|---|
| Truck and trailer rated under 10,001 lbs together | $300,000 |
| A rating of 10,001 lbs and up, like most work trucks and hotshot rigs | $750,000 |
| Oil and most hazardous material | $1,000,000 |
| Explosives, poison gas, hazardous material in tanks | $5,000,000 |
The source, 49 CFR 387.9, applies to paid loads across state lines; weight means the rating, not the load on any one trip. Most brokers ask for more: $100,000 cargo on top of $1,000,000 (C.H. Robinson). If a truck never leaves one state, that state's rules apply.
Trucks and trailers that follow another page
- Straight truck insurance: "Straight truck" is the federal name for any single-unit truck, and insurers rate it on the same page as a box truck, so no rule or program differs from box truck insurance. Source: FMCSA glossary.
- Dry van insurance: A dry van is a trailer, not a type of truck, and the insurance questions on it (trailer physical damage, non-owned trailers, cargo) are answered on the trailer interchange and semi truck pages. Source: Progressive trailers it insures.
- Water truck insurance: Water is not hazardous, so the federal limit is the same $750,000 as any heavy truck. Source: 49 CFR 387.9.
- Cement truck insurance: Concrete is not hazardous, so the federal limit is the same $750,000 as any heavy truck. Source: 49 CFR 387.9.
Ask an agent to price your rig
No insurance is sold by Hotshot Insure. By phone, an independent agent who places small truck and hotshot policies will price your rig; sending your details is the other option.
Quotes are free, and you don't have to buy anything.
