Are you a trucker under permanent lease to a motor carrier? Does the carrier company provide your primary liability coverage? Do you use your truck for non-business purposes? If you answer YES to all three of these questions, you might benefit from getting non-trucking liability (NTL) coverage.
Non-trucking liability coverage kicks in when you use your truck for doing personal things like picking up supplies at the home improvement store, attending sporting events, or visiting friends. It pays for medical and other expenses associated with injuries to others or damage to other peoples’ property that you cause when driving your truck for personal reasons.
In this article, we’ll reveal the five best non-trucking liability insurance companies and explain everything you need to know about this coverage.
- 5 best non-trucking liability insurance companies
- What is non-trucking liability insurance?
- Who needs non-trucking liability insurance?
- What does non-trucking liability insurance cover?
- What’s the difference between bobtail and non-trucking liability coverage?
- What other coverage should owner operators get besides non-trucking liability insurance?
- What are the limits on a non-trucking liability policy?
- How much does non-trucking liability insurance cost?
- How do I find cheap non-trucking liability insurance?
5 best non-trucking liability insurance companies
- Simply Business: Best for comparing quotes from multiple providers
- Progressive: Best for discounted coverage
- Sentry: Best for personalized service
- The Hartford: Best for trucking fleets
- CommercialInsurance.net: Best for working with experienced agents
Simply Business: Best for comparing quotes from multiple providers
The surest way to get good non-trucking liability insurance while saving money on your coverage is to get quotes from multiple providers. The easiest way to do that is through Simply Business.
Simply Business is a cutting-edge insurance provider. The firm has developed its own state-of-the-art platform, based on its own algorithms, to ensure it is able to connect truckers with the coverage they need at the most reasonable price. The platform makes it quick and easy to get quotes from several providers at once, making it possible to compare coverage and premium prices from highly reputable insurers all on a single screen.
The firm’s experts have used their extensive experience to make sure you only have to input the information needed to generate quick and accurate quotes. The entire process should take less than ten minutes.
Once you get your quote, Simply Business makes it easy to purchase non-trucking liability insurance online or through an agent. When you get your policy through Simply Business, it’s simple to manage your coverage online, including downloading proof of insurance, filing a claim, renewing your coverage, and more. This is especially great for truckers who spend a lot of time out on the road.
Learn more about the best commercial truck insurance brokers.
Progressive: Best for discounted coverage
Progressive may seem like a less than serious company because of its ongoing series of commercials featuring Flo. You might feel concerned about entrusting your truck to the insurer.
The truth: It’s a reputable company that’s been offering vehicle insurance for more than 80 years and is the top commercial vehicle insurer in the United States, which means it’s doing something right. The company is known for its flexibility, great rates, and top-tier service.
Progressive is famous for its discounts, which could help you save on your non-trucking liability insurance. You can earn discounts for things like:
- Paying your premium in full rather than monthly or quarterly
- Bundling your non-trucking liability insurance with other coverage
- Allowing Progressive to electronically monitor your driving habits
- Agreeing to autopay.
Progressive makes it easy to get a quote online or get coverage through a licensed insurance representative.
Learn more at where to get commercial truck insurance quotes.
Sentry: Best for personalized service
Compared with the first two insurers on this list, Sentry is relatively small, which makes it possible for it to offer a more personalized level of service, especially when it comes time to make a claim.
Sentry has been in business since 1904 and has a solid reputation.
If you choose Sentry as your truck insurance provider, you can expect:
- Flexible coverage options
- An experienced claims team that understands trucking
- Certified safety directors with more than 20 years of industry experience.
Sentry is committed to the trucking industry. The company is an allied member of the American Trucking Association and several other industry groups. It currently insures more than 37,000 truckers.
Another plus: Sentry has received an A+ rating from A.M. Best, an insurance rating agency, 30 years in a row.
The Hartford: Best for trucking fleets
The Hartford is well known in the insurance industry. It’s been in business for well over 200 years. With centuries of experience, you can expect this company to be knowledgeable about insurance coverages. They offer a full selection of truck insurance coverages, including non-trucking liability.
They realize that some truckers own their trucks while others lease from a motor carrier, and they provide options to cover the truck and the business if you are the business owner. With their rich experience in insuring trucking businesses, they have developed their trucking coverages to be fully customized for trucking businesses of any sizes, with a competitive strength in fleets. If you run a trucking fleets of more than 20 trucks, you may want to consider the Hartford.
CommercialInsurance.net: Best for working with experienced agents
Commercial Insurance.Net, LLC is a licensed insurance agency that is able to sell insurance in all states except Alaska, Hawaii, California, and New York. It offers insurance from top providers including The Hartford, Progressive, and Liberty Mutual. The agency allows you to fill out a form online to request a quote or you can speak to an agent over the phone.
One advantage of working with commercialinsurance.net is that they have the widest network of agents across the country and these agents represent a long list of carriers in small business insurance. Regardless which industries your business is in, however risky the industry is, and which coverage you are looking for, commercialinsurance.net will find an agent specializing in such industry and coverage to provide you with the best quotes.
What is non-trucking liability insurance?
It’s a type of liability insurance that covers truckers when they use their business truck for personal use. The trucker’s liability or business auto policy supplied by your motor carrier does not cover you when you’re not driving for business.
It is usually recommended when you buy commercial truck insurance, it is a necessary coverage to supplement to the main trucking liability insurance.
Who needs non-trucking liability insurance?
Most motor carriers require non-trucking liability for owner operators that sign a lease agreement with them. The agreement relieves the carrier of any financial responsibility while the trucker is off duty and driving the truck.
You need non-trucking liability insurance if:
- You drive your truck for personal reasons
- Your motor carrier requires that you get the insurance
- You want to avoid high liability expenses if you have an accident.
Important note: Non-trucking liability insurance isn’t available on policies with an FHWA (federal/ICC), MCS-90, or state filing.
What does non-trucking liability insurance cover?
Non-trucking liability insurance covers expenses associated with injuries to other individuals or damage to property belonging to someone else while driving your truck for personal reasons. The insurance provided by your motor carrier will not cover you in this situation.
What does non-trucking liability insurance not cover?
NTL does not provide coverage for business related use of your truck or when you’re hauling any type of cargo.
Business purposes typically includes things like:
- Pulling a loaded trailer
- Driving for a trucking company
- Using your truck for any revenue generating reason
- Driving to and from the terminal
- Fueling up
- Driving to get the vehicle serviced
- Driving during layovers
- Dead heading (driving without a load)
- Washing your truck.
These activities will usually be covered by your motor carrier’s primary liability insurance.
What’s the difference between bobtail and non-trucking liability coverage?
Non-trucking liability insurance is often mistaken for bobtail insurance. However, bobtail isn’t the same thing as non-trucking liability. Bobtail provides liability coverage when you’re driving your semi truck and you’re not hauling a trailer or a load. So after you drop off the cargo and the trailer at a warehouse, you drive back to your garage or home and get into an accident. Bobtail insurance will cover this accident; but non-trucking liability doesn’t cover you. As we’ve already gone over, non-trucking liability covers you only when you’re driving your truck for personal reasons.
Learn more at the best bobtail insurance companies.
What other coverage should owner operators get besides non-trucking liability insurance?
If you’re an owner operator driving on lease to a motor carrier who provides your primary liability insurance, you might need to carry your own physical damage coverage to protect your truck.
That’s because motor carriers typically provide primary liability coverage for owner operators. Most don’t provide physical damage coverage. Physical damage coverage pays for harm to your truck caused by a collision, overturn, theft, weather event, or natural disaster. In most cases, this coverage isn’t bound by radius restrictions.
What are the limits on a non-trucking liability policy?
The coverage limits are the maximum amount paid out per claim or policy period by your insurance policy. In this case, the limits are the maximum amount an insurance carrier will pay for damage or injury you cause to someone else while driving your truck for personal reasons. This includes medical expenses, along with costs to repair or replace damaged property.
How much does non-trucking liability insurance cost?
Since non trucking liability insurance offers more limited coverage than other trucking insurance policies, it tends to be less expensive. Insurance providers will review your lease agreement, driving history, how often you drive your truck for personal reasons, and policy limit to come up with your non-trucking liability insurance premium.
The average cost of non-trucking liability insurance is just around a few hundred dollars a year, some estimates in the range of $300-$700 a year. It is relatively cheap to have yourself protected. If you are involved in an accident with your semi-truck or your tow truck or your dump truck while you are not driving for work, the injuries and damages your heavy truck can cause to the third parties can be so significant that can bankrupt your business and yourself.
Different insurance companies will provide you with different quotes, be sure to shop around with a few companies to compare several quotes before making your final decision.
Learn more at how much non-trucking liability insurance costs and how much commercial truck insurance costs
How do I find cheap non-trucking liability insurance?
Here are some tips to help you find the coverage you need at a fair price:
- Shop around for the best value. Get quotes from a few companies or compare the multiple quotes generated by a service like CoverWallet.
- Don’t stop shopping around. Make sure you get new quotes before you renew your policy.
- Take advantage of discounts. If they’re not offered to you when getting a quote, ask about them, whether you’re buying online or through an agent.
Taking these steps will help ensure you’re not paying too much for your non-truck general liability coverage.
Learn more at the cheapest commercial truck insurance companies.
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