Were you aware that each state dictates its own minimum insurance requirements for commercial trucking? Some states, like California, require specific coverages if you remain within the state (intrastate) and additional coverages if you move beyond the borders (interstate). The state also requires that documentation be submitted proving you have met the insurance requirements before receiving your authority permits.
Here we will cover the following topics regarding commercial truck insurance companies in Los Angeles, CA:
- The 5 best commercial truck insurance companies in Los Angeles, CA
- Commercial truck insurance coverages in Los Angeles, CA
- Required commercial truck insurance coverage in Los Angeles, CA
- Required commercial truck filings in Los Angeles, CA
- How much does commercial truck insurance cost in Los Angeles, CA?
- Factors affecting commercial truck insurance cost in Los Angeles, CA
- What kinds of trucks are covered by commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles, CA?
The 5 best commercial truck insurance companies in Los Angeles, CA
After some research, we selected the companies that we considered best for commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles.
- Progressive: Best Overall and the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online
- Simply Business: Best for comparing quotes
- OOIDA: Best for its members
- The Hartford: Best for truck fleets
- Commercialinsurance.net: Best for small and new trucking businesses
Progressive: Best Overall and the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online
Progressive is well-known for its automotive policies, but were you aware they also offer top-notch commercial truck insurance? The company has an A+ rating from AM Best, meaning they are a financially stable company. Not only does Progressive provide the coverages you need to meet minimum requirements and more, but the company also offers federal filings and those specifically for California.
Progressive is the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to get a commercial truck insurance quote on their website. Even if you are not sure you will go with Progressive, it is worth getting a quote from them to see how much the ballpark of your truck insurance cost is.
Simply Business: Best for comparing quotes
Simply Business is a small business insurance broker. The company uses an algorithm it developed to connect small trucking businesses with the insurance products they need. One questionnaire, and minutes later, you will have multiple quotes allowing you to compare coverages and prices from the comfort of home. Sometimes they are not able to provide several quotes online for your comparison, they will need to call them to discuss your quote options.
If your goal is to compare several quotes to find the cheapest one for your trucking business. You may want to start with Simply Business. They also earn a stellar customer rating of A on BBB and 4.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
OOIDA: Best for its members
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) features all in-house underwriting for its insurance products. OOIDA focuses entirely on commercial truck insurance and is a membership-based company. The company offers various policies for small trucking operations. The Better Business Bureau gives the company an A+ rating for customer satisfaction.
The Hartford: Best for fleets
The Hartford is a well-known name in business and insurance. The company has been in business for more than 200 years and has grown to include commercial truck insurance coverage over those years. While the company does offer products for single trucks, it has more coverage offerings for fleets as it prefers to write policies for larger operations.
With its rich experience, the Hartford has developed its commercial truck insurance policies to be customizable for fleets of different sizes, different operations, and different types of cargo, etc. If you run a fleet of trucks, whether small or large, you should definitely start with the Hartford.
Learn more at the best fleet truck insurance companies.
Commercialinsurance.net: Best for small and new trucking businesses
Commercialinsurance.net is an insurance broker specializing in insurance coverage for small businesses or those businesses that have difficulty getting coverage elsewhere. As a broker, the company works with various agents specializing in their coverage industry. When you request a quote, you will typically receive multiple possibilities to give you a choice of coverages for your situation.
If you are just starting out a new trucking venture, you would be considered as high risk trucking business by many insurance companies and will have a hard time finding trucking insurance coverage. In such case, you definitely should work with commercialinsurance.net, they specialize in finding coverage for these trucking businesses.
Commercial truck insurance coverages in Los Angeles, CA
If you are a trucker in California operating under your own authority, you are responsible for providing more coverage for your truck than those who are leased owner-operators. This is due to motor carriers providing some of the coverages for the leased drivers within their fleet. Some of the coverages offered to truckers regardless of authority are:
- Primary liability
- General liability – Learn more at the best trucking general liability insurance companies
- Physical damage – Learn more at the best trucking physical damage insurance companies
- Motor truck cargo – Learn more at the best motor truck cargo insurance companies
- Bobtail – Learn more at bobtail insurance cost and the best bobtail insurance companies
- Non-trucking liability – Learn more at the best non-trucking liability insurance companies
- Trailer interchange – Learn more about trailer interchange coverage
- Uninsured motorist
- Workers’ compensation – Learn more about workers comp insurance for truckers
- Trucking umbrella coverages – Learn more at the best trucking umbrella insurance companies
Required truck insurance coverage in Los Angeles, CA
The state of California requires any commercial vehicle that comes into the state to have proof of financial responsibility. If you’re unsure what that is, it means you must have liability insurance coverage. In California, state laws require truckers local to the state to have minimum amounts of liability insurance. The determining factors for how much you must carry are the kind of cargo you carry and where you typically carry it.
You are considered an intrastate trucker if you don’t go across the California state lines. In that case, if your truck is over 10,000 GVW, you are required to have a T# which is a California Intrastate ID number. The liability limits for intrastate truckers range from $300,000-$5,000,000, depending on your cargo. Cargo insurance at $20,000/vehicle and $20,000/catastrophe are also required for intrastate household goods movers or interstate contract carriers.
If you are an interstate trucker, meaning you travel in and out of California, you are required to maintain California state limits and federal limits set forth by the FMCSA. The usual federal limits range from $750,000-$1,000,000.
Required commercial truck filings in Los Angeles, CA
In addition to minimum liability coverages, truckers in California are required by the state and by the USDOT to submit specific documents before receiving their transport authority. The insurance agent or company where you purchased your coverage should file the paperwork. The documentation shows that you’ve met all DOT truck insurance requirements. While the agent or company usually handles these filings for you (some charge a fee for the service), it’s your responsibility to ensure that the filings are handled.
How much does commercial truck insurance cost in Los Angeles, CA?
The average cost of commercial truck insurance in California is $14,000 a year or $1,167 a month. It is more expensive in Los Angeles.
Based on our research, the average cost of commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles is $15,100 a year or $1,260 a month. This includes primary liability, non-trucking liability, trucking physical damage, and truck cargo coverages.
These are just the averages. Be sure to shop around with a few companies or work with a top broker like Simply Business or commercialinsurance.net to get and compare several quotes before making your final decision. If you want to get a fast quote online, you may want to start with Progressive. They are the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to get a quote.
Factors affecting commercial truck insurance cost in Los Angeles, CA
As with any insurance product, multiple factors affect the cost of commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles, CA. Some of those factors include the kind of truck you have, the cargo you carry, your driving record, and how long you have been in the trucking industry. Even where you park your truck can affect your premiums (rural areas tend to be less expensive than the city). Keep these factors in mind as you shop for your commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles.
What kinds of trucks are covered by commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles, CA?
You can insure almost any commercial truck in Los Angeles. However, some insurers avoid particular trucks as they feel they may be too risky. Even as popular as Geico, they insure all types of trucks, except semi trucks. So when you look for commercial truck insurance in Los Angeles, make sure to search for insurance companies for the type of truck you have.
Here are the most commonly insured trucks in Los Angeles:
- Tractor trailers – Learn more at the best tractor trailer insurance companies
- Agri-haulers – Learn more at the best farm truck insurance companies
- Dump trucks – Learn more at dump truck insurance cost and the best dump truck insurance companies
- Cement haulers
- Box truck – Learn more at the box truck insurance cost and the best box truck insurance companies
- Freight haulers truck
- Heavy equipment haulers
- Hot shot trucks – Learn more at hot shot trucking insurance cost and the best hot shot trucking insurance companies
- Pickup trucks – Learn more at the average pickup truck insurance cost per month
- Animal transporters
- Semi-trucks – Learn more at semi truck insurance cost and the best semi truck insurance companies
- Tow Truck – Learn more at tow truck insurance cost and the best tow truck insurance companies
- Log trucks, etc. – Learn more at the best log truck insurance companies
Final thoughts
California has mandated minimum commercial truck insurance requirements. Factors affecting the limits you need are where you haul your freight and what the cargo is. You also need slightly different coverages depending on whether you are an intrastate or interstate trucker.
