Commercial truck insurance requirements vary depending on the state. One thing is consistent across the board: you have to have minimum insurance coverages to operate your trucking business. This guide is designed to help you understand commercial truck insurance in Washington State.
- 5 best commercial truck insurance in Washington State
- Commercial truck insurance requirements in Washington State
- Commercial truck insurance costs in Washington State
- Factors affecting commercial truck insurance costs in Washington State
- How to find cheap commercial truck insurance in Washington State
5 best commercial truck insurance in Washington State
We’ve tried to take some of the aggravation out of finding commercial truck insurance in Washington State by researching several companies and providing that information here. These are 5 of the best commercial truck insurance companies that say they provide coverage in Washington State.
- Progressive: Best Overall and the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online in Washington State
- Simply Business: Best for comparing several quotes
- The Hartford: Best for fleets in Washington State
- Commercialinsurance.net: Best for knowledgeable agents
- InsurePro: Best for flexible pay-per-day coverage
Progressive: Best Overall and the only carrier offering truck insurance quotes online in Washington State
Progressive has been in the insurance industry for more than 40 years. The company is considered the #1 truck insurer in the country, and it specializes in providing insurance for vehicles of multiple sizes. Progressive is known for providing discounts when you bundle services, and there are other discounts they offer to truckers as well. An A+ rating from AM Best indicates that Progressive is financially stable and can handle whatever claims might be filed with them.
Progressive is also the only carrier offering commercial truck insurance quotes online in Washington State. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to get a quote on their website. So you may want to give it a try just to have an idea of the ballpark of your commercial truck insurance premiums.
Simply Business: Best for comparing several quotes
Simply Business is a broker specializing in small businesses. Trucking is one of their focused industries. They can provide you with several quotes from the partners that they work with, which makes it easy for you to compare several quotes in one place.
The entire process for retrieving a quote only takes approximately five minutes, ten if you have to provide additional information. Once you’ve input your information, you should receive your quotes and be ready to compare and purchase. Occasionally, they will need more information to fully understand your business’s nuances, but they will discuss your options over the telephone in that instance.
The Hartford: Best for fleets in Washington State
If you’re looking for an insurance company with experience, you will be hard-pressed to find one with more experience in insurance than The Hartford. The company has been in business for over 200 years. The Hartford offers a full range of insurance products for people in the trucking industry. They tend to be geared more toward the large fleet of trucks than the small startup companies.
Commercialinsurance.net: Best for knowledgeable agents
Commercialinsurance.net is a national insurance broker. The company’s specialty is working with small businesses with limited resources. They work with a network of knowledgeable agents who represent more than 50 companies specializing in trucking insurance. These agents have worked with thousands of trucking companies over the years, accumulating a wealth of experience. However unique and complicated your trucking situation is, commercialinsurance.net will connect you with one of the most knowledgeable agents who can help you navigate the world of trucking insurance to find the right coverages at the most affordable prices.
InsurePro: Best for flexible pay-per-day coverage
If you may not drive your truck full time yet for any reason, you may consider a new and innovative trucking coverage provided by InsurePro. You can pay for trucking coverage only for days when you are on the road and you don’t have to pay if you are not driving. This will help you save a lot of money in trucking coverage if you are not driving full time.
InsurePro is a broker and they work with several leading trucking insurance companies to build this innovative and flexible coverage. You may want to give it a try to compare their quotes with others. In our experience, they offer one of the most affordable rates for commercial truck coverage. Below is a quote example we received from InsurePro.
Commercial truck insurance requirements in Washington State
Like every other state, Washington State requires that commercial drivers maintain specific minimum liability requirements to operate their trucking business. The minimums in Washington are a split 25/50/10 liability policy. That means you must maintain $25,000 per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $10,000 property damage minimum liability coverage. Remember that these are the minimum requirements, and it’s a good idea to have coverages beyond the minimums.
In addition to the minimum liability coverages, commercial truck drivers in Washington State are required to meet specific federal insurance requirements as well. You must meet minimum FMCSA insurance requirements to have your application for authority approved. Once you’ve filed the proper insurance proofs and the correct BOC-3 filings, your operating authority will be activated within four or five weeks.
Commercial truck insurance costs in Washington State
The majority of commercial truck insurance premiums in Washington State run between $9,057 and $14,505 a year. However, the average cost is approximately $11,560 per year. These average costs are based on one-truck companies requiring liability, cargo, and physical damage coverages. The costs are variable based on numerous factors that affect the premiums, which we’ll discuss in details in the section below.
Average commercial truck insurance cost per month in Washington State
The average commercial truck insurance cost per month in Washington state is $965. This includes trucking primary liability, cargo, and physical damage coverages with the average cost breakdown for each coverage below:
| Commercial truck insurance coverages | Average costs |
| Trucking primary liability coverage | $520 per month |
| Trucking physical damage coverage | $280 per month |
| Truck cargo insurance | $165 per month |
These are just the averages. Your rates will be different. Be sure to shop around with a few carriers or work with a top broker like Simply Business or Commercialinsurance.net to get and compare several quotes in one place before you make the final decision.
Getting a fast quote online is also a good idea. Progressive and InsurePro are the only providers with whom you can get quotes online. You may want to give them a try.
Factors affecting commercial truck insurance costs in Washington State
Several factors affect the cost of commercial truck insurance in Washington State. Let’s look at some of those factors.
- Profession: It’s no secret that some industries carry more risk than others. The insurance cost for a food delivery truck will differ from that of a tractor-trailer hauling construction equipment, for example.
- Vehicle size: In trucking, size matters. A large logging truck will likely carry a higher premium than a furniture delivery truck.
- Driving history: Anyone who drives your commercial trucks will affect your policy premiums. Insurance companies typically look at the last three years of driving history for all drivers and factor the information into your rate.
- Location: Is your home base a large city or a small town? How congested or bad weather prone is your hometown? Those things matter when it comes to insurance premiums.
- Travel radius: Are you local only, or do you travel farther into your region? Do you ever cross state lines? These factors can change your insurance premium. The farther you travel, the greater risk you accept and the greater your insurance premium will be.
- Coverage needs: If all you need is the 25/50/10 minimum liability limits, your premiums will be less than someone who needs a combined single limit of more than $1 million.
- The company you use: Each insurance company has its own underwriting process and can set its own rates.
How to find cheap commercial truck insurance in Washington State
The best way to find affordable commercial truck insurance in Washington State is to shop for multiple quotes. You can do that by requesting various quotes or contacting an insurance broker. A broker will shop numerous companies and deliver the most competitive quotes for the coverages you require.
Final thoughts
Washington, like most states, has minimum insurance requirements for commercial trucking companies. Compare multiple quotes before deciding which coverage is right for you and your trucking company.
