Primary liability insurance is the foundation of every commercial trucking policy. It covers bodily injury and property damage you cause to third parties while operating your commercial motor vehicle — and it's required by the FMCSA for any carrier operating in interstate commerce.

Physical damage insurance covers repair or replacement of your truck and trailer after an accident, theft, fire, or other covered event. For most owner-operators, their truck is their most valuable asset — and the one thing that keeps the money coming in.

Bobtail insurance (also called non-trucking liability) covers you when you're operating your truck outside the scope of your motor carrier's authority — such as driving home after a delivery, heading to a truck stop, or running personal errands. Most motor carrier policies only cover you while under dispatch.

General liability insurance protects your trucking business from claims of bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury that occur in the course of your business operations — but aren't related to operating your truck. Many shippers and brokers now require it in addition to primary liability.

As an independent owner-operator, you're not an employee — which means you're not covered by workers' compensation. Occupational accident insurance is the trucking industry's alternative, providing medical expense coverage, disability income replacement, and accidental death benefits if you're injured while working.