Trucking insurance for new authorities and owner-operators
We help new carriers get insured, get active, and stay on the road. Michigan license pending.
Two kinds of carriers. One clear plan for each.
We focus on carriers in their first years and owner-operators with one or two trucks.
Just got your authority
Insurance is the step that turns a granted authority into an active one. We explain the filings, the timeline, and what drives your first premium.
Running your own truck
Whether you run your own authority or lease on, we help you know what you need, what you can skip, and how to keep your rate in check.
From granted to active to running.
The steps every new authority goes through, in order.
Get insurance on file
Once your application is published in the FMCSA Register, your insurer files your BMC-91 or BMC-91X and your process agent files the BOC-3. FMCSA wants both within 20 days.
Go active
After the 10-day protest period ends and filings are on record, your authority can go active. Check your status before you haul.
Set up to run
Drug and alcohol consortium, ELD, IFTA, IRP plates, and driver files. Shippers and brokers will ask for certificates.
Pass your audit
The new entrant safety audit usually comes in your first year. Clean records here help your first renewal.
What a new carrier actually needs.
Final terms always depend on the insurer and your operation.
Primary auto liability
Required to get your authority active. Covers injury and damage you cause to others. FMCSA minimum is $750,000 for most for-hire freight; many shippers and brokers ask for $1,000,000.
Motor truck cargo
Covers the freight you haul. FMCSA does not require it for general freight, but most brokers do, often $100,000.
Physical damage
Repairs or replaces your own truck and trailer after a crash, theft, or fire. Your lender will usually require it.
Bobtail and non-trucking liability
For owner-operators leased onto a carrier. Covers you when you drive without a trailer or off dispatch.
What changed in trucking today.
Sample: FMCSA registration now runs through Motus
New applicants and insurance filers now work in FMCSA's new registration system. What it means for your filing timeline.
Source: FMCSA Sample
Trucking news that matters to new carriers, every morning.
Rules, rates, and filings, in plain words. Five minutes with your coffee.
What changed this week
- FMCSA registrationWhat Motus means for new filings
- InsuranceWhy year-one premiums run high
- SafetyPrepping for your new entrant audit