Cargo and liability insurance for a one truck owner operator with your own authority
When the authority is in your name, you are the motor carrier. Nobody else's policy covers your truck, your freight, or the person you hit. Here is exactly what you need and what it takes to get quoted.
Get my free quoteText (423) 264-4255Short answer: A one truck owner operator running under their own authority needs primary commercial auto liability with the federal filing attached, motor truck cargo, and physical damage on the truck and trailer. General liability is often required by shippers, and if you also run under someone else's authority part of the time, you need non-trucking liability for that. Fast Trucking Insurance Quotes writes all of it through A-rated carriers, handles the FMCSA filing, and most quotes come back the same day. Call or text (423) 264-4255.
Own authority means the coverage is yours to carry
There are two ways to run one truck, and they need completely different policies.
Leased onto a carrier. Their liability covers you while you are under dispatch. You carry non-trucking liability and usually physical damage on your own truck. That is a smaller, cheaper policy.
Your own authority. You are the motor carrier. You carry the primary liability, the cargo coverage, and the federal filing. The rate is higher because the exposure is yours, and that is exactly why the policy has to be built right the first time.
If you are not sure which one you are, look at whose MC number is on the load confirmation. If it is yours, you need everything on this page.
The coverage a single truck authority needs
Primary auto liability
Pays for injury and property damage you cause. FMCSA requires at least 750,000 dollars for general freight, but almost every broker load confirmation asks for 1,000,000, so that is the practical standard. More on liability
Motor truck cargo
Covers the freight you are hauling. 100,000 dollars is the common starting limit. Match it to the highest value load you will accept and to what your shippers require in writing. More on cargo
Physical damage
Your truck and trailer. If there is a lien, the lender will require it. If there is not, you still need it, because a totaled truck with no coverage ends the business. More on physical damage
General liability
Covers what happens off the truck, at a dock or in a yard. Many shippers will not load a carrier without it, and it is inexpensive next to auto liability. More on general liability
Trailer interchange
If you pull a trailer you do not own under an interchange agreement, that trailer needs its own coverage. More on trailer interchange
Non-trucking liability
Only if you also run leased onto another carrier part of the time. It covers the miles that are not under dispatch. More on bobtail
We handle the FMCSA filing that goes with your liability policy, so your authority shows active insurance on file instead of sitting in limbo.
If your authority is brand new
A new authority is not a problem. It is a category, and there are carriers that write it every day. What you should expect:
- Your first year costs more than your third. That is the price of having no loss history yet
- Your CDL experience matters more than your authority age, so make sure your years behind the wheel are on the submission
- No loss runs is normal for a new authority. Say so up front instead of leaving a blank
- Clean MVRs and a clean CSA record are the two things you can control, and they are worth real money at renewal
New authorities are welcome here. We would rather set you up correctly in year one than fix it in year two. See our guide to insurance requirements for a new authority.
What we need to quote your truck
- USDOT number, or tell us the authority is pending
- What you haul and the typical maximum value of a load
- Radius of operation or the states you run
- Truck and trailer year, make and current value
- Your license number, date of birth and years of CDL experience
- Three years of loss runs if you have had prior coverage
That is a one minute submission, and most quotes come back the same day.
Start my quoteOwner operator authority questions
Through an independent agency that writes trucking only and has access to the carriers that want single truck authorities. Fast Trucking Insurance Quotes shops A-rated carriers for primary auto liability, motor truck cargo and physical damage on one submission, handles the FMCSA filing, and most quotes come back the same day. Call or text (423) 264-4255.
At least 750,000 dollars for general freight in interstate commerce, and more for certain hazardous commodities. In practice you want 1,000,000, because that is what brokers and shippers require before they will give you a load.
Yes. The broker's contingent coverage protects the broker, not you. If the freight is damaged on your truck, your motor truck cargo policy is what pays.
Yes. Coverage is usually quoted and bound with the filing submitted as part of activating the authority. Tell us the authority is pending and we will build the submission that way.
Your own policy is smaller when you are leased on, because their liability covers you under dispatch. You give up control and the freight is theirs. Many owner operators run their own authority for the revenue and accept the higher premium.
Get your authority covered properly
We shop A-rated carriers against each other, handle your FMCSA filings, and issue certificates fast. Free quote, no obligation.
Get my free quoteCall or text (423) 264-4255