Coverage guide

Occupational accident insurance for owner-operators

For leased owner-operators and independent truckers outside workers’ comp: what occ/acc pays if you are hurt on the job, what it costs and what your lease must say about it.

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What similar businesses pay

Occ/acc, $500,000 plan: $130.50 a month
Occ/acc, $1 million plan: $144.40 a month
Occ/acc, $2 million plan: $162.85 a month

Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.

Cost

What occupational accident insurance for owner-operators costs

$130.50 a month

Occ/acc, $500,000 plan

OOIDA published member rate, page updated March 2026; membership dues extra

$144.40 a month

Occ/acc, $1 million plan

OOIDA published member rate, page updated March 2026; membership dues extra

$162.85 a month

Occ/acc, $2 million plan

OOIDA published member rate, page updated March 2026; membership dues extra

Occupational accident prices are rarely published, so the clearest public benchmark is OOIDA’s association plan: $130.50, $144.40 or $162.85 a month for a $500,000, $1 million or $2 million medical limit, for dues-paying members only. The largest plan costs about $32 a month more than the smallest and raises the weekly disability benefit from $500 to $700. Carrier group programs set their own price, and 49 CFR 376.12(j) requires your lease to state the amount charged back to you. Your cost depends on the limits your carrier requires, the benefits you choose and where you buy.

What moves your price

The medical limit: OOIDA’s rate rises from $130.50 to $162.85 a month as the limit climbs from $500,000 to $2 million
The weekly disability benefit, the waiting period before it starts and how many weeks it pays
Death, dismemberment and paralysis amounts
Whether you buy through a carrier’s group program, an association or on your own
Optional add-ons such as truck payment or vocational retraining benefits
Whether the plan also pays for accidents off the job

Who it’s for

Who needs occupational accident insurance for owner-operators

Your carrier requires it in the lease

A carrier may make occ/acc a lease condition or offer its own group plan paid from your settlements. In one program New York’s Department of Financial Services reviewed, drivers funded the premium, received certificates and were covered only while working for that carrier.

You are hurt loading, tarping or climbing on the rig

A fall from the deck or a crush injury at a dock is not paid by your commercial auto liability, which covers harm to others. Occ/acc pays your accident medical bills up to the plan limit; OOIDA’s plans have no deductible or coinsurance.

An injury keeps you out of the truck for months

Truck payments and fixed costs keep coming. OOIDA’s plans pay up to $500 or $700 a week for up to 104 weeks after a 7-day wait, capped at 70% of average weekly income. Zurich offers truck payment coverage for drivers who cannot work after a covered injury.

A fatal crash or permanent disability

AD&D pays a lump sum to your beneficiary or to you: OOIDA’s plans pay up to $200,000 to $300,000 for loss of life. Continuous disability benefits can run to age 70 once you receive a Social Security disability award, up to $200,000.

State law treats you as a contractor, not an employee

In Texas, an owner operator with a written agreement assuming employer duties is not the carrier’s employee for workers’ comp (Labor Code 406.122). Oregon and Minnesota set their own tests for truck drivers. Outside workers’ comp, occ/acc is often the only work-injury cover you have.

Coverage

What occupational accident insurance for owner-operators covers

Accident medical expenses

Hospital, surgery, prescriptions and ambulance, including air ambulance, after a covered work accident. OOIDA’s plans pay up to their limit for expenses within two years of the accident.

Temporary total disability

A weekly benefit while you cannot do your own job. OOIDA’s plans pay $500 or $700 a week for up to 104 weeks, starting after 7 days.

Continuous total disability

Takes over when temporary benefits end if you remain totally disabled and receive a Social Security disability award. OOIDA’s plans pay to age 70, less Social Security, up to $200,000.

Accidental death, dismemberment and paralysis

Lump sums for death, loss of limbs or sight and paralysis. OOIDA’s death benefit ranges from $200,000 to $300,000 depending on the plan.

Accidental dental

Repairs to teeth damaged in a covered accident. OOIDA’s plans pay up to $3,600 per injury on the job.

Off-the-job accidents

Some plans add limited benefits for accidents away from work. OOIDA’s plans include up to $10,000 of medical and $15,000 to $50,000 of AD&D for non-occupational accidents.

Truck payment and retraining add-ons

Zurich lists optional truck payment coverage for drivers who cannot work after a covered injury, and vocational retraining for those who cannot return to trucking.

What it doesn’t cover

Illness, disease and occupational disease, unless the policy adds them
Hernias, cumulative trauma and repetitive strain, unless scheduled in the policy
Heart attack or stroke brought on by exertion
Any injury for which you are entitled to workers’ comp benefits
Injuries while intoxicated or using drugs not taken as prescribed
Injuries while committing a crime, and self-inflicted injuries
Liability to other people and damage to your truck, which need auto liability and physical damage cover

Rules

Requirements and filings

No federal rule requires occupational accident insurance, but federal leasing rules govern how a carrier charges you for it, and state workers’ comp law decides whether you need it.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
Lease must name who provides other insurance	Carriers leasing trucks with drivers from owner-operators	49 CFR 376.12(j)(1): the lease must say who provides insurance beyond public liability and state any chargeback amount.
Policy copy and certificate	Owner-operators buying insurance through their carrier	49 CFR 376.12(j)(2): a policy copy on request and a certificate showing the insurer, policy number, dates, coverage, your cost and deductible.
Chargeback disclosure	Any deduction from your settlement	49 CFR 376.12(h): the lease must list every chargeback item and how it is computed.
No forced purchases	Carrier leases	49 CFR 376.12(i): the lease must state you need not buy or rent products, equipment or services from the carrier as a condition of the lease.
Texas owner operator status	Owner operators working for motor carriers in Texas	Not the carrier’s employee for workers’ comp if a written agreement shows you assume employer duties (Labor Code 406.122(c)). A carrier may instead cover you and deduct the actual premium (406.123(c), (d)).
Minnesota seven-factor test	Trucking and courier operators in Minnesota	Minnesota Statutes 176.043: you are an employee unless all seven factors apply, including owning or leasing the truck and a written independent contractor contract.
Oregon leased-truck exception	Drivers leasing trucks to for-hire carriers in Oregon	ORS 656.027(15) excludes owners who furnish, maintain and operate the truck. After SAIF v. Ward (2022), you need the right to use it for other purposes or the carrier may owe workers’ comp, per Oregon’s Workers’ Compensation Division.
New York group plans	Carrier group occ/acc policies in New York	Insurance Law 4235(c)(1) allows group cover for contractor truck drivers when the contract gives the carrier an element of control, per DFS opinion 08-10-03.

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Pay less

How to lower the cost

Read the insurance section of your lease: 49 CFR 376.12(j) requires it to state the occ/acc chargeback, so you can compare it with outside plans.
Ask whether the carrier accepts your own policy if it meets the carrier’s limits, and get those limits in writing.
Match the limit to the requirement: OOIDA’s $2 million plan costs about $32 a month more than its $500,000 plan.
Use the plan’s provider network; OOIDA’s plans pay up to 100% in network instead of usual and customary charges.
Avoid gaps: OOIDA’s plans limit pre-existing conditions during the first 12 continuous months of coverage.
Compare occ/acc, non-trucking liability and physical damage together; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

Your lease or independent contractor agreement, including the insurance and chargeback sections
The carrier’s minimum occ/acc limits for medical, disability and death benefits
Date of birth and state of residence
Recent settlement statements or 1099s showing average weekly income
Whether you employ any drivers or helpers
Your carrier’s name and USDOT number, or your own if you run under your own authority
Beneficiary names for the death benefit
Any prior work-injury claims

Common questions

Occupational accident insurance for owner-operators: questions

Is occupational accident insurance the same as workers’ comp?

No. OOIDA states its plans are not workers’ compensation and do not cover sickness. Occ/acc pays set benefits up to fixed limits, and plans typically exclude injuries workers’ comp would cover.

Is occupational accident insurance required by law?

Not by federal law. A carrier can make it a lease condition, and 49 CFR 376.12(j) requires the lease to state who provides that insurance and what any chargeback costs.

How much does occupational accident insurance cost?

OOIDA publishes member rates of $130.50, $144.40 and $162.85 a month for its $500,000, $1 million and $2 million plans, plus dues. Carrier group plans set their own price, which must appear in your lease.

Does occ/acc cover me when I am off dispatch?

Often only in part. The New York program DFS reviewed covered drivers only while working for the carrier, while OOIDA’s plans add up to $10,000 of medical for accidents off the job.

Can my carrier deduct occ/acc from my settlement?

Yes, if the lease lists it as a chargeback and states the amount, under 49 CFR 376.12(h) and (j). If you buy through the carrier, you are entitled to a certificate showing your cost.

Do I need occ/acc if I run under my own authority?

No carrier will require it, but your commercial auto liability pays for harm to others, not your own injuries. Check whether your state lets you cover yourself under workers’ comp, then compare that with an occ/acc plan.

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Sources (10)

Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.