Semi Truck · Brokerage
For Owner-Operators & Fleets
Semi Truck Insurance for Owner-Operators and 18-Wheelers.
A loaded Class 8 at 80,000 lbs is the highest-liability vehicle on the road. The insurance program reflects that. Primary liability limits run higher than any other commercial vehicle class, physical damage premiums track against six-figure equipment values, and the FMCSA compliance requirements are more demanding than for lighter vehicles.
Admitted · Specialty · E&S
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What Semi Truck Insurance Covers
A complete semi truck program typically includes several stacked coverage lines. What you carry depends on your authority structure.
Primary auto liability
What it protects
Third-party bodily injury and property damage
Own authority
Required: FMCSA mandated
Leased-on
Provided by carrier under dispatch
Physical damage (collision)
What it protects
Your truck after a collision with a vehicle or object
Own authority
Strongly recommended; required by lenders
Leased-on
Your responsibility regardless
Physical damage (comprehensive)
What it protects
Theft, fire, vandalism, weather damage to your truck
Own authority
Strongly recommended; required by lenders
Leased-on
Your responsibility regardless
Motor truck cargo
What it protects
Freight in your care, custody, and control
Own authority
Required by most shippers and brokers
Leased-on
Required by most shippers and brokers
Non-trucking liability (NTL)
What it protects
Liability when using your truck for personal purposes, off dispatch
Own authority
Not needed; you carry primary liability
Leased-on
Required
Bobtail insurance
What it protects
Liability when driving without a trailer, whether under dispatch or not
Own authority
Recommended if you frequently bobtail
Leased-on
Recommended; different trigger than NTL
Truckers general liability
What it protects
Off-road liability: loading dock injuries, customer property damage
Own authority
Required by many shippers and terminal agreements
Leased-on
Required by many shippers and terminal agreements
Trailer interchange
What it protects
Physical damage to non-owned trailers under interchange agreements
Own authority
Required when operating under interchange
Leased-on
Required when operating under interchange
Occupational accident
What it protects
Medical and disability coverage for on-the-job injuries
Own authority
Recommended; workers comp not typically available to owner-operators
Leased-on
Required; you don’t qualify for carrier’s workers comp
The occupational accident line is underappreciated. Owner-operators aren’t employees, so workers compensation doesn’t apply in most situations. If you’re injured on the job (getting in or out of the cab, slipping during a pre-trip inspection, hurt during loading), occupational accident coverage is what responds. Without it, you’re covering medical bills and lost income out of pocket. For a full breakdown of motor truck cargo coverage and how commodity class affects what you can get placed, that page covers the detail.
Program Structure
Own Authority vs Leased-On
This is the decision that shapes your entire insurance program.
Own Authority
Running Under Your Own Authority
You’re the motor carrier. Every coverage line is your responsibility. The FMCSA won’t activate your operating authority until your primary liability is filed and confirmed. A typical own-authority program for a single semi hauling general freight includes: primary auto liability ($1M+), physical damage, motor truck cargo ($100K minimum), truckers general liability ($1M/$2M), and bobtail or NTL. Total annual cost typically runs $12,000 to $25,000 per truck. The MCS-90 endorsement attaches to your primary liability policy and is a federal filing requirement, not optional. New authority operators sit toward the top of that cost range or above it. For the owner-operator insurance program broken down by coverage line and cost, that page goes deeper.
Full liability stack — most expensive structure
Leased-On
Leased to a Motor Carrier
The motor carrier provides primary liability while you’re under dispatch. That’s the most expensive line in any trucking program, and you’re not paying for it. Your costs are significantly lower: most leased operators pay $3,600 to $5,000 per year for NTL, physical damage, and occupational accident. Know exactly when the carrier’s primary liability stops applying. Off dispatch, repositioning empty without a trip lease, or using the truck for personal errands: that’s when your own coverage has to respond. The NTL vs bobtail question comes up constantly for leased operators. They’re not the same coverage and they don’t cover the same situations.
Lower cost — carrier covers primary liability
FMCSA Requirements for Semi Trucks
Primary auto liability coverage is federally mandated for all interstate motor carriers. These minimums were set in the 1980s and haven’t been updated since.
Most freight brokers and shippers require $1M in primary liability regardless of cargo class because those are the contractual terms they’ve standardised on. If you’re carrying the FMCSA minimum of $750K and a broker’s contract requires $1M, you’re not getting dispatched on that load.
The MCS-90 endorsement is also a federal requirement for interstate motor carriers. It’s a filing, not a coverage extension. It guarantees that minimum financial responsibility limits are available to cover a judgment even if a policy exclusion would otherwise apply. Carriers who pay a claim under MCS-90 can pursue reimbursement from you for amounts they wouldn’t otherwise have owed. It’s a compliance document with real financial implications. Understand it before you file for authority.
State minimums add another layer. New Jersey raised its commercial truck liability minimum to $1.5M as of July 2024. Other states set their own floors for intrastate operations.
Since October 2025, the FMCSA no longer issues separate MC numbers; operating authority is now tracked under your USDOT number. The insurance filing requirements remain the same.
DOT number registration is required for any commercial vehicle operating interstate with a GVW of 10,001 lbs or more.
$750K
FMCSA minimum for general non-hazardous freight.
$1M
Required for oil transport and non-bulk hazardous materials.
$5M
Required for bulk hazardous materials transport.
The MCS-90 endorsement is a federal requirement for interstate carriers. Speak to our team about what filings your operation requires.
Cost Factors
What Semi Truck Insurance Costs
Cost depends heavily on your authority structure, truck value, cargo class, driver history, and where you operate.
Authority Age and Loss History
New authority pays more until a track record exists. Three years of clean operations opens more carrier markets and gives you leverage (new authority pays more until a track record exists).
Driver MVR and CDL Tenure
Clean records earn real credits. Violations compound. Carriers want at least two years of CDL experience and a clean MVR (clean records earn real credits; violations compound).
Cargo Class
Hazmat, electronics, and reefer freight cost more than dry van general freight. Some carriers won’t write certain commodity classes at all.
Operating Radius and Garaging State
Long-haul and urban garaging both push rates up. States with aggressive litigation climates add to your rate (long-haul and urban garaging both push rates up).
Physical Damage Pricing
Runs 3% to 6% of your truck’s stated value annually. On a $120,000 tractor, that’s $3,600 to $7,200 just in physical damage premium. Newer trucks with advanced safety systems sometimes qualify for credits. Older equipment with deferred maintenance gets priced harder.
CSA Scores and DOT Safety Rating
Carriers with red flags face limited market access. A clean DOT record with loss-free operation gives you real leverage at renewal.
Own authority, general freight: $12,000 to $25,000 per truck annually for a full program. Leased-on: $3,600 to $5,000 per truck annually.
Speak to our team about where your operation sits. We’ll tell you what the market looks like for your specific truck, cargo, and authority status.
Process
How Rosella Places Semi Truck Insurance
Semi truck insurance is not a commodity. The carrier forms differ on details that determine what actually pays out in a claim.
Multiple markets, one submission
Rosella submits your operation to multiple carrier markets simultaneously. Admitted trucking carriers for established operations. Specialty transport programs for specific cargo classes. E&S markets for new authority operators or those with recent losses. You don’t shop individually. We bring the market to you.
Forms compared, not just premiums
A $2,000 lower annual premium with a stricter unattended vehicle exclusion or a narrower physical damage trigger isn’t better. It’s a gap that surfaces at claim time. Our brokers flag the differences before you bind.
COIs when you need them
Certificates of insurance are generated in under two minutes, day or night. When a freight broker is holding a load and needs your COI, that matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a quote
Tell us about your operation — authority type, cargo class, equipment value, driver history — and we’ll put together a submission that gives the market what it needs.
GET STARTED
Ready to Place Your Semi Truck Program?
Standard semi truck submissions for established operators quote within a few business days. New authority and specialty cargo programs take a little longer, but we’ll tell you where you stand.