Are you a commercial truck driver or business owner thinking about buying a new or used truck? You may not be aware of it, but you’ll likely need insurance to drive your truck off the lot and get it into service-ready condition.
Short-term (or temporary) truck insurance provides coverage for the risks you face driving your truck before securing long-term insurance for your vehicle. In this article, I’ll reveal the 5 best short-term truck insurance providers and explain what you need to know to purchase temporary truck coverage.
- 5 best short-term truck insurance companies
- Why do truckers need short-term truck insurance?
- What is short-term truck insurance?
- What protection does short-term truck insurance provide?
- What does short-term truck insurance cover?
- What kinds of trucks can be covered by short-term truck insurance?
- How much does short-term (or temporary) truck insurance cost?
- How can I find cheap temporary truck insurance?
5 best short-term truck insurance companies
- Simply Business: Best for comparing temporary truck insurance quotes
- NITIC: Best for fast temporary truck coverage
- Classic Commercial Truck Insurance: Best for specialized short-term truck coverage
- biBERK: Best for cheap temporary trucking coverage from a reputable carrier
- Smart Financial: Best for the most knowledgeable agents about temporary truck insurance
Simply Business: Best for comparing temporary truck insurance quotes
Simply Business provides access to commercial truck insurance quotes for all types of coverage, including temporary truck insurance. The firm’s experienced team is committed to getting you the coverage you need at the best price possible.
Simply Business is an insurance broker. They work with several companies and are able to pull quotes from these companies for you to compare them in one place conveniently. If your goal is to compare several quotes to select the cheapest one, you may want to start with them.
NITIC: Best for fast temporary truck coverage
National Independent Truckers Insurance Company (NITIC) can provide short-term truck insurance in less than ten minutes for $140 for the first day and $100 per additional day.
NITIC was launched in 2001 with the goal of offering affordable truck insurance to independent owner-operators and small trucking fleets.
NITIC is currently licensed to provide insurance in 48 states. The firm has a team of licensed insurance agents specializing in trucking insurance. They are available to help you get the temporary and other vehicle insurance you need.
NITIC is organized as a risk retention group. That means its policyholders are also its owners.
This ownership structure allows NITIC to build a stable market for coverage and rates, implement sound loss control and risk management practices, and offer lower premiums than most other insurers.
NITIC maintains a B+ (Good) rating from A.M. Best, the insurance rating company. It’s lower than many other insurers, but it still reflects a sound financial position.
Classic Commercial Truck Insurance: Best for specialized short-term truck coverage
Classic Commercial Truck Insurance specializes in delivering complete insurance coverage solutions for truckers across the United States. The firm has been in business since 1987 and has protected thousands of truckers. It’s a top-rated insurance company known for its great pricing and award-winning customer service team. The company is committed to getting truckers the insurance they need, including temporary coverage.
biBERK: Best for cheap trucking coverage from a reputable carrier
biBERK is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the parent company of Geico. They certainly benefit from their parent company: great reputation and excellent financial strength. They develop a direct-to-customer business model, selling insurance directly to small businesses, bypassing agents and brokers. As a result, they are able to save costs and pass savings to their customers. biBERK claims that their customers can save on average 20% on premiums with a policy from them.
biBERK also offers great digital experience. Getting quotes and buying a policy online just take a few minutes. You should definitely give them a try if you are looking for a low-cost policy from a reputable carrier.
Smart Financial: Best for the most knowledgeable agents about temporary truck insurance
Smart Financial is a broker. They work with an intensive network of agents who are extremely knowledgeable about trucking insurance in general and about temporary truck insurance in particular. If you are new to trucking business, working with one of their agents will be beneficial. They can help you get the best and the cheapest temporary truck insurance.
If you are interested, they can also connect you with the most knowledgeable agents in their network about you unique situation and help you get your permanent trucking coverage to kick off your trucking business.
Why do truckers need short-term truck insurance?
It takes time to secure the right permanent insurance to cover your new truck. Many truckers turn to short-term (or temporary) insurance while they explore long-term policy options to find the right coverage for them.
Securing a temporary policy provides the insurance coverage you need to drive your truck legally and in compliance with United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules and the contractual requirements of the loan company financing your vehicle.
What is short-term truck insurance?
Short-term truck insurance (often referred to as temporary truck coverage) is a limited-term vehicle insurance policy purchased by new truck owners and operators to cover them from risks and damages occurring during a specified short period, which is usually 30 days. It covers a vehicle you purchase if you have to drive it to your business location or get it serviced, cleaned, or painted. It will only cover accidents when you move the truck from place to place and NOT while driving it to transport goods.
Be aware: You must get permanent insurance before using your new truck to haul things.
Short-term truck insurance is cheaper and easier to secure than other types of truck coverage, but the protection provided by it is relatively limited.
What protection does short-term truck insurance provide?
Purchasing a temporary truck policy provides you with commercial vehicle insurance coverage to drive your newly purchased truck legally. It will enable you to drive your vehicle to stripping, repairing, lettering, painting, post-market application, and other services a trucker or business typically requires when buying a new or used truck.
When you have this coverage, you can drive your commercial truck anywhere, within a specified time, as long as you’re not hauling anything.
What does short-term truck insurance cover?
Like other truck insurance policies, short-term truck insurance covers you against damages resulting from accidents, including injuries and property damage.
Again, it is important to remember that it only covers you if you don’t haul any cargo on your truck yet. If you do, short-term truck insurance policy will refuse coverage.
What kinds of trucks can be covered by short-term truck insurance?
Virtually any type of truck can be covered, including front loaders, semis, box trucks, and pickups. Below is a list of common trucks that can be covered by a short-term truck insurance policy:
- Tractor-trailers
- Dump trucks – Learn more at dump truck insurance cost and the best dump truck insurance companies
- Cement mixers
- Box trucks – Learn more at box truck insurance cost and the best box truck insurance companies
- Tow trucks – Learn more at tow truck insurance cost and the best tow truck insurance companies
- Semis – Learn more at semi truck insurance cost and the best semi truck insurance companies
- Pickup trucks
- Log truck – Learn more at the best log truck insurance companies
If you’re not sure whether a truck you’re thinking about purchasing can be covered by short-term truck insurance, a representative at one of the insurers on my list can let you know for sure.
What types of situations does temporary truck insurance cover?
Some everyday situations covered by short-term truck insurance include:
- Driving to a fleet recruiter before signing a lease and getting permanent truck insurance protection.
- Getting maintenance work done on a used vehicle before using it to haul goods.
- Driving to a painter to have your business logo put on your truck.
How much does short-term (or temporary) truck insurance cost?
The good news is that short-term truck insurance is quite reasonable. The average cost is around $150-$250 for the first day and $100-$150 for each subsequent days. The coverage lasts a maximum of 30 days only.
How can I find cheap temporary truck insurance?
Short-term truck coverage is relatively inexpensive when compared with other delivery vehicle insurance. Still, it makes sense to get quotes from two or three of the providers on our list to find coverage at the best possible price.
Temporary bobtail insurance
When leasing a truck or just having bought a truck, it is important to have temporary bobtail insurance. This type of insurance covers the truck when it is being driven without a trailer. It is usually needed by truck drivers who just finished delivering the cargo and the trailer or who just bought a truck and drove off the garage without a trailer. The insurance protects them in case they are involved in an accident while driving without a trailer. This policy usually provides coverage for 30 days to give the driver some time to buy a permanent bobtail policy.
Learn more at the best temporary bobtail insurance companies
