Flatbed truck insurance

Common flatbed coverages

Liability coverage is something every flatbed trucker needs, since it protects other people and their property when you cause a crash. Progressive Commercial says it can pay their medical bills and fix the damage you do to their cars or belongings. Other coverages, such as collision and uninsured motorist, help with your own truck and injuries.

A personal auto policy generally won't cover work use, so once you haul freight for money you may need a commercial policy. Here are the main coverages you can add:

• Uninsured or underinsured motorist: steps in if another driver hurts you or damages your flatbed and lacks enough liability insurance.
• Collision: covers repair or replacement of your truck after a crash, even when you're at fault.
• Comprehensive: covers the truck for theft, vandalism, and other harm not caused by a collision.
• Cargo: pays for goods damaged while being transported, plus debris removal if cargo spills or falls off.
• Roadside assistance: gives you towing, battery jumpstarts, and winching at any hour.
• Rental reimbursement with downtime: covers a rental truck while your flatbed is sidelined after a crash or breakdown, or makes up for the income you lose when no good replacement can be found.
• General liability: pays for injuries or damage you cause away from driving, like during loading or unloading.

The law doesn't require general liability. You can buy it as its own policy or bundle it into your commercial auto coverage. A business owners policy rolls general liability and property coverage into one package.

Coverage your lender or state may require

When your flatbed is leased or financed, collision coverage is required by many lenders. Your lender may ask for comprehensive coverage too, so check your loan or lease terms before you buy.

If you have employees, most states require workers' compensation. It pays when someone gets hurt or sick on the job, and it can also protect you from related lawsuits.

Federal liability minimums by truck and freight

A for-hire carrier is an individual or business paid to haul freight that belongs to someone else. The lowest liability limits these carriers can hold are set by the FMCSA, the federal trucking safety agency. A placarded load is hazardous freight that must display warning signs on the truck's exterior.

You don't file the paperwork yourself. Your insurer sends proof of coverage to the FMCSA on a standard federal form, and your policy needs a federal add-on called the MCS-90. When you haul only within one state, the minimum is set by that state, and your insurer often files a state form for you.

Broker insurance requirements

A lot of freight comes through brokers, and the limits they want are higher than what the federal government requires.

Broker	Cargo they require	Liability they require
C.H. Robinson	$100,000	$1,000,000
TQL	$100,000	$1,000,000
Uber Freight	$100,000	$1,000,000
Amazon Relay	$100,000	$1,000,000 per occurrence
J.B. Hunt	No federal cargo requirement for freight carriers	Federal liability minimum; brokers may ask for more

Uber Freight also requires general liability of $1,000,000. Amazon Relay asks for even more: $1,000,000 of general liability per occurrence and $2,000,000 overall, plus $50,000 to replace a trailer and $100,000 of employer liability.

Flatbed truck insurance cost

On average, hotshot truckers pay $896 a month, which comes to $10,757 a year, for their commercial auto coverage. For hotshot businesses, general liability averages $32 a month.

What you pay depends on your flatbed type, how many trucks you insure, and your freight. Your chosen coverages and limits matter as well. Heavy haul flatbed insurance runs higher, and added coverages like cargo raise the price too.

How to pay less

Progressive Commercial names several things that can earn you a lower rate:

• Keeping your driving record clean
• Paying for the policy in full up front
• Trucks with safety equipment like anti-lock brakes and airbags
• Letting Progressive track your driving through its usage-based program

Questions people ask