What it is
Commercial auto liability — often called primary liability — pays for bodily injury and property damage you cause to others while operating your truck. It is the coverage FMCSA requires before your authority activates, and it's typically the largest single line item on your premium.
Who needs it
Every for-hire motor carrier operating under its own authority. If you're leased on to another carrier, their policy generally covers you while under dispatch — but not when you're not, which is a different coverage entirely.
Limits that matter
- $750,000 — the federal minimum for most general freight.
- $1,000,000 — what brokers and shippers actually require before they'll book you.
- Higher — hazardous materials carry higher federal requirements, and dense-metro or high-exposure operations often carry more by choice.
Carrying only the federal floor generally leaves you legal but unbookable. We quote to the market you're actually working in.
What it doesn't cover
- Damage to your own truck — that's physical damage
- The freight you're hauling — that's motor truck cargo
- Injuries to you — that's workers' comp or occupational accident
- Operations you never disclosed, such as undisclosed oilfield or off-road work
What we do
We're independent, so we shop your operation across multiple trucking markets rather than fitting you to one company's appetite. We handle the BMC-91 filing with FMCSA and issue certificates of insurance for your brokers.
Let's get you covered.
Tell us what you need and we'll shop it across our carriers — or just ask a question first.