About $896 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for hotshot businesses, updated June 2025
Trucking and transportation
Hotshot trucking insurance
For hotshot owner-operators and small fleets pulling gooseneck, flatbed or bumper-pull trailers behind Class 3 to 5 trucks, usually under their own interstate authority.
- Independent brokerage: we compare several insurers
- Licensed agents review every application
- No cost and no obligation to buy
Get hotshot trucking insurance quotes
What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto
- About $896 a month
- For-hire transport truck auto
- $926 a month
- General liability
- About $32 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What hotshot trucking insurance costs
$926 a month
For-hire transport truck auto
Progressive Commercial average per power unit, 2025
About $32 a month
General liability
Insureon median for hotshot businesses, updated June 2025
Insureon’s medians for hotshot businesses that apply for quotes through it come to about $10,757 a year for commercial auto and $388 a year for general liability. Insureon does not publish a workers’ comp figure for hotshots, saying costs vary. Progressive’s 2025 averages, $926 a month for for-hire transport trucks and $734 for specialty trucks, are per power unit for new liability and physical damage policies with no driver violations. Because the truck and the trailer are separate units, each needs its own physical damage value, and cargo limits for equipment or vehicle loads can push the price well above the median.
What moves your price
- Trailer type: bumper pull, gooseneck or flatbed
- What you haul and the highest value per load
- Drivers’ records and years of hotshot or flatbed experience
- Your USDOT safety rating and inspection history
- Liability and cargo limits and physical damage options
- Operating radius and the states you run
Risks
The risks insurers price for
Load shifts or comes loose on a flatbed
Cargo securement is a recurring problem: at CVSA’s 2025 International Roadcheck it was the fifth most common vehicle out-of-service violation in the US, with 1,256 violations, behind brakes, tires and lights.
Heavy gooseneck, lighter truck
A loaded gooseneck can push a pickup on a downhill grade or in a sudden stop. Medium trucks, which include Class 3 to 5 hotshot rigs, made up 29% of the large trucks in fatal crashes in 2023, according to NHTSA.
Deadline pressure
Progressive describes hotshot work as time-sensitive freight such as medical supplies, manufacturing materials and construction equipment. Underwriters see losses when a driver pushes through the night to make an expedited delivery.
High-value freight beyond the cargo limit
Equipment and vehicles can exceed common $100,000 cargo limits. A loss on an underinsured load leaves you paying the difference.
Damage while unloading
Dropping machinery or a vehicle at a customer’s site can damage their property. That is a general liability claim, not an auto one.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
Primary auto liability
Pays for injuries and property damage you cause, and carries the MCS-90 endorsement and federal filing your authority needs.
How commercial auto works →Motor truck cargo
Pays for freight lost or damaged in transit. Set the limit to the most valuable load you take; C.H. Robinson requires at least $100,000.
Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive for the pickup and for your gooseneck, flatbed or bumper-pull trailer, each scheduled with its own value.
How commercial auto works →Trailer interchange
Covers a trailer you do not own while it is in your possession.
Rental reimbursement with downtime
Progressive’s option to help pay for a replacement while your truck is repaired.
Non-trucking liability
For personal use when you are leased onto another carrier that covers you only under its dispatch.
General liability
Covers non-driving claims, such as damage while unloading at a customer’s site.
How general liability works →Rules
Requirements and filings
Class 3 starts at 10,001 pounds, so a Class 3, 4 or 5 hotshot truck is a commercial motor vehicle on its own in interstate commerce. That means a USDOT number, a medical card for the driver and, for for-hire freight, operating authority with an insurance filing.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial motor vehicle definition | Interstate vehicles or combinations rated at 10,001 lb or more | Measured by weight rating or combination weight rating, whichever is greater, under 49 CFR 390.5. |
| Federal minimum liability | For-hire interstate freight in vehicles of 10,001 lb or more | $750,000, per FMCSA’s filing chart. Cargo is $0 for general freight. |
| Class A CDL | Combinations rated at 26,001 lb or more with a trailer over 10,000 lb | A Group A vehicle under 49 CFR 383.91. A truck rated at 26,001 lb or more on its own needs Group B. |
| DOT medical card | Drivers of interstate commercial motor vehicles | A current medical examiner’s certificate under 49 CFR 391.41. |
| Cargo tiedowns | Unblocked articles on an open trailer | At least 2 tiedowns for an article over 10 feet, plus 1 per extra 10 feet (49 CFR 393.110); combined working load limit at least half the cargo weight (49 CFR 393.106). |
| Texas TxDMV number | Intrastate vehicles or combinations over 26,000 lb | $500,000 liability, filed by the insurer on Form E, per the Texas DMV. |
| C.H. Robinson carrier criteria | Carriers it certifies | $1 million auto liability, $100,000 cargo and an FMCSA safety rating of Unrated or Satisfactory (June 2026). |
Compare hotshot trucking insurance options.
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 in its Smart Haul program save an average of $1,261.
- Check trailer brakes, lights and tires before every load; brakes and tires led all vehicle out-of-service violations at CVSA’s 2025 Roadcheck.
- Carry enough rated straps and chains to meet the tiedown counts in 49 CFR 393.110, and recheck them after the first miles.
- Quote general freight separately from vehicle or high-value equipment loads so you do not pay for cargo limits you rarely use.
- Hire drivers with clean records, check MVRs every year and raise physical damage deductibles on older trailers you could repair yourself.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Truck year, make, model and GVWR
- Each trailer’s type, length and GVWR
- USDOT number, the date your authority was granted and your inspection history
- Drivers’ license numbers, CDL class and years of hotshot or flatbed experience
- What you haul (oilfield parts, machinery or vehicles) and the highest value per load
- Your operating radius and the states you run
- Loss runs from current and prior insurers
Common questions
Hotshot trucking insurance: questions
Do I need a CDL for hotshot trucking?
Only if your combination is rated at 26,001 pounds or more and the trailer is rated above 10,000 pounds, which makes it a Group A vehicle under 49 CFR 383.91. A truck rated at 26,001 pounds or more on its own needs a Group B license.
How much is hotshot insurance per year?
Insureon reports a median of $10,757 a year for hotshot commercial auto and $388 for general liability. Insureon lists cargo, policy limits, driving history and physical damage options among the factors that move those figures.
Does FMCSA require cargo insurance for hotshots?
Not for general freight: FMCSA’s filing chart lists $0 for cargo. Brokers fill the gap, and C.H. Robinson requires $100,000.
Does hotshot insurance cover my trailer?
Your own trailer is covered only if it is listed for physical damage. A trailer you do not own needs trailer interchange coverage, which Progressive offers for non-owned trailers in your possession.
Do I need a USDOT number if I only haul in my state?
Federal rules require one for interstate commerce, but FMCSA lists 38 states and Puerto Rico that require USDOT numbers for some intrastate carriers, including Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Check with your state agency.
Does a pickup under 10,001 pounds avoid federal rules?
Not necessarily. Under 49 CFR 390.5, a commercial motor vehicle is measured by weight rating or combination weight rating, whichever is greater, so a lighter pickup towing a heavy trailer can still reach 10,001 pounds.
Get covered.
Tell us about your business once. We compare options and a licensed agent follows up, usually the same day.
Sources (14)
- Insureon: hotshot insurance cost (updated June 2025)
- Progressive Commercial: hotshot trucking insurance
- Progressive Commercial: how much is commercial auto insurance (2025)
- Alternative Fuels Data Center: vehicle weight classes and categories
- NHTSA: Large trucks, 2023 data (DOT HS 813 717, April 2025)
- CVSA: 2025 International Roadcheck results (October 2025)
- eCFR: 49 CFR 390.5, definitions
- eCFR: 49 CFR 391.41, physical qualifications for drivers
- FMCSA: insurance filing requirements
- eCFR: 49 CFR 383.91, commercial motor vehicle groups
- eCFR: 49 CFR 393.110, minimum number of tiedowns
- eCFR: 49 CFR 393.106, general cargo securement requirements
- Texas DMV: TxDMV number and insurance requirements
- C.H. Robinson: new carrier safety measures (June 2026)
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.