What kind of insurance does an owner-operator need in Farmers Branch?

Are you leased on or running your own authority?

This is the first thing we ask. It decides who carries the big liability policy and what's left for you to buy.

If you're leased to a motor carrier, the carrier's primary auto liability usually covers you while you're under dispatch. Read your lease agreement, though. Some carriers also cover cargo. Some charge it back to you. Some cover nothing but the liability.

If you have your own DOT number and MC authority, you are the motor carrier. Every policy is yours to carry, and the filings that keep your authority active go in your name.

What a leased owner-operator usually carries

When you're leased on, the gaps are the times you're not working for the carrier and the truck itself. Most leases spell out what you must carry before you can haul a load.

• Non-trucking liability (bobtail): covers you when you drive the truck off dispatch, like heading to the shop after a run. The carrier's policy usually doesn't respond then.
• Physical damage: pays to repair or replace your truck after a wreck, fire, theft or hail. If the truck is financed, the lender will require it.
• Cargo coverage, only if your lease puts the cargo on you.
• Trailer interchange, if you pull a trailer you don't own under an interchange agreement and your lease doesn't cover it.

What you need under your own MC authority

Once you run your own authority, primary auto liability comes first. It pays for injuries and damage you cause to other people. Your insurer files proof of it with FMCSA so your authority can go active and stay active. If you haul only inside Texas, the state has its own filing through TxDMV, and some operations need both.

Brokers and shippers will also want to see motor truck cargo insurance before they hand you a load. Many ask for limits above the federal minimum. Check what your regular brokers require before you pick limits, so you don't lose a load over a certificate of insurance that comes up short.

Add physical damage for the truck and trailer you own. If you swap trailers with other carriers, add trailer interchange too. A lot of new-authority operators bundle these into one commercial trucking insurance program so renewals land on one date.

What moves your premium

We can't give you a number without your details, but we can tell you what the underwriters look at. Knowing this up front helps you avoid surprises when the quote comes back.

• Your driving record and how many years you've held a CDL
• How long your authority has been active, since brand-new authorities are priced higher
• What you haul and how far you run from where the truck is kept
• The value of your truck and trailer
• Where the truck is garaged, and North Texas traffic counts here
• Loss history and any gaps in past coverage

How we set it up with you

We're a small office. The person who quotes your coverage is the same person who sends your filings, issues your certificates and answers when a broker calls asking for one. You don't start over with someone new each time.

We'll read your lease or your broker requirements with you, match the policies to how you actually run, and tell you plainly if you're paying for something you don't need. Meetings happen at our office, by phone or by video, whichever works around your loads.