Trucking insurance for one truck or a fleet.
Owner-operators, new authorities and established fleets based in California, hauling locally or across state lines. Liability, cargo and physical damage placed with carriers whose appetite fits your radius, cargo and experience.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed October 2026 · En español · How this page is researched
Carrier appetite is most of the price
Trucking insurers are selective about radius, commodities, vehicle type, driver experience and how long you’ve held authority. The same operation can look very different from one carrier to the next.
My job is to present the operation accurately to the markets that actually want it, and to keep the filings and certificates your customers and brokers require current.
- Auto liabilityInjury and damage you cause to others. Federal rules require interstate for-hire carriers of general freight to carry at least $750,000, and many brokers and shippers require $1M.
- Motor truck cargoLoss of or damage to the freight you haul, with limits and exclusions matched to your commodities.
- Physical damageCollision and comprehensive on tractors and trailers, with any lienholder listed.
- FilingsProof of insurance filed where your operation requires it, such as with the FMCSA for interstate authority or the California DMV for a Motor Carrier Permit.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Authority: USDOT and MC numbers, and when the authority was granted.
- Equipment: year, make and value of each tractor and trailer.
- Drivers: number of drivers and years of commercial driving experience. I’ll collect license details by phone.
- Operation: radius, states you run in and what you haul.
- Contracts: insurance requirements from brokers, shippers or the carrier you’re leased to.
- History: loss runs for the last three to five years.
Trucking insurance, answered
What’s non-trucking liability?
Coverage for an owner-operator leased to a motor carrier when the truck is used outside of dispatch, where the carrier’s liability coverage doesn’t apply. It isn’t coverage for driving under dispatch.
Why is insurance for a new authority so expensive?
Carriers have no loss history for the business, so they rely on driver experience, equipment, radius and commodities. Some markets won’t write new authorities at all, which is why shopping widely matters.
Is occupational accident the same as workers’ comp?
No. Occupational accident is a separate policy often used by independent owner-operators. Whether workers’ comp applies depends on how you’re classified, which is a question for the carrier you’re leased to and your advisors.
Do you work with trucking companies outside California?
Yes. Send the request the same way. Trucking companies based outside California are handled together with a partner agency in your state.
Send your DOT number and what you haul.
That, your equipment list and your drivers’ experience are enough to tell you which markets fit.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
Tell me how to reach you. I’ll take it from there.
Takes about 30 seconds. I review every request personally and call you back, usually the same day.
(424) 552-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
Get a reminder before your renewal.
Tell me when your policy renews and I’ll email you about six weeks before, when it’s worth comparing. One email, no calls.