Commercial Trucking Insurance
Trucking runs on thin margins, and one bad accident can take out a truck, a load, or your authority to operate. There is no single trucking policy that covers all of that. What you actually carry is a stack of coverages that has to fit the way you run. Get the fit wrong and you find the gap the hard way, usually at claim time.
Wang Insurance Agency shops your coverage across many carriers, including ones that specialize in commercial auto and trucking, and brings back the option that fits your operation and your budget. We work with owner-operators and fleets across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Who we help
Owner-operators running under their own authority or leased to a motor carrier.
Small and mid-size fleets managing several power units and drivers.
Local and regional haulers including drayage and port work around the Port of New York and New Jersey.
For-hire and private carriers moving general freight, and specialized loads on request.
We write most equipment and operation types, including dry van, flatbed, reefer, box and straight truck, dump, hotshot, tow and recovery, and auto haulers. One truck or twenty, we start by looking at how you actually run, then build the coverage to match.
The coverages that make up a trucking program
Not every coverage below applies to you. The table is the short version. Under it, we explain what each one does and when it earns its keep.
| Coverage | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Primary liability | Injuries and property damage you cause to other people. Required and filed with the FMCSA for interstate for-hire carriers. |
| Physical damage | Your own tractor and trailer, against collision, theft, fire, vandalism, and weather. |
| Motor truck cargo | The freight you haul, if it is damaged or stolen in transit. |
| Non-trucking liability (bobtail) | An owner-operator leased to a carrier when the truck is driven off dispatch. |
| Trailer interchange | Damage to trailers you pull under an interchange agreement but do not own. |
| General liability | Liability off the road: at your premises, or during loading and unloading. |
| Workers compensation / occupational accident | Injured drivers. |
| Reefer breakdown | Refrigerated loads spoiled by a unit failure. |
Primary liability
This is the one regulators check, and the one every for-hire carrier has to carry. It pays for the injuries and property damage you cause to other people. It does not touch your own truck or your own load, that is what the next two coverages are for. On interstate for-hire work the required limit is set by federal law and filed with the FMCSA, so this is what your authority stands on.
Say your driver rear-ends a car on the Turnpike. Primary liability handles the other driver’s injuries and vehicle, up to your limit.
Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive on your own equipment. Collision is the crash or the rollover. Comprehensive is theft, fire, vandalism, flood, hail, or hitting a deer. If the truck is financed, the lender will require it. Even paid off, most owners keep it, because covering a totaled tractor out of pocket is how a small operation goes under.
Motor truck cargo
Covers the freight while you are hauling it, if it is damaged or stolen on the road. Brokers and shippers will not tender a load without proof of a cargo limit, usually 100,000 dollars. The exclusions are where people get burned. A lot of policies limit or drop targeted commodities like electronics, alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals, and refrigerated loads need the breakdown coverage below. We go through the fine print with you up front so there is no surprise later.
Non-trucking liability (bobtail)
If you are leased to a carrier, their policy usually covers you while you are under dispatch. It stops the second you are off dispatch, like driving the tractor home for the weekend. Non-trucking liability covers that window.
Trailer interchange
Pull trailers you do not own under an interchange agreement? This covers damage to them while they are in your hands, hooked up or dropped in a yard.
General liability
Auto liability follows the truck. General liability is everything else, like someone hurt at your lot or damage you cause while loading and unloading. More brokers ask carriers to carry it every year.
Workers compensation and occupational accident
If you have employee drivers, you generally need workers comp, and it pays for their on-the-job injuries and lost wages. Owner-operators who do not carry comp often use occupational accident coverage instead. Which one is right comes down to how your drivers are classified, and getting that wrong gets expensive, so we work it out with you before you sign.
Reefer breakdown
Standard cargo usually will not pay for spoilage when the refrigeration unit quits. Reefer breakdown puts that protection back. On any temperature-controlled load, you want it.
Federal and state compliance
Running for hire across state lines is more than buying a policy. You have to carry the right limits and keep the right filings active, or your authority is not in good standing.
Federal minimum liability limits
The FMCSA sets minimum liability limits based on what you haul and how heavy your vehicle is. Current federal minimums include:
| Operation | Minimum liability |
|---|---|
| For-hire, non-hazardous freight, vehicles over 10,001 lbs | 750,000 dollars |
| For-hire or private, non-hazardous freight, vehicles under 10,001 lbs | 300,000 dollars |
| Oil and certain hazardous materials | 1,000,000 dollars |
| Other hazardous materials, substances, and wastes | 5,000,000 dollars |
Plenty of shippers and brokers want 1,000,000 dollars in liability written into the contract even when the federal floor is lower, so what you actually carry is usually higher than the minimum.
Filings and endorsements
- The MCS-90 endorsement and BMC-91 filing prove your public liability coverage to the FMCSA.
- The BMC-34 filing proves cargo coverage where it is required, such as for household goods movers.
- On general freight, cargo limits are set by your shipper and broker contracts rather than a federal filing.
Certificates of insurance
No broker or shipper tenders a load without a current certificate. We turn them around fast so you are not sitting idle waiting to book freight.
Requirements shift depending on what you haul, your vehicle weight, and whether you cross state lines. Keeping you compliant without over-buying is part of what we do.
What moves your premium
No two trucks price out the same. Carriers weigh a lot of factors, and knowing them helps you keep your cost down over time:
- Driving records and CDL history for every driver, including violations and past accidents.
- Loss history meaning your claims over the last few years.
- Radius of operation or how far from home base you run. Local and short-haul often rate differently than long-haul.
- Type of cargo. Higher-risk commodities cost more to insure.
- Vehicle age, value, and type which drive physical damage and cargo pricing.
- Years in business and age of your operating authority. A new authority usually pays more until it builds a record.
- Deductibles and limits you choose.
- Driver experience and turnover.
We run these across our carriers to find the one that likes your operation best, and we come back to it as your record improves so your rate follows.
Common gaps we help you close
Cargo limits that do not match your loads. A 100,000 dollar limit does nothing for a 250,000 dollar load. We size the limit to what you actually haul.
No bobtail while leased. Drivers assume the carrier covers them off dispatch. It usually does not.
Excluded commodities. A load of electronics or alcohol denied because the policy quietly excludes it.
Reefer loads with no breakdown coverage. Spoilage denied when the unit fails.
Lapses that suspend your authority. A missed payment can drop your FMCSA filing and stop you from running. We help you stay ahead of it.
New equipment left off the policy. A truck or trailer added mid-term but never reported, then uncovered in a loss.
After an accident: a quick checklist
- 1Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt.
- 2Secure the scene and protect the load if it is safe to do so.
- 3Photograph everything: the vehicles, the damage, the scene, and the road.
- 4Trade information with the other parties and get witness details.
- 5Do not admit fault or talk about your limits at the scene.
- 6Call us and your carrier as soon as you can, so the claim starts fast.
Keep our number in the cab. Something happens, you call our office and a real person walks you through it.
Beyond the truck
Most of our trucking clients have a whole business behind the truck, so we can cover the rest of it too. Property and general liability, workers comp, commercial auto for your support vehicles. Keeping it all with one local agency keeps things consistent and usually costs less overall. Have a home, life, or personal auto policy? We will look at those in the same sitting.
How it works
Tell us how you run.
Trucks, drivers, authority, what you haul, where you go. Send your current policies or just walk us through it.
We look at the whole picture.
We go through your operation and show you what is covered and what is not.
We shop it and fix the gaps.
We compare our carriers, close the holes at the best rate we can find, and handle your filings. Then it is your call.
This page is a general overview of commercial trucking insurance and is provided for information only. It is not an insurance policy, a quote, or legal or regulatory advice. Coverage descriptions are summaries, and the actual terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions are governed by the issued policy. Filing and minimum-limit requirements vary by operation, cargo, vehicle weight, and jurisdiction, and change over time. Please contact our team for coverage specific to your business.
Let's get you a quote today.
Tell us a little about what you need and our team will follow up personally, usually the same day. Free, no obligation.
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Saturday · By appointment
Sunday · Closed
Serving NJ, PA, NY and beyond