$816 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for owner-operators, updated July 2025
Trucking and transportation
Owner-operator truck insurance
For owner-operators leased onto a motor carrier or running their own USDOT and MC numbers: what to insure, what it costs and the federal rules that apply.
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What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto
- $816 a month
- For-hire transport truck
- $926 a month
- Occupational accident
- $130.50–$162.85 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What owner-operator truck insurance costs
$926 a month
For-hire transport truck
Progressive 2025 average per power unit, new policies; median $821
$130.50–$162.85 a month
Occupational accident
OOIDA member plans of $500,000 to $2 million, checked October 2026
$51 a month
General liability
Insureon median for owner-operators, updated July 2025
Insureon’s figures are medians for trucking businesses that applied for quotes through it, and Progressive’s are 2025 new-policy premiums per power unit for liability and physical damage on policies with no driver violations. Progressive says leased owner-operators typically get primary liability from the carrier, so what they buy themselves is narrower. Progressive says running under your own authority typically costs more than leasing to a carrier, and the federal filing sets a floor of $750,000 to $1,000,000 on the liability limit you can buy. Insureon also reports a $650 monthly workers’ comp median for owner-operators who carry it.
What moves your price
- Whether you are leased onto a carrier or running under your own authority
- What you haul, including high-value and hazardous loads
- Operating radius: local, regional or long-haul interstate
- Truck type, age and value
- Your CDL experience, motor vehicle record and claims history
- Where the truck is garaged and the states you run
- How long your authority has been active and your inspection history
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A crash while off dispatch
A leased driver wrecks while driving home for the weekend. The carrier’s policy may not respond because the truck was not under dispatch, which leaves the driver personally exposed unless non-trucking liability is in place.
Deadheading to the next pickup
A driver hits a car while running empty to a load. A non-trucking liability policy, which covers personal use, may not respond because the trip was business. Bobtail coverage is meant for driving without a trailer between loads.
A borrowed trailer damaged at a dock
A trailer you pulled under an interchange agreement is damaged while in your care. It falls outside both your truck’s physical damage and the carrier’s liability unless trailer interchange is in place.
A cargo claim charged back through the lease
Federal leasing rules in 49 CFR 376.12 let a carrier deduct cargo or property damage from your settlements under conditions the lease must spell out, so a claim can reach your wallet even when the carrier’s policy pays the shipper.
A severe injury crash
Heavy trucks produce serious claims. NHTSA counted 5,472 people killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2023, and 70% of them were occupants of other vehicles. Under your own authority, your liability policy is the one that answers.
The driver is hurt with no workers’ comp
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 823 deaths among heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2023. An owner-operator usually has no workers’ comp, so medical bills and lost income fall on you without occupational accident cover.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
Primary auto liability
Required under your own authority. Pays for injuries and damage your truck causes to others and is the policy your federal filing rests on. Leased drivers usually get it from the carrier while under dispatch.
How commercial auto works →Non-trucking liability
For leased drivers. Progressive describes it as cover for drivers under a permanent lease when the truck is used for non-business purposes. It does not cover dispatched trips or hauling cargo.
How commercial auto works →Bobtail liability
Insureon describes it as covering a driver on duty without a trailer, such as between a drop-off and the next pickup, which non-trucking liability may not.
How commercial auto works →Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive on the tractor, whether you are leased on or independent. Progressive notes that many lenders require collision on leased or financed trucks.
How commercial auto works →Motor truck cargo
Covers the freight you haul under your own authority, where brokers and shippers set the limit. Leased drivers should read how the lease charges back cargo claims.
How commercial auto works →Trailer interchange
Covers a trailer you do not own while it is in your care under an interchange agreement, a gap neither truck physical damage nor liability fills.
Motor truck general liability
Progressive lists it among the policies owner-operators under their own authority buy, for non-driving claims at docks, yards and customer sites.
How general liability works →Occupational accident
Insureon says it pays medical, disability and death benefits for workers without workers’ comp and is typically 30% to 50% cheaper than workers’ comp. OOIDA sells plans to members not required by law to carry workers’ comp.
Rules
Requirements and filings
Two sets of federal rules apply: the leasing rules in 49 CFR 376.12 when you are leased onto a carrier, and the financial responsibility and filing rules in 49 CFR Part 387 when you run under your own authority. Brokers, shippers and lenders often ask for more.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 49 CFR 387.9 liability minimum | Own authority: for-hire interstate general freight, trucks of 10,001 lb or more | At least $750,000 in public liability |
| 49 CFR 387.9 hazardous materials | Own authority: oil and listed hazardous materials; hazardous substances in bulk | $1,000,000 for listed hazardous materials and $5,000,000 for hazardous substances in bulk |
| Federal filing, 49 CFR 387.313T | Own authority | Your insurer files Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA; the filing cannot be cancelled until 30 days after written notice |
| Lease insurance terms, 49 CFR 376.12 | Leased owner-operators and their carriers | The carrier has exclusive possession and control of the truck for the lease term, and the lease must state its legal obligation to maintain public liability insurance |
| No forced purchases, 49 CFR 376.12(i) | Leased owner-operators | You cannot be required to buy insurance from the carrier; if you do, it must give you a certificate showing the insurer, limits, deductible and your cost for each coverage |
| Escrow return, 49 CFR 376.12(k) | Leased owner-operators | Escrow must be returned no later than 45 days after the lease ends |
| New entrant monitoring, 49 CFR 385.307 | New own-authority carriers | Monitored for 18 months, with a safety audit generally once the carrier has at least 3 months of records |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Compare the cost of non-trucking liability and physical damage bought on your own with what the carrier charges back; the lease must show your cost for each coverage.
- Match bobtail or non-trucking liability to your actual off-dispatch driving so you do not pay for both or neither.
- Raise the physical damage deductible on an older tractor you could afford to repair.
- Keep your filing continuous and act on any cancellation notice at once, since an insurer must give 30 days’ written notice under 49 CFR 387.313T.
- Ask about telematics discounts: Progressive says new truck customers who join its Smart Haul program, which shares electronic logging device data, save an average of $1,261.
- Run shorter lanes or avoid high-value and hazardous loads where you can; Progressive lists radius and cargo type as factors that raise premiums.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Whether you are leased on, with a copy of the lease, or running your own USDOT and MC numbers
- How long your authority has been active
- CDL, years of tractor-trailer experience and motor vehicle record
- Tractor VIN, year, value and lienholder
- Any trailers you own or pull under interchange
- What you haul, your typical radius and the states you run
- Loss runs from prior insurers and your roadside inspection history
- The liability and cargo limits your carrier, brokers or shippers require
Common questions
Owner-operator truck insurance: questions
What is the difference between bobtail and non-trucking liability?
Progressive treats them as separate coverages: bobtail covers driving a tractor without a trailer, while non-trucking liability covers only personal, non-business use. Trips to the terminal, fuel stops and deadheading may count as business use and fall outside non-trucking liability.
Does the motor carrier’s insurance cover me when I am leased on?
The carrier’s liability policy generally covers you while you operate under its dispatch, and 49 CFR 376.12 requires the lease to state that obligation. It does not usually cover your truck’s physical damage or your personal use of the truck.
Do owner-operators need workers’ comp?
It depends on your state and on whether you have employees, so check with your state’s workers’ comp agency. Drivers not required to carry it often buy occupational accident cover instead; OOIDA limits its plans to members who are not required by law to carry workers’ comp.
How much liability do I need with my own authority?
Under 49 CFR 387.9, for-hire interstate general freight in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more needs at least $750,000, rising to $1,000,000 for listed hazardous materials and $5,000,000 for hazardous substances in bulk. Brokers and shippers often ask for more.
Can a carrier make me buy insurance through it?
No. Under 49 CFR 376.12(i), the lease must state that you are not required to buy or rent products, equipment or services from the carrier as a condition of the lease. If you choose to, the carrier must show your cost for each coverage.
Why is insurance so expensive for a new authority?
A new carrier has no loss history under its own number and is in FMCSA’s 18-month new entrant monitoring period under 49 CFR 385.307. Progressive also notes that operating under your own authority typically costs more than leasing to a carrier.
Who can compare owner-operator quotes for me?
An independent broker that compares options from several insurers, such as Florin, can quote non-trucking liability, physical damage or full own-authority coverage once you share your lease or authority details, truck and driving record.
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Sources (16)
- Insureon: owner-operator trucking insurance cost (updated July 2025)
- Progressive Commercial: how much is commercial auto insurance (2025 data)
- Progressive Commercial: commercial truck insurance cost
- Progressive Commercial: commercial truck insurance
- Progressive Commercial: owner-operator insurance
- Progressive Commercial: non-trucking liability
- Progressive Commercial: commercial truck insurance coverages
- Insureon: non-trucking liability insurance
- Insureon: occupational accident insurance
- OOIDA: occupational accident coverage (checked October 2026)
- NHTSA: Large Trucks, 2023 Data (DOT HS 813 717, April 2025)
- BLS: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2023
- eCFR: 49 CFR 376.12, lease requirements
- eCFR: 49 CFR 387.9, minimum levels of financial responsibility
- eCFR: 49 CFR 387.313T, forms and procedures
- eCFR: 49 CFR 385.307, new entrant safety monitoring
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.