Frequently Asked Questions

Be honest with your agent about your operation and your records – including work history and your MVR. By doing your due diligence in operating your business in a professional manner and remaining loss free, you should receive better rates. Make sure when you are looking at premiums you are also comparing coverage. Not all policies are just alike. Another important aspect is what type of service you will receive. If you insure for lower rates, but that company can’t provide good timely service, the lower premiums will not help you out at all when you can’t get loaded due to problems with your insurance.

Primary liability coverage is protection for the public and is required by FMCSA to obtain your own authority. Secondary liability coverage is required by your motor carrier and only covers you while under a permanent signed lease with them. Please see our list of coverages for differences between the secondary liability coverages.

FMCSA only requires $750,000 primary liability coverage, but most shippers/brokers require $1,000,000 to load you. The most common request for cargo is $100,000, but this would depend on what you’re hauling and who you are hauling for.

Primary liability coverage. If you are running under your own authority, you should have this coverage in your name. If you are leased to a Motor carrier, then you should have this coverage through them.

Physical damage covers the investment you have made in your truck. It covers a variety of perils other than collision, such as; fire, theft, vandalism, wind and hail.

FMCSA requires the motor carrier whose authority you are running under to obtain the Primary Liability and Cargo coverage. However, the motor carrier can charge you for this coverage. You need to review any lease agreements carefully prior to signing them to determine what fees the motor carrier is charging you for.

Usually not as most states require proof of financial responsibility, which is the Primary Auto Liability Insurance, not Bobtail Liability. Depending on the day and who is helping you at the DMV, you may get by with using proof of Bobtail.

There is no value set on equipment as actual cash value is the cost of your equipment at the time of a loss minus depreciation. A Stated Limit Policy is when the insured places a value on their equipment. In the event of a loss, a Stated Limit Policy will pay either the actual cash value or the stated limit, whichever is less. Insured’s with stated limit policies can risk over insuring or under insuring their equipment.

No, refer to the list of coverage’s for more details.

Auto Liability and Cargo insurance are the most important coverage’s required to run under your own authority. Other coverage’s may be required in your contract(s) with your brokers and shippers.

Yes, FMCSCA requires all car hauling operations to carry $1,000,000.00 in Liability, regardless of the fact that the minimum requirements set by FMCSA for general operations are only $750,000.00. Cargo limits are typically higher than the usual $100,000.00 and would need to be determined based on several factors including your broker and shipper requirements, what type of automobiles are being hauled and how many automobiles can be hauled at one time.

Any requirements for secondary liability; i.e. bobtail/non trucking or unladen liability, coverages should be specified in your lease agreement with the motor carrier. The lease should also list any additional coverages the motor carrier requires. Then you will always have the option to purchase additional coverage on your own to protect your equipment.

No. If the primary auto liability is in your name or your corporation and you are the owner of the truck, you would not be required to carry bobtail liability.

Admitted carriers are licensed in a particular state to do business and is regulated by each state’s Division of Insurance. The States are required to monitor the finances and market conduct of the admitted carrier companies and all admitted carriers are obligated to contribute to a state fund – or guaranty fund – which is used to pay claims if any of these licensed insurers were to go insolvent. A surplus line’s carrier is not required to be licensed in your state but do need to be licensed in the state in which they are domiciled. The Division of Insurance or some other type of authority monitors the financial condition of the surplus lines carrier to ensure solvency as there is no guarantee fund.

To fulfill the lease agreement with your motor carrier you must have Non-Trucking Liability protection. This covers your liability while not under dispatch.

You may cancel your physical damage coverage at any time. However, if you have a lien holder on your truck, they will probably insist that you continue your coverage in order to protect their financial interests. Even though your truck is parked you are still at risk for theft, vandalism, or other damage such as fire, wind or hail. So you may want to keep your coverage to protect your own interests. If you continue having trouble paying your insurance, call our office and we will try to assist you with special payment arrangements.

You will not be covered as the Non-trucking Liability insurance is limited coverage. Your present Non-trucking Liability coverage will only protect leased owner-operators while the truck is being operated for personal convenience and only after you have reached your place of garaging before departing again. Your current coverage will not protect you while driving to and from work or to the repair shop. If your motor carrier dispatches you to Toledo to pick up a load, their liability insurance should provide the coverage you need. For your protection, you should make sure that the motor carrier is actually dispatching you and not just advising you that there is a load in Toledo or elsewhere should you choose to take it. If you’re pulling your own trailer, make sure your motor carrier is actually dispatching you for a load as some carriers have attempted to deny responsibility for claims that occur during these situations. You might want to talk with your insurance agent about an Unladen Liability policy.

If you need a tow because of an accident, it will be covered by your insurance. If your truck breaks down as a result of mechanical failure, it will not be covered by insurance.

You will probably need commercial auto liability, physical damage coverage, motor truck cargo insurance, bobtail insurance, occ/acc insurance, and non-owned trailer coverage. Every situation is different for every trucker and trailer so it is important that you work with an agent who is experienced in providing trucking insurance. Call our staff at ALLCOM insurance today to obtain the right answers.

Although they are often used interchangeably, bobtail insurance and non-trucking liability insurance are different. Leased operators generally need non-trucking insurance but many people still refer to this type of coverage as bobtail insurance.

The cost of insurance for your truck will vary depending on several factors but if you would like the professionals at ALLCOM insurance to provide you with a quote on semi truck insurance coverage, call us at 1-888-931-1934 or simply fill out one of our online forms listed below.

Occupational accident truck insurance can be truly beneficial if you have a work-related accident or illness, especially if you don’t have health care coverage. Talk to the insurance experts at ALLCOM Insurance to find out what type of policy would work best for you.

You can, but it will probably be more expensive; definitely give us a call or an email for a quote before getting trucking insurance from a truck dealer. We are the trucking insurance experts, and can almost assuredly get you a better price.

Non-trucking liability insurance is generally used by owner/operators who are leased onto a motor carrier. When you are dispatched for the motor carrier, their primary liability trucking insurance will cover you. However, if you are your own trucking company with your own customers or if you have your own authority, you will need to get your own primary liability trucking insurance.

Physical damage insurance protects truck drivers in the event of an accident. This type of insurance is also called collision insurance.

Legally, you do not need this type of coverage any longer if your truck is paid off. However, we recommend you still carry it as this coverage protects your truck which is your livelihood and it is important to have that protection.

At ALLCOM Insurance, we make every effort to insure every type of truck driver, regardless of your past driving record. Sometimes, the premium may become prohibitive so we will work with the driver to make sure we find the policy that works for you.

When you change trucking companies, you can almost always keep the same insurance. Your insurance rates will probably not change at all.

You can cancel your policy at any time without a penalty. Your credit will not be affected by your cancellation. However, you will have to pay any premiums or payments that have accrued on your account before canceling the policy.

At ALLCOM Insurance, we make it as easy as possible to pay your trucking insurance. We take credit cards or we will automatically deduct the premium from your checking account each month. Let us know what is most convenient for you.

Most claims will affect your insurance premiums for three years.

It may sound easy but it is often more expensive to get trucking insurance from the truck dealer. At ALLCOM Insurance, we are experts in providing trucking insurance and we can work with you to get the best rates available. Before you get an insurance policy from a dealer, give us a call for a quote and compare.

A driver may need this type of insurance if you have a trailer attached to your tractor that is not owned or long-term leased you.

Many insurance policies include an option that covers personal items through physical damage coverage.

If your policy is pro-rated, it means you only pay for the days you are actually insured. When your insurance company charges you for the days insured plus percentage for early cancellation, this is considered short-rate.

Lienholders require physical damage insurance which protects their interest in case there is a trucking accident.

Every Motor Truck Cargo policy is different but some of them exclude or only partially cover certain merchandise such as electronic equipment or clothing. Some of these policies may exclude coverage completely if the truck is left loaded and unattended. Before you purchase a Motor Truck Cargo policy, talk to the professionals at ALLCOM Insurance about the provisions in your policy.

The experienced professionals at ALLCOM Insurance assist drivers in obtaining all of the permits and licenses they may need to operate their trucks safely and legally. For a small fee, we can help you with these permits, including hazardous and special permits.

Unfortunately, most of our carriers only allow 1 truck for the first year in business and they require the owner to be the driver. Our markets for new ventures only allow a maximum of 4 trucks for the first full year in business.

The average down payment depends on the annual premium. Down payments range from 20-25% and the average down payment we see is $2400-$3500.

Unfortunately, our markets for hazardous material haulers require you to be in business for a minimum of 2 years running under your authority.