Every mile is a liability. Your program needs to be built for that reality.
Trucking and transportation is one of the most heavily regulated and highest-exposure industries in the commercial insurance market. Federal filing requirements, cargo liability, driver qualification standards, physical damage on equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — the risk picture is layered, and the consequences of a gap are severe.
A trucking program built by an agent who doesn’t understand the industry is a liability of its own. Wrong coverage triggers, missing endorsements, inadequate cargo limits, or a lapsed federal filing can leave an operator exposed to an uncovered claim at the worst possible moment.
At Avanti Group, we run a Business Risk Diagnostic™ before we build any submission for a trucking or transportation client. We map your full operation — your authority structure, your commodity, your haul radius, your equipment, your driver roster, and your contract requirements — and build a program around how you actually operate.
Who We Work With
We place insurance programs for trucking and transportation operations across Iowa and the Midwest, including:
- Long-haul and over-the-road carriers
- Regional and local carriers
- Owner-operators running under their own authority
- Owner-operators leased to motor carriers
- Flatbed, dry van, and refrigerated carriers
- Tanker and bulk commodity haulers
- Heavy haul and specialized freight carriers
- Dump truck and construction material haulers
- Intermodal and port drayage operations
- Agricultural and farm product haulers
- Private carriers hauling their own goods
- Freight brokers and logistics companies
The Coverage Lines That Matter Most
A complete trucking insurance program is built from several interconnected lines, each with specific triggers and requirements. The lines we evaluate and place include:
- Primary Auto Liability — required for all carriers operating under their own authority; includes federally mandated MCS-90 endorsement filings with the FMCSA for applicable operations
- Motor Truck Cargo — coverage for loss or damage to freight in your care, custody, and control; limits and exclusions vary significantly by commodity and must match what you actually haul
- Physical Damage — collision and comprehensive coverage for owned power units and trailers; replacement cost vs. actual cash value elections matter significantly on newer equipment
- General Liability — premises and operations liability separate from auto, covering incidents at your terminal, loading docks, or office locations
- Non-Trucking Liability — coverage for owner-operators when the truck is being used for personal purposes outside of dispatch, filling the gap left by the motor carrier’s primary policy
- Trailer Interchange — coverage for non-owned trailers in your care under a trailer interchange agreement
- Occupational Accident — an alternative to workers’ compensation for qualified owner-operators who have opted out of state-mandated coverage in applicable states
- Workers’ Compensation — required for carriers with employees; driver classification as employee vs. independent contractor is a significant compliance and coverage issue
- Umbrella / Excess — additional limits above primary auto and general liability; trucking verdicts have increased dramatically and minimum required limits are often insufficient
Cyber Liability — electronic logging device (ELD) data, dispatch systems, and customer data exposure
The Risks Most Trucking Programs Miss
Federal filing compliance is not optional — and lapses have immediate consequences. Carriers operating under their own FMCSA authority must maintain continuous proof of insurance on file. A lapsed filing can result in authority revocation, and a claim that occurs during a lapse may not be covered. We monitor filing status as part of ongoing account management.
Cargo exclusions are where most trucking policies fall short. Cargo policies are full of commodity-specific exclusions, sublimits, and conditions that don’t surface until a claim is denied. A refrigerated carrier whose reefer breakdown exclusion kicks in on a spoiled load, or a flatbed operator whose cargo isn’t secured to the policy’s specifications — these are common, preventable gaps.
Driver qualification files directly affect coverage. Carriers are responsible for maintaining compliant driver qualification files under FMCSA regulations. A claim involving a driver with an undisclosed violation history or a lapsed medical certificate can create coverage disputes and expose the carrier to punitive damages.Owner-operator coverage structure is frequently misunderstood. The relationship between a motor carrier’s primary policy and an owner-operator’s non-trucking liability, occupational accident, and physical damage coverage creates overlaps and gaps that need to be mapped specifically — not assumed.
How to Get Started
Trucking insurance requires an advisor who understands FMCSA compliance, commodity-specific cargo requirements, and the operational realities of running a transportation business — not someone who treats a truck like any other commercial auto.
Call our office or use the button below to start a conversation. We’ll review your current program, your authority structure, and your operation before we ever build a submission.