Owner-operator insurance
Owner-operator insurance is the set of policies you carry as the person who owns and drives the truck, and the list turns on whose authority the truck runs under. Leased on, the motor carrier insures the public while the truck works under the lease, and you buy what the lease leaves to you: non-trucking liability, physical damage on your truck and cover for your own injuries. Under your own authority you add primary liability in your own name, at least FMCSA's $750,000 if you haul nonhazardous property for hire interstate at 10,001 lb GVWR and up, plus the cargo your brokers require.
Updated . Written by Andre Beukers, principal at Redoubt, a commercial insurance agency in Salt Lake City, not a government office.
What insurance does an owner-operator need?
Whose authority you run under comes first: Great West says its agents may start with "Are you under permanent lease to a motor carrier or do you work under your own authority?" Progressive describes its owner operator product as "commercial truck coverage designed for drivers who own and operate their own trucks" and splits its coverage list along the same line.
Leased on, the lease must state "the legal obligation of the authorized carrier to maintain insurance coverage for the protection of the public," and Progressive lists non-trucking liability, physical damage and trailer interchange as what a leased owner-operator may add. For an owner-operator running independently, its list is liability, physical damage, motor truck cargo and motor truck general liability. Neither list pays for your own injuries; Great West sells occupational accident cover for owner-operators hurt "while under dispatch with a motor carrier or performing the duties of a lease."
- Primary auto liability: harm you cause others. The carrier's when leased on, yours under your own MC.
- Non-trucking liability: in Progressive's words, for "driving your truck for personal reasons, not for work." Leased on.
- Physical damage: your own truck.
- Motor truck cargo: the freight you haul under your own MC.
- Trailer interchange: non-owned trailers pulled under an interchange agreement.
- Occupational accident or workers' comp: your own injuries.
What are the owner-operator insurance requirements?
Each one belongs to a holder, and the holder decides whether it reaches you. FMCSA's binds the motor carrier, which is the authorized carrier while you are leased on and you under your own MC: 49 CFR 387.9 sets $750,000 for a for-hire carrier of nonhazardous property in interstate commerce with trucks of 10,001 lb GVWR or more, and every figure in its "Schedule of Limits—Public Liability" is a liability limit.
The rest come from contracts and state law. TQL, for one, requires a "Minimum $1 million auto liability insurance" and a "Minimum $100,000 cargo insurance policy" before you haul for it.
| Holder | What it asks of you | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA | $750,000 of public liability before you operate, for your own for-hire authority hauling nonhazardous property interstate at 10,001 lb GVWR and up | 49 CFR 387.7(a) and 387.9 |
| The carrier you lease to | Whatever insurance the lease assigns to you, and any charge-back amount | 49 CFR 376.12(j)(1) |
| Utah Code 34A-2-104 | A coverage waiver and $1,000,000 of occupational accident cover, if you are leased on as an independent contractor without workers' comp | Subsections (5)(d) and (8); the Labor Commission verifies the cover and issues the waiver |
| A broker, such as TQL | $1 million auto liability, $100,000 cargo, reefer breakdown if it applies | TQL's carrier FAQ |
| Your lender or lessor | Physical damage, if the loan or lease contract requires it | That contract |
Does the carrier's insurance cover you when you're leased on?
If the carrier writes on ISO's Motor Carrier Coverage Form, CA 00 20, you are covered for injury and damage to others, within limits. The form counts as an insured "The lessor of a covered 'auto' that is not a 'trailer' or any 'employee', agent or driver of the lessor while the 'auto' is leased to you under a written agreement, but only when the leased 'auto' is used in your business as a 'motor carrier' for hire." Damage to your truck is another matter: the same form's hired auto physical damage leaves out "any 'auto' that is leased, hired, rented or borrowed with a driver."
Then read the indemnity clause in your lease. The same CA 00 20 paragraph says the lessor "is not an 'insured' if a written hold harmless agreement between the lessor and you requires the lessor to hold you harmless, but only to the extent required by such hold harmless agreement." That wording is ISO's; ask the carrier in writing how its own policy treats leased owner-operators.
Outside the carrier's business, that is the gap non-trucking liability fills; Progressive says its version "Protects you when you're driving your truck for personal reasons, not for work."
Do owner-operators need workers' comp or occupational accident insurance?
Liability insurance pays what you owe others: CA 00 20 pays "all sums an 'insured' legally must pay as damages because of 'bodily injury' or 'property damage'," not your own injuries. Occupational accident is a separate product. Great West's page, read October 3, 2026, says its version pays "Accident medical expenses, Lost wages, Accidental death, Dismemberment, Paralysis, and Accident disability," that the policy "is not available in all states," and that covered drivers must be at least 23 with two years of tractor-trailer experience.
Utah puts it in statute. Utah Code 34A-2-104(5)(d) applies to an owner-operator who drives "under a written agreement with the motor carrier that states that the individual operates the motor vehicle as an independent contractor," and (8)(a) says that if that owner-operator "is not covered by a workers' compensation policy, the individual shall obtain" occupational accident related insurance and a coverage waiver; proof of both goes to the carrier. The insurance needs "a minimum aggregate policy limit of $1,000,000 for all benefits paid, including medical expense benefits," with disability, death, hospital, surgical, prescription drug and dental benefits, and the Labor Commission "shall verify the existence of occupational accident insurance coverage" before it issues the waiver.
Under 34A-2-1003 the waiver fee may not exceed $50, the waiver lasts a year unless renewed, and it is void the day the business employs someone other than an owner, partner or officer. Hiring a driver under your own authority changes your status too: 34A-2-104(3)(b) makes the driving owner of a sole-proprietor motor carrier with a non-owner employee an employee. This section covers Utah's rule only.
What happens to each policy when you leave the lease for your own authority?
Liability moves to you: the federal minimum above has to be in force under your own policy before the first load on your MC. Ask who makes the federal filing; Progressive says that when you buy its owner operator policy, "we'll complete these filings on your behalf."
ISO's non-trucking endorsement, CA 23 09, excludes a covered auto "while used to carry property in any business." Keep your non-trucking policy until the primary policy is in force, and ask its insurer what its own form says about loads under your MC. For anything you bought from or through the carrier, 376.12(j)(2) entitles you to a copy of each policy and a certificate showing its insurer, cost and deductible. Get them before the lease ends, so you know which policies are in your own name.
Check the injury cover last. Great West's occupational accident policy is written around injuries "under dispatch with a motor carrier or performing the duties of a lease," so ask whether yours responds when you are the motor carrier. A Utah sole proprietor can instead elect workers' comp for the owner, by written notice to its insurer under 34A-2-104(3)(a).
Then fix the date. An owner-operator told us in June 2026, "I'm actually leased on to another company, and I don't wanna put my name on the door until I'm ready to switch over at around the first of the year." That date is when the liability, its filing and the cargo have to be bound; get the package quoted against it.
What to gather before you leave the lease
Send it with the date the lease ends, so your own policy can be quoted to start that day.
- 1.Your lease, with the insurance, indemnity and charge-back clauses marked
- 2.A copy and certificate of each policy you bought from or through the carrier
- 3.Declarations pages for any policy in your own name
- 4.Your Utah workers' compensation coverage waiver and its expiry date, if you have one
- 5.The truck's title or lease-purchase contract, with the lender's name and address
- 6.Each driver's CDL, years of experience and a recent motor vehicle report
- 7.Your USDOT and MC numbers, and the business name exactly as FMCSA has it
- 8.Every broker and shipper insurance requirement you have in writing
- 9.What you haul, where, and whether you pull your own trailer or a customer's
Can Redoubt issue my Utah workers' comp waiver?
No. Under 34A-2-1003 the commission issues the waiver, and 34A-1-102 makes that the Labor Commission. Redoubt is an insurance agency, not a government office.
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. Great West Casualty, Owner Operator Truck Insurance, questions your agent may ask
“Are you under permanent lease to a motor carrier or do you work under your own authority?”
orgreatwest.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Great West says about how its own agents quote, read 2026-10-03. gwccnet.com now redirects to orgreatwest.com. - 2. Great West Casualty, Occupational Accident Insurance for Truckers
“Occupational Accident insurance covers owner operators and contract drivers who qualify as independent contractors when they have an injury sustained while under dispatch with a motor carrier or performing the duties of a lease.”
orgreatwest.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Great West says about its own product, read 2026-10-03. - 3. Great West Casualty, Occupational Accident Insurance, what is covered
“Great West’s Occupational Accident coverage includes: Accident medical expenses, Lost wages, Accidental death, Dismemberment, Paralysis, and Accident disability.”
orgreatwest.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Great West says about its own product, read 2026-10-03. Printed as a bulleted list after the first sentence. - 4. Great West Casualty, Occupational Accident Insurance, driver qualifications
“Great West’s Occupational Accident policy is not available in all states. Our covered truck drivers must meet the following qualifications: Minimum age of 23 U.S. citizen Hold a current Commercial Driver's License (CDL) in the driver's home state Minimum two years of experience operating tractor/trailer equipment”
orgreatwest.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Great West says about its own product, read 2026-10-03. The qualifications are printed as a list, which continues with driving-record conditions. - 5. Progressive Commercial, Owner Operator Insurance, what is owner operator insurance
“Owner operator insurance is commercial truck coverage designed for drivers who own and operate their own trucks.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Progressive says about its own product, read 2026-10-03 with curl and a browser User-Agent. - 6. Progressive Commercial, Owner Operator Insurance, additional leased owner operator coverages
“Non-trucking liability: Protects you when you're driving your truck for personal reasons, not for work. Physical damage: Helps pay to repair or replace your truck if it's damaged or stolen. Trailer interchange: Covers damage to non-owned trailers used under an interchange agreement.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Progressive says about its own coverages, read 2026-10-03. Three items of a bulleted list introduced by "Depending on your business, you may need additional leased owner operator insurance coverages, including:". - 7. Progressive Commercial, Owner Operator Insurance, owner operators with their own authority
“Motor truck cargo: Covers loss or damage to the materials you're transporting. Motor truck general liability: Protects against injuries or property damage caused by business activities unrelated to your truck.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Progressive says about its own coverages, read 2026-10-03. The last two items of the list that begins "If you're running your business independently, you'll need to purchase owner operator insurance coverage, including:"; the first two are liability and physical damage. - 8. Progressive Commercial, Owner Operator Insurance, filings for owner operators
“When you purchase an owner operator insurance policy from Progressive Commercial, we'll complete these filings on your behalf.”
progressivecommercial.com, accessed October 3, 2026. What Progressive says about its own filing practice, read 2026-10-03. - 9. 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 broker's own requirement, printed as a list. The list continues with a completed online Carrier Contract. - 10. ISO CA 00 20 12 23, Motor Carrier Coverage Form, Section II A.1.d, Who Is An Insured (FC&S copy on Touchpoint Markets)
“The lessor of a covered "auto" that is not a "trailer" or any "employee", agent or driver of the lessor while the "auto" is leased to you under a written agreement, but only when the leased "auto" is used in your business as a "motor carrier" for hire.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 3, 2026. "You" in the form is the named insured, here the motor carrier. A carrier may write on its own forms instead of ISO's. - 11. ISO CA 00 20 12 23, Motor Carrier Coverage Form, Section II A.1.d, hold harmless limitation
“However, such lessor or any "employee", agent or driver of the lessor is not an "insured" if a written hold harmless agreement between the lessor and you requires the lessor to hold you harmless, but only to the extent required by such hold harmless agreement.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 12. ISO CA 00 20 12 23, Motor Carrier Coverage Form, Section II A, Covered Autos Liability Coverage, insuring agreement
“We will pay all sums an "insured" legally must pay as damages because of "bodily injury" or "property damage" to which this insurance applies, caused by an "accident" and resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered "auto".”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 3, 2026 - 13. ISO CA 00 20 12 23, Motor Carrier Coverage Form, Section V B.5.f, Hired Auto Physical Damage
“For Hired Auto Physical Damage Coverage, any covered "auto" you lease, hire, rent or borrow is deemed to be a covered "auto" you own. However, any "auto" that is leased, hired, rented or borrowed with a driver is not a covered "auto".”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 3, 2026. "You" is the named insured, here the motor carrier. A carrier may write on its own forms instead of ISO's. - 14. ISO CA 23 09 10 13, Motor Carriers – Insurance For Non-Trucking Use, IIAT InfoCentral copy
“This insurance does not apply to: a. A covered "auto" while used to carry property in any business. b. A covered "auto" while used in the business of anyone to whom the "auto" is rented.”
iiat.org, accessed October 3, 2026. The endorsement states that it "modifies insurance provided under the following: BUSINESS AUTO COVERAGE FORM". - 15. 49 CFR 376.12(j)(1), the carrier's obligation to insure the public, 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 - 16. 49 CFR 376.12(j)(1), lease insurance provisions, eCFR
“The lease shall further specify who is responsible for providing any other insurance coverage for the operation of the leased equipment, such as bobtail insurance. If the authorized carrier will make a charge back to the lessor for any of this insurance, the lease shall specify the amount which will be charged-back to the lessor.”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 17. 49 CFR 376.12(j)(2), insurance bought from or through the carrier, eCFR
“If the lessor purchases any insurance coverage for the operation of the leased equipment from or through the authorized carrier, the lease shall specify that the authorized carrier will provide the lessor with a copy of each policy upon the request of the lessor.”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. The paragraph goes on to require a certificate for each such policy showing the insurer, policy number, effective dates, amounts and types of coverage, cost to the lessor and deductible. - 18. 49 CFR 387.7(a), financial responsibility required, eCFR
“No motor carrier shall operate a motor vehicle until the motor carrier has obtained and has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility as set forth in § 387.9 of this subpart.”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 19. 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. Rows 2 to 4 cover hazardous materials and oil at $1,000,000 and $5,000,000. - 20. 49 CFR 387.9, opening sentence and table title, eCFR
“The minimum levels of financial responsibility referred to in § 387.7 are hereby prescribed as follows: Table 1 to § 387.9—Schedule of Limits—Public Liability”
ecfr.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 21. Utah Code 34A-2-104(5)(d)(iii), owner-operators excluded from "employee"
“operates the motor vehicle described in Subsection (5)(d)(i) under a written agreement with the motor carrier that states that the individual operates the motor vehicle as an independent contractor”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Subsection (5)(d) also requires that the individual own the vehicle or lease it to a motor carrier, personally operate it, and give the carrier a coverage waiver and proof of occupational accident related insurance. Section effective May 14, 2019. - 22. Utah Code 34A-2-104(7)(c), occupational accident related insurance defined
“"Occupational accident related insurance" means insurance that provides the following coverage at a minimum aggregate policy limit of $1,000,000 for all benefits paid, including medical expense benefits”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. The listed coverages are disability benefits, death benefits, and medical expense benefits that include hospital, surgical, prescription drug and dental coverage. Subsection (7)(a) defines a motor carrier as one transporting property "on a highway within this state." - 23. Utah Code 34A-2-104(8)(a), what an owner-operator without workers' comp must obtain
“if the individual is not covered by a workers' compensation policy, the individual shall obtain: (i) occupational accident related insurance; and (ii) a waiver in accordance with Part 10, Workers' Compensation Coverage Waivers Act”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Applies to an individual described in Subsection (5)(d). - 24. Utah Code 34A-2-104(8)(b), the commission verifies the cover before the waiver
“the commission shall verify the existence of occupational accident insurance coverage with the coverage and benefit limits listed in Subsection (7)(c) before the commission may issue a workers' compensation coverage waiver to the individual”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 25. Utah Code 34A-2-104(3)(a)(i), sole proprietor election
“a partnership or sole proprietorship may elect to include any partner of the partnership or owner of the sole proprietorship as an employee of the partnership or sole proprietorship”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Subsection (3)(a)(ii) requires written notice to the insurance carrier naming the persons to be covered. - 26. Utah Code 34A-2-104(3)(b), owners of motor carriers who drive
“A partner of a partnership or an owner of a sole proprietorship is an employee of the partnership or sole proprietorship under this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, if:”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. The conditions that follow: the business is a motor carrier, employs at least one individual who is not a partner or an owner, and the partner or owner personally operates a motor vehicle for it. - 27. Utah Code 34A-1-102(2), the commission
“"Commission" means the Labor Commission created in Section 34A-1-103.”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 28. Utah Code 34A-2-1003(1)(d), waiver fee
“pays a fee established by the commission in accordance with Section 63J-1-504, except that the fee may not exceed $50.”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026. Subsection (1) opens "The commission shall issue a workers' compensation coverage waiver to a business entity that:" and this is its last condition. Part 10 is the Workers' Compensation Coverage Waivers Act that 34A-2-104(5)(d) and (8) refer to. - 29. Utah Code 34A-2-1003(2)(a), waiver term
“A waiver issued under this section expires one year from the day on which it is issued unless renewed by the holder of the waiver.”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 30. Utah Code 34A-2-1003(3), waiver void on hiring
“As of the day on which a business entity described in Subsection (1) employs an employee other than an owner, partner, or corporate officer or director described in Subsection (1)(a): (a) the business entity's waiver is invalid”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 3, 2026 - 31. Redoubt call record, owner-operator leased to another carrier planning his own authority, June 22, 2026
“I'm actually leased on to another company, and I don't wanna put my name on the door until I'm ready to switch over at around the first of the year.”
Redoubt agency records, accessed June 22, 2026. Prospect's words on a Redoubt call. Redoubt's own experience, not a fact about any rule.
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
Leaving a lease, or not sure what yours leaves to you?
Text Redoubt the insurance and indemnity sections of your lease, the declarations pages you have now, and the date you plan to run on your own. We will go through which policies end, which stay, and what has to be bound before your first load.
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.