New authority trucking insurance
A primary auto liability policy from an insurer willing to file proof of it with FMCSA under your new docket number, because FMCSA will not grant the authority until that filing is on record. For a for-hire interstate carrier of general freight (nonhazardous property) in trucks rated 10,001 pounds GVWR or more, the federal floor is $750,000. The rest of the policy is set by the people you work with: TQL, for one, requires $1 million of auto liability and $100,000 of cargo. One80's program, for one, takes new ventures and requires two years of CDL experience for every driver.
Updated . Written by Andre Beukers, principal at Redoubt, a commercial insurance agency in Salt Lake City, not a government office.
What does semi truck insurance for a new authority include?
Up to five coverages; FMCSA's chart sets a dollar figure for liability and $0 for cargo on general freight. Progressive's owner-operator page says that if you are "running your business independently," you need liability, physical damage, motor truck cargo and motor truck general liability. Its semi truck page adds trailer interchange, which "provides physical damage protection (essentially collision and comprehensive coverage) for a trailer you don't own."
The rest comes from contracts, lenders and the freight. For a reefer, Progressive warns that spoilage from temperature swings "isn't covered by all motor truck cargo insurance policies," and TQL wants reefer breakdown on the certificate. When we quoted a new reefer authority in August 2026, the package was liability to activate the MC, physical damage for the truck, and cargo with reefer breakdown for the brokers.
| Coverage | Who asks for it | What their document says |
|---|---|---|
| Primary auto liability | FMCSA; some brokers, such as TQL, ask for more | FMCSA: $750,000 for for-hire interstate general freight (nonhazardous property) at 10,001 lb GVWR and up; TQL: $1 million |
| Motor truck cargo | Brokers such as TQL | FMCSA chart: $0 for general freight; TQL: $100,000 |
| Physical damage | Your lender or lessor | Progressive: usually required for trucks with an outstanding loan or lease |
| Trailer interchange | The trailer's owner | Progressive: often required by clients who own the trailers |
| Non-trucking liability | Leased-on owner-operators | Progressive: for driving the truck for personal reasons, not for work |
Why is insurance harder to get for a new authority?
One80, a wholesaler and program manager, publishes what its domestic trucking program takes: it says "New Ventures considered," sets a "2 year CDL minimum required for all drivers," and asks any operation in business less than three years for a New Venture profile showing the owner's experience over the past two years in a relevant industry.
Progressive's cost page puts the difference between leasing on and running your own authority this way: "Owner operators with their own USDOT authority take on full responsibility for accidents, violations, and cargo claims." Progressive lists "USDOT authority" first among six cost factors, with coverage options, vehicle type, cargo, operating radius and driving history.
In August 2026 one market answered our submission for a two-vehicle applicant by saying it "is not a competitive market for new ventures." Before you wait on a quote, ask whether the market behind it takes new authorities.
Can you buy the insurance before your MC authority is active?
Yes, and you have to: FMCSA "will not grant operating authority registration until the registrant has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility on file with FMCSA," and it is your insurer that makes that filing, once FMCSA has assigned your docket number.
For general freight, the filing FMCSA waits for is the liability: its chart sets $0 of cargo. The other coverages answer to other people. Progressive says physical damage is usually required on a truck with a loan or lease, and TQL requires $100,000 of cargo before you haul for it. Have the whole package quoted together, so the cargo and physical damage are in place by the first load.
Does your leased-on insurance carry over to your own authority?
The liability does not. 49 CFR 376.12(j)(1) requires the lease to spell out "the legal obligation of the authorized carrier to maintain insurance coverage for the protection of the public," so while you are leased on, that coverage is the carrier's, not yours. Progressive describes the leased side the same way: you "may be covered by your motor carrier's primary liability insurance while under dispatch," with non-trucking liability, which it describes as protection when driving "for personal reasons, not for work," to fill the gaps.
On your own authority, the primary liability has to be a policy in your own name. Line up its start date with the end of the lease, so the truck is never between the carrier's liability and your own.
Cargo changes hands too. Progressive says that when you lease onto a motor carrier, "the company often assumes much of this risk," meaning the accidents, violations and cargo claims that an owner with its own authority carries in full.
Should a new authority carry $750,000 or $1 million in liability?
Carry the higher of what FMCSA requires and what your brokers' written requirements say. The federal schedule in 49 CFR 387.9 sets $750,000 for "For-hire (In interstate or foreign commerce, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds) Property (nonhazardous)" and has no separate line for a new authority. Brokers can set their own floor on top of it: TQL lists a "Minimum $1 million auto liability insurance" among the things it requires before you haul for it.
On a call in August 2026, a new-authority carrier told us it wanted to raise its limit "only due to us being a new authority carrier." Have both limits quoted on the same submission, so the difference is a number you can weigh against the freight the higher limit opens. Check the ceiling too: One80's program lists "Auto Liability with up to $1M limits," so a contract asking for more than $1 million is beyond that program.
What do insurers ask a new authority for?
One80's program, for one, asks for proof of driving experience: its submission list asks for "Motor Vehicle Reports for all drivers valued within the last 90 days (Minimum 2 full yrs experience required)," its own signed supplemental application, and, for an operation under three years old, the New Venture profile. Progressive's semi truck page starts a quote with "the vehicle's make and model, a list of drivers, and operating radius."
The FMCSA record can be read too. FMCSA's notice on Motus, its new registration system, planned to open it to all regulated entities in the second quarter of 2026, and in one August 2026 case the market that declined the two-vehicle applicant above pointed to "FMCSA MOTUS site data" for the vehicle count. If the power units and drivers on your registration do not match the insurance application, fix one or the other before the submission goes out.
What to send for a new authority quote
Send it in one message, before you file the authority application.
- 1.Your USDOT number, and the MC docket number once FMCSA assigns it
- 2.The legal business name and address exactly as they appear on the FMCSA application
- 3.Each driver's name, date of birth, CDL number and years of CDL experience
- 4.A motor vehicle report for each driver from the last 90 days, if you have one
- 5.Each truck's year, make, VIN and value, and each trailer's, with who owns it
- 6.What you will haul, where, and how far from home
- 7.The lender or lessor's name and address if the truck is financed or leased
- 8.Every broker or shipper insurance requirement you already have in writing
- 9.Your history: years driving, years leased on, and the carrier you were leased to
- 10.The date the filing has to be in place
Does a new authority need cargo insurance?
Not under federal rules for general freight: FMCSA's filing chart lists $0 of cargo for for-hire property carriers other than household goods movers. Brokers and shippers require it in their own contracts, and TQL's carrier requirements list a $100,000 cargo minimum.
Can I add a second truck during my first year?
Ask before you bind. A client with a recently granted authority told us in September 2026 that its insurer was the only one it had found that would let it add trucks within the first year of operating. Whether a policy can grow mid-term is a question for the specific market, and the answer belongs in the quote.
Can Redoubt file my authority with FMCSA?
No. Redoubt is an insurance agency, not a government office. The authority application is yours to file with FMCSA, and the insurance filing comes from the insurer that writes your liability.
Where these answers come from
Each entry carries the exact words of the source so you can check it yourself. Forms, rules and carrier pages change; read the current version before acting.
- 1. FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements, overview
“FMCSA will not grant operating authority registration until the registrant has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility on file with FMCSA.”
fmcsa.dot.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Read in a browser; fmcsa.dot.gov returns 403 to curl. The page was last updated March 26, 2026. - 2. FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements, who should file proof of insurance with FMCSA and when
“New entities registering with the Agency for the first time should be prepared to contact their financial responsibility provider to request filing of the required forms immediately after obtaining their designated docket number.”
fmcsa.dot.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Read in a browser; the sentence sits in a collapsed panel of the page. - 3. FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements, chart, Motor Carrier of Property row for for-hire non-hazardous carriers at 10,001 pounds and up
“For-Hire Property Carriers (Non-Hazardous) GVWR ≥ 10,001 pounds $750,000 $0 $0 BMC-91, or BMC-91X, or BMC-82”
fmcsa.dot.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Cells of a table: entity type, vehicle type, BIPD, cargo, surety bond or trust fund, applicable forms. The household goods row is the only property row with a cargo figure ($5,000). - 4. 49 CFR 387.9, schedule of limits, row 1, eCFR
“For-hire (In interstate or foreign commerce, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds) Property (nonhazardous) $750,000”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Pulled from the eCFR versioner API as of 2026-10-01. Rows 2 to 4 of the same table set $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 for hazardous materials. - 5. 49 CFR 376.12(j)(1), lease and interchange of vehicles, insurance, eCFR
“The lease shall clearly specify the legal obligation of the authorized carrier to maintain insurance coverage for the protection of the public pursuant to FMCSA regulations under 49 U.S.C. 13906.”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Pulled from the eCFR versioner API as of 2026-10-01. - 6. TQL, Frequently Asked Questions for Carriers, what do I need to start hauling for TQL
“To haul for TQL we require: Valid MC or US DOT number Minimum $1 million auto liability insurance Minimum $100,000 cargo insurance policy Reefer Breakdown on insurance certificate (if applicable)”
tql.com, accessed October 3, 2026. A list on the page; line breaks between items collapsed. A broker's own requirement, not a federal one. - 7. One80 Intermediaries, Domestic Trucking Program sheet (V062026), submission requirements
“If In Business for any amount of time less than 3yrs total, completed New Venture profile in addition to the Supp. If New Venture, experience of the owner for the past 2 years in a relevant industry (this should be outlined within the New Venture profile)”
one80.com, accessed October 3, 2026. A program manager's statement about its own program. The PDF sets "profile" with an fi ligature. - 8. One80 Intermediaries, Domestic Trucking Program sheet (V062026), highlighted features
“New Ventures considered. 2 year CDL minimum required for all drivers.”
one80.com, accessed October 3, 2026. Two consecutive items of a bulleted list; the bullet markers are dropped. - 9. One80 Intermediaries, Domestic Trucking Program sheet (V062026), submission requirements, driver records
“Motor Vehicle Reports for all drivers valued within the last 90 days (Minimum 2 full yrs experience required)”
one80.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 10. One80 Intermediaries, Domestic Trucking Program sheet (V062026), available coverages
“Auto Liability with up to $1M limits Physical Damage coverage Workers’ Compensation”
one80.com, accessed October 3, 2026. Three list items; line breaks collapsed. - 12. Progressive Commercial, Owner Operator Insurance, leased owner operator coverages, non-trucking liability
“Protects you when you're driving your truck for personal reasons, not for work.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. The description that follows the "Non-trucking liability" label in Progressive's list. - 13. Progressive Commercial, Motor Carrier Insurance, for-hire truck liability insurance
“If you're one of these for-hire owner operators, you may be covered by your motor carrier's primary liability insurance while under dispatch. But you may still need to get non-trucking liability insurance to prevent gaps when you're not using your truck for work.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. "These" refers to the permanently leased independent contractors named in the sentence before. - 14. Progressive Commercial, Motor Carrier Insurance, how much does motor carrier insurance cost
“Your motor carrier insurance cost will vary, depending on numerous factors, including: USDOT authority Coverage options Vehicle type Cargo Operating radius Driving history”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. The factors are a list on the page; line breaks collapsed. - 15. Progressive Commercial, Commercial Truck Insurance Cost, USDOT authority
“Owner operators with their own USDOT authority take on full responsibility for accidents, violations, and cargo claims. When you lease onto a motor carrier, the company often assumes much of this risk.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 16. Progressive Commercial, Commercial Truck Insurance Cost, adjust your coverages and limits
“For example, physical damage coverage is usually required for trucks with an outstanding loan or lease.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. Progressive's statement; the lender's or lessor's own contract is what sets the requirement for a given truck. - 17. Progressive Commercial, Semi Truck and Trailer Insurance, trailer interchange
“Trailer interchange coverage provides physical damage protection (essentially collision and comprehensive coverage) for a trailer you don't own. This coverage is often required by clients who own the trailers.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 18. Progressive Commercial, Semi Truck and Trailer Insurance, motor truck cargo for refrigerated tractor trailers
“Loss of cargo due to spoilage from temperature fluctuations isn't covered by all motor truck cargo insurance policies.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 19. Progressive Commercial, Semi Truck and Trailer Insurance, how to get insurance for a tractor trailer
“Collect relevant information, such as the vehicle's make and model, a list of drivers, and operating radius.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 20. Federal Register, Availability of Motus, FMCSA's New Registration System, April 29, 2026, abstract
“In Phase II, planned for the second quarter of 2026, Motus will become available to all regulated entities.”
federalregister.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. The quote states availability, not a switch-over date; the same abstract says FMCSA will sunset the URS for new USDOT Number and operating authority applications. - 21. Redoubt text to a new-authority reefer owner-operator, August 2026 (internal record)
“That includes liability (to activate your MC) + physical damage (cover your truck) + cargo with reefer breakdown (which dispatchers and brokers will require to give you loads)”
Redoubt agency records, accessed August 5, 2026. Redoubt's own message describing how it built the quote. The record's speaker prefix is dropped. - 22. Market reply to a Redoubt submission for a two-vehicle applicant, August 2026 (internal record)
“is not a competitive market for new ventures. According to FMCSA MOTUS site data, this entity has 2 vehicles”
Redoubt agency records, accessed August 4, 2026. The opening words, which name the addressee and the market, are left out. - 23. Call with a new-authority carrier about its liability limit, August 2026 (internal record)
“So we was gonna kinda wanted to raise it up just because I feel like seven of these isn't gonna be enough only due to us being a new authority carrier.”
Redoubt agency records, accessed August 10, 2026. Call transcript, quoted as transcribed; the record's speaker prefix is dropped. - 24. Text from a client with a recently granted authority, September 2026 (internal record)
“They seem to be the only company that will allow me to add trucks within the first year of operating. All the others make growing my business relatively impossible”
Redoubt agency records, accessed September 19, 2026. What the client told us about the markets it had tried; the record's speaker prefix is dropped.
A leased owner-operator is getting their own authority
Leaving a lease for own authority: what the new policy costs, lease-on versus own authority, and owner-operator coverage.
Elsewhere on the site
Applying for your own authority?
Text Redoubt your USDOT number, the trucks and drivers you will run, and any broker or lender requirements you already have. We will tell you which markets write new authorities for an operation like yours and what each one needs before it will file.
This is general insurance information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. The policy forms, the endorsements the carrier issues, and the requirement in writing from whoever is asking control.