Log truck insurance
Log truck insurance pays for harm to your truck and the logs on it, along with your liability when your rig injures someone or wrecks property. When you haul for pay across state borders in a truck rated at 10,001 lbs or above, the federal liability floor is $750,000. Plenty of brokers want higher limits.
- Federal liability floor: $750,000 when a for-hire truck of 10,001 lbs or more crosses state borders
- What brokers often want: $1,000,000 of auto liability coverage plus $100,000 in cargo
- Commercial truck insurance averages $734 to $926 a month nationally, according to Progressive Commercial
- One-time fee for federal operating authority: $300
What a log truck policy covers
Moving logs across rough ground brings risks that usually call for specialized coverage. A policy can cover harm to your truck and the logs on board, and it can also pay out when a crash hurts other people or their belongings.
A personal auto policy usually won't pay for business driving, which means paid hauling calls for a commercial one.
People usually put these coverages together on a log truck:
- Liability: The law requires this. It covers injuries and property damage your truck causes to others.
- Motor truck cargo: This cuts your loss when something happens to the logs during the haul.
- Motor truck general liability: This applies to injuries or damage you cause while not behind the wheel. One example is harming a customer's property during loading or unloading at their site.
- Heavy truck roadside assistance: Breakdown coverage that helps get the truck rolling again, including towing built for big rigs.
- Rental reimbursement with downtime: This covers rental costs plus the income you miss while your rig sits in the shop.
Progressive Commercial offers all of these for log trucks.
Coverage matched to your trailer setup
Insurers care about the setup you run. Progressive Commercial covers logging trucks built in any of these 3 configurations:
- A tractor-trailer
- A stinger-steered pole trailer
- A fixed-length log trailer
The truck type is also among the factors that shape what you pay.
What does log truck insurance cost?
No one publishes an average price for log truck insurance. It may cost more than other truck coverage because of rough terrain, heavy machinery and uneven loads.
For a rough idea, here is what other truckers pay. These figures offer context, but they won't predict your price.
| Trucker category | Monthly average | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty haulers | $734 | Progressive Commercial |
| Hotshot carriers | $896 ($10,757 a year) | Insureon |
| Transport haulers | $926 | Progressive Commercial |
What you pay depends on factors like these:
- The kind of truck you run
- Your home base
- How clean your driving record is
- Past claims
- The limits you pick
The liability coverage you must carry
The FMCSA is the federal trucking agency, and it sets the minimum liability coverage, though states may have their own rules. When all your hauling stays within a single state, that state usually sets your minimum and the filing.
A for-hire carrier is a trucker paid to move goods owned by other people. The federal floors for for-hire carriers crossing state lines are:
| Situation | Required liability |
|---|---|
| Every vehicle in the fleet is under 10,001 lbs | $300,000 |
| A vehicle rated 10,001 lbs or more hauling non-hazardous freight (confirm with an agent that this fits your logs) | $750,000 |
Brokers frequently demand more than the legal floor. C.H. Robinson, TQL, and Uber Freight each want auto liability of $1,000,000 plus cargo coverage of $100,000.
If you drive for a carrier under a lease, the carrier's insurance filing covers you while you haul under its dispatch. You'll still need non-trucking liability, sometimes called bobtail, for when you drive off dispatch, plus physical damage coverage for your own truck.
Additional policies a logging business may need
Unlike vehicle liability, general liability is not legally required. It shields your business when accidents unrelated to driving cause injuries or damage. Your own business property is not part of it.
A business owners policy bundles in property coverage. It guards your buildings and other business property from theft, damage, and vandalism.
Workers' compensation is required for most businesses that have employees. It supports workers hurt or made sick by their job, and it can shield you from lawsuits tied to injuries like those.
Common questions
Are logging insurance discounts available?
Yes. Progressive Commercial offers savings for holding a CDL and for paying the whole policy up front. According to the company, new customers save $1,261 on average through its Smart Haul program.
Does the law require cargo insurance?
No. Freight haulers face no federal cargo insurance requirement; only household goods movers do. Brokers and customers can still insist you carry it before handing you any loads.
What's the process for proving insurance to the FMCSA?
You don't submit the proof on your own. Your insurer sends the filing to the FMCSA for you. After the authority application gets published, the insurer has a 20-day window to file, or the application gets thrown out.
What might general liability cost?
There's no published price for general liability on a log truck. Insureon puts general liability for hotshot businesses at about $32 a month on average, though that figure isn't tied to a $1,000,000 limit. Some big customers ask for general liability too, such as Amazon Relay, which asks carriers for $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 total, though that's their requirement, not a rule for log trucks.
Sources
- Financial responsibility, minimum levels (49 CFR 387.9)
- Security for the protection of the public: Minimum limits (49 CFR 387.303)
- Log Truck Insurance (Progressive Commercial)
- Commercial Truck Insurance Cost (Progressive Commercial)
- Hotshot Insurance Costs (Insureon)
- Carrier Resources: FAQs (C.H. Robinson)
- FAQs (TQL)
- Uber Freight Broker and Motor Carrier Agreement for United States and Canada (uber.com)
Related
Get your rig priced by an agent
Hotshot Insure does not sell insurance. An independent agent who places hotshot and small truck policies prices your rig by phone, or you can send your details.