Trucking and transportation

Car hauler insurance

For hotshot wedge operators, high-mount haulers and stinger fleets moving cars for dealers, auctions and brokers: what coverage costs, how much cargo limit you need and which rules apply.

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What similar businesses pay

Commercial auto: About $787 a month
For-hire transport truck auto: $926 a month
Workers’ comp: About $650 a month

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

Cost

What car hauler insurance costs

About $787 a month

Commercial auto

Insureon median for car hauling businesses, updated July 2025

$926 a month

For-hire transport truck auto

Progressive Commercial 2025 average per power unit for truckers hauling general freight and autos

About $650 a month

Workers’ comp

Insureon median for car haulers and other trucking businesses, updated July 2025

About $51 a month

General liability

Insureon median for trucking businesses including car haulers, updated July 2025

Insureon’s medians for car hauling customers come to about $9,442 a year for commercial auto, $7,795 for workers’ comp and $606 for general liability. Progressive’s 2025 average of $926 a month covers liability and physical damage on one power unit with no driver violations, for truckers hauling general freight and autos. Cargo is where car haulers differ: one operator told Overdrive his premium rose from $8,000 to $12,000 a year when he raised his cargo limit to start hauling cars. A dually with a 3-car wedge moving used cars should pay well below a stinger carrying nine new vehicles, because the rig and the load are worth far less.

What moves your price

Rig type: a dually with a 2- or 3-car wedge, a high-mount trailer or a stinger-steer
The cargo limit needed for a full load, and any per-vehicle sublimit
What you move: new dealer stock, auction units, salvage, EVs or enclosed exotics
Rig value: Overdrive put new stinger rigs at $350,000 to $400,000
Liability limits your brokers, dealers and auctions require
Driver records, years hauling cars and operating radius

Risks

The risks insurers price for

A car rolls off a ramp or top deck while loading

A car slips off a deck, drops when a ramp gives way or is driven into the car ahead. Progressive says cargo coverage applies during loading, transit and unloading, so this lands on your cargo policy, not your auto liability.

A full load worth more than the cargo limit

As an illustration, eight cars averaging $45,000 make a $360,000 load; on a $250,000 limit, a total loss leaves $110,000 for you to pay. Super Dispatch advises sizing the limit to the most you carry at once and checking per-vehicle sublimits.

Delivered with damage the customer says you caused

Without a condition report and timestamped photos at both ends, it is hard to prove a dent or scrape was already there. Super Dispatch recommends a bill of lading tied to each VIN plus photos at pickup and delivery.

Cars stolen or vandalized from a parked load

Consumer Reports warns that transporters carrying desirable cars can be targeted by thieves and that shipped cars may sit unattended in a lot. Progressive’s cargo form excludes cargo stored for more than 72 hours.

EVs and pickups push a stinger overweight

One owner-operator told Overdrive his stinger weighs 45,000 pounds empty and nine heavy vehicles could put him at 84,000 pounds. Stingers carrying EVs often take only seven or eight cars for that reason.

A serious crash with a long, heavy rig

A loaded multi-car rig is long, tall and slow to stop, so a highway crash can bring a large injury claim. Overdrive notes the federal minimum is $750,000 but many car haul customers require $1 million.

Coverage

Coverage to consider

Commercial auto liability

Pays for injuries and property damage your rig causes to others. Consumer Reports notes it covers the truck and trucking company, not the cars you carry.

How commercial auto works →

Motor truck cargo for vehicles

Pays for damage to customers’ cars while loading, in transit, unloading and in short storage under a shipping receipt. Set the limit to your most valuable full load and check any per-vehicle cap.

Physical damage on truck and trailer

Collision and comprehensive for the pickup or tractor, the car trailer and head rack. Insureon notes you may need separate trailer cover if your policy does not include the trailer.

How commercial auto works →

General liability

Covers claims that are not driving accidents, such as an incorrect delivery or a customer hurt at your yard. Progressive says large motor carriers often require it of for-hire truckers.

How general liability works →

Garagekeepers and on-hook

Insureon points car haulers to garagekeepers if you store customers’ vehicles and on-hook coverage for vehicles you tow rather than carry on deck.

Workers’ compensation

Covers drivers hurt climbing upper decks, chaining cars or slipping on ramps.

How workers’ compensation works →

Non-trucking liability and bobtail

Insureon suggests non-trucking liability for off-duty use and bobtail cover for driving without a trailer between loads.

Umbrella or excess

Adds limits above your auto policy when an OEM, auction or broker asks for more than your primary limit.

How umbrella / excess works →

Rules

Requirements and filings

Federal rules set the liability floor, how cars are tied down and how long auto transporters may be. Cargo limits are set by your customers, not by law, and they are usually the hardest number to meet.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
Federal minimum liability	For-hire interstate property carriers with vehicles of 10,001 lb or more	$750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9, filed with FMCSA. Overdrive reports that many car haul customers require $1 million.
Cargo insurance	Car haulers moving vehicles for dealers, auctions, brokers and the public	Not federally required, per Consumer Reports. Brokers, shippers and load boards set the limit by contract; one new-car contract cited by Overdrive required $800,000.
Vehicle securement	Cars, light trucks and vans of 10,000 lb or less	49 CFR 393.128: restrain front and rear with at least two tiedowns, using the vehicle’s designed mounting points. Heavier vehicles follow 49 CFR 393.130.
Commercial driver’s license	Pickup and wedge combinations and Class 8 rigs	Group A under 49 CFR 383.5 when the combination rates 26,001 lb or more and the trailer exceeds 10,000 lb. A 14,000 lb truck with a 12,000 lb trailer, at 26,000 lb, stays under.
Commercial motor vehicle rules	Interstate rigs of 10,001 lb or more, CDL or not	49 CFR 390.5 makes most wedge rigs CMVs, bringing USDOT registration, medical cards, hours of service and inspections.
Stinger-steer length	Stinger-steered automobile transporters	States may not set a limit under 80 feet, plus 4 feet front and 6 feet rear overhang, per FHWA guidance on 49 U.S.C. 31111.
Traditional and high-mount length	Auto transporters with the fifth wheel over the drive axles	65-foot minimum with 3-foot front and 4-foot rear overhang under 23 CFR 658.13(e). FHWA says high-mount combinations without a rack on the tractor get no overhang allowance.
Backhaul freight	Automobile transporters	May carry general freight on a backhaul within tractor-semitrailer weight limits, per FHWA. Tell your insurer, since a vehicle-only cargo policy may not cover it.

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One application, quotes from several insurers, reviewed by a licensed agent. Start with your email and finish later if you need to.

Pay less

How to lower the cost

Share ELD data: Progressive says new truck customers save an average of $1,261 through its Smart Haul program.
Pay the policy in full; Progressive says most customers save 10% or more.
Photograph every car at pickup and delivery and tie each bill of lading to a VIN.
Size cargo limits to the most valuable full load you actually carry, and confirm per-vehicle sublimits fit your priciest units.
Park loaded trailers in lit, secured lots and avoid layovers that run past your cargo policy’s storage limit.
Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

USDOT and MC numbers and when your authority began
Rig type (wedge, high-mount or stinger), car positions, open or enclosed
Truck and trailer VINs, values and any lienholder
Driver list with license numbers, CDL class and years hauling cars
What you haul and the value of a full load
Liability and cargo limits your customers require
Radius, main lanes and where loaded trailers park overnight
Loss runs from current and prior insurers

Common questions

Car hauler insurance: questions

How much cargo insurance does a car hauler need?

Enough to cover your most valuable full load. A car hauler quoted by Overdrive said limits usually start at $250,000, and another operator’s new-car contracts required $800,000 to $1.3 million per rig.

Is cargo insurance required by law for car haulers?

Not federally. Consumer Reports notes liability is mandatory but cargo is not, though brokers, shippers and load boards require it by contract.

Do I need a CDL to pull a 3-car wedge?

Only if the combination rates 26,001 pounds or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 pounds, under 49 CFR 383.5. Super Dispatch notes a 3-car trailer does not automatically keep you under, so check both plates.

Is a stinger more expensive to insure than a wedge?

Usually, because the rig and the load are worth more. A stinger-steer can carry up to 11 vehicles, Overdrive reports, against 2 or 3 on a wedge.

Are cars covered while parked at my yard overnight?

Progressive’s cargo coverage applies to temporary storage at terminals under a shipping receipt but excludes cargo stored over 72 hours. For longer storage, ask about garagekeepers.

Does a per-vehicle limit matter if my total cargo limit is high?

Yes. A per-vehicle sublimit caps what the policy pays for any one car, so a high load limit can still fall short on a single exotic or new luxury model.

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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.