Cost guide
What trucking insurance costs
Typical per-truck ranges for bulk, flatbed, and livestock operations, what moves the number, and how to pay less. Real figures, honestly framed.
Every number on this page is a typical range: what operations like yours usually see, drawn from the accounts we quote across 50+ transportation insurance markets. None of it is a quote, an offer, or a guarantee, and your premium can land outside these ranges. The only number that counts is a quote on your actual operation, and ours are free.
Reviewed September 2026
How much is trucking insurance per truck?
An owner-operator with their own authority typically pays $8,000 to $16,000 per year per truck for a full package, which is roughly $650 to $1,300 a month. Leased-on owner-operators usually see $2,000 to $5,000 per year, and fleets earn lower per-truck rates as they grow. New authorities should expect the top of the range or above for their first year or two.
By coverage
Where the premium goes.
A full program is built from these lines. Typical annual figures per truck; not a quote.
Commercial auto liability ($1M)
$5,000 - $12,000 / yr
The legally required core and the biggest line item. New authorities price at the top, seasoned clean records at the bottom.
Physical damage
2% - 5% of equipment value / yr
Priced off the stated value of the tractor and trailer, so a $160,000 rig runs roughly $3,200 to $8,000.
Motor truck cargo ($100k)
$400 - $1,800 / yr
Commodity matters: grain, livestock, and hazmat all price differently at the same limit.
General liability
$500 - $750 / yr
Covers business operations off the truck; many shipper and job site contracts require it.
Non-trucking liability
$350 - $500 / yr
For leased-on owner-operators, covering the truck when it's off dispatch.
By operation
Typical full-package totals.
Per truck, per year, under your own authority. Each links to the coverage page for that work.
Typical ranges, not quotes. Your record, radius, equipment values, and the market decide the real number.
The variables
What moves the number.
Authority age
The first two years of a new DOT authority price higher everywhere in the market. Every clean year after that earns the number down.
Driving records
MVRs and CSA scores are the first thing every underwriter reads. One driver's violations can move a whole fleet's rate.
Radius and lanes
A 100-mile ag radius and a coast-to-coast operation are different risks and should be different prices.
Commodity and equipment
What's on (or in) the trailer and what the rig is worth set the cargo and physical damage lines.
Claims history
Losses follow the account for three to five years. Clean years are worth real money at renewal.
The market itself
Trucking insurance rates move industry-wide year to year, which is why the same operation can see a jump without a single claim.
Paying less
Six ways operations actually lower their premium.
No tricks, just the levers underwriters respond to.
- 1Shop the account. One underwriter's decline is another's target class; we quote across 50+ transportation markets.
- 2Raise deductibles you can afford to carry; low deductibles are expensive money.
- 3Keep MVRs clean and document driver hiring; underwriters pay for provable safety.
- 4Dash cameras and telematics earn credits with a growing list of markets and win disputed claims.
- 5Insure equipment for what it's actually worth today, not what it cost.
- 6Pay annually if cash flow allows; financing premium costs interest.
Questions
Cost questions, answered straight.
How much is trucking insurance per month?
An owner-operator with their own authority typically pays $650 to $1,300 per month per truck for a full package. Leased-on owner-operators usually see $170 to $420 per month. Those are typical figures, not a quote; monthly financing also adds interest compared to paying the year up front.
How much does insurance cost for a new trucking authority?
Plan on the high end: new authorities typically see $12,000 to $20,000 for their first year, because underwriters have no operating history to price against. The number comes down meaningfully with each clean year, which is why the first renewal is the most important one to shop.
I'm leased on to a carrier. What do I actually need to buy?
Usually physical damage on your truck, non-trucking liability for when you're off dispatch, and sometimes occupational accident coverage; the motor carrier's policy carries the primary liability while you're under dispatch. A typical leased-on package runs $2,000 to $5,000 per year depending on the truck's value.
Are these numbers a quote?
No. They are typical ranges from the accounts we see, published so you can plan honestly, and your operation can price outside them in either direction. A real quote against your DOT number, drivers, and equipment is free and usually moving the same business day.
Never question your coverage
Tell us what you haul and we'll shop the markets that actually know bulk freight. Quotes are free, and there's no obligation.