Protection Beyond the Road
Truckers general liability insurance helps protect your trucking business against certain claims that are not directly related to operating a covered commercial vehicle.
Commercial auto liability primarily responds to accidents involving your trucks. General liability may help protect your business when someone is injured at your office, terminal or other business location—or when your non-driving business operations cause bodily injury or property damage.
Whether you are an owner-operator, a new motor carrier or an established fleet, general liability coverage can help protect your business from everyday risks that may not be covered by a commercial auto policy.
What Does Truckers General Liability Cover?
A truckers general liability policy may provide coverage for:
Bodily Injury
This coverage may help when someone outside your business is injured because of your non- driving operations. Examples may include:
- A customer slipping and falling at your office
- A visitor being injured at your terminal or yard
- Someone being injured during certain loading or unloading activities
- An injury resulting from work performed away from your business premises
Property Damage
This coverage may help pay when your business operations damage property belonging to someone else.
Examples may include:
- A driver damaging property while making a delivery
- Freight-handling equipment damaging a customer’s building
- Damage caused during certain loading or unloading activities
- Accidental damage at a customer’s location
Personal and Advertising Injury
General liability may also protect your business against certain claims involving:
- Libel
- Slander
- Copyright infringement in advertising
- False arrest
- Wrongful eviction
- Invasion of privacy
Coverage depends on the policy’s terms, conditions and exclusions.
Medical Payments
Medical payments coverage may pay limited medical expenses when someone is injured at
your business or because of certain business operations, regardless of fault.
Legal Defense Costs
A covered claim can result in significant legal expenses, even if your business is not ultimately found responsible. General liability insurance may help pay for:
- Attorney fees
- Court costs
- Investigation expenses
- Settlements
- Covered judgments
What Is Not Covered by Truckers General Liability?
Truckers general liability does not replace commercial auto liability insurance. It normally does not cover bodily injury or property damage arising from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered commercial vehicle.
General liability also generally does not cover:
- Damage to your own trucks or equipment
- Damage to cargo in your care, custody or control
- Employee injuries
- Intentional acts
- Professional errors
- Pollution incidents
- Employment-related claims
- Normal wear and tear
- Contractual obligations beyond what the policy covers
Separate coverage may be needed for commercial auto liability, physical damage, motor truck cargo, workers’ compensation, pollution liability and other trucking exposures.
Who Needs Truckers General Liability Insurance?
General liability coverage may be appropriate for:
- Owner-operators
- For-hire motor carriers
- New trucking ventures
- Trucking companies with offices or terminals
- Fleets with storage yards
- Box-truck operators
- Hotshot trucking businesses
- Dump-truck operators
- Dirt, sand and gravel haulers
- Freight brokers
- Trucking companies that load or unload cargo
- Carriers that perform work at customer locations
Some brokers, shippers, landlords and customers may require proof of general liability
insurance before entering into a contract or allowing a trucking company onto their property.
Loading and Unloading Claims
Loading and unloading claims can involve both commercial auto liability and general liability insurance. Which policy responds may depend on how the accident happened, where it occurred and the language of each policy.
Examples may include:
- Cargo falling and injuring someone
- A forklift damaging a loading dock
- Freight damaging a customer’s building
- Someone tripping over equipment during a delivery
- Property being damaged after it is removed from the truck
It is important to review your auto and general liability policies together to identify potential coverage gaps.
Common General Liability Limits
Many trucking businesses select limits such as:
- $1 million per occurrence
- $2 million general aggregate
- $1 million personal and advertising injury
- Medical payments coverage subject to a separate limit
The appropriate limits depend on your contracts, operations, customer requirements and overall business exposure. An umbrella or excess liability policy may be available when higher limits are needed.
What Affects the Cost of Truckers General Liability?
Insurance companies may consider:
- Type of trucking operation
- Annual revenue
- Payroll
- Number of employees and drivers
- Business locations
- Loading and unloading activities
- Commodities transported
- Operating radius
- Years in business
- Loss history
- Safety procedures
- Requested limits
- Customer and contract requirements
General liability premiums vary by insurance company and individual risk.
Additional Trucking Coverages to Consider
A complete trucking insurance program may also include:
- Commercial auto liability
- Physical damage
- Motor truck cargo
- Trailer interchange
- Non-trucking liability
- Rental reimbursement with downtime
- Workers’ compensation
- Occupational accident
- Umbrella or excess liability
- Pollution liability
- Freight broker liability
Get a Truckers General Liability Quote
Protect your trucking company from risks that can happen away from the road. We will review your operations, business locations, contracts and customer requirements to help you find appropriate general liability coverage.
Contact us today to discuss your business and request a truckers general liability insurance quote.
Request a Quote
Coverage availability, limits and requirements vary by carrier, state and individual risk. All coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the applicable insurance policy.
