The driver is the rating factor, because the truck needs no CDL.

Commercial auto

Vehicles the business owns and the people who drive them for work.

Without it — The filing applies to the freight and the authority, not to whether the vehicle needs a CDL to drive.

Motor truck cargo

The freight itself while you are hauling it. Separate from the liability on the truck.

Without it — Freight in the box is owed to the shipper if it is damaged or stolen.

Auto physical damage

Damage to your own tractor and trailer. Primary liability pays for what you do to everyone else and nothing for your equipment, so without this a rollover you caused leaves you paying off a truck you can no longer run.

Without it — Box trucks are financed and liability contributes nothing toward your own vehicle.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage. It is the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — Delivery premises, loading and anything off the truck sits outside the auto policy.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Lift gates, hand trucks and repeated loading produce the injuries in this class.

Hired & non-owned auto

Covers vehicles the business does not own but its people drive on the job: rentals, and employees running errands in their own cars. Their personal auto policy will not cover a business trip, and the claim lands on the business. Pricing depends entirely on HOW it is bought: as an endorsement on a general liability policy we write, HNOA often costs a few hundred dollars; as a stand-alone (monoline) policy it runs $2,500 to $5,000, and association practitioner programs (CPH, CM&F and similar) generally cannot take the endorsement, so "add HNOA to my existing policy for $300-$800" is usually not a real option. A package carrying GL, professional liability and HNOA together is typically cheaper than the monoline.

Without it — Rented or borrowed trucks used to cover a peak are not on your schedule.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — A straight truck in city traffic still produces serious injury claims.

Do I need commercial trucking insurance for a non-CDL box truck?

If you are hauling regulated freight for hire in interstate commerce, yes. The authority, the filing and the minimum limit follow the operation rather than the driving license. Under 26,001 pounds you may not need a CDL, and that has no bearing on your obligation as a motor carrier. This is one of the most expensive misunderstandings in the class.

Why do underwriters ask so much about my drivers?

Because in a non-CDL class the driver pool is the largest variable there is. There is no CDL screen, turnover is higher, and MVRs vary far more than they do in a tractor-trailer fleet. A clean driver list and a documented hiring standard are worth real money at quoting time, and are the first thing an underwriter asks to see.

Does using rental trucks for peak season affect my policy?

It should be on it. A truck you hired for a busy month is not on your schedule, and hired and non-owned auto is what answers for it. Seasonal fleets that spike and shrink are placeable, but the arrangement needs to be described up front rather than found at audit.

Does a box truck need a DOT number or an MC number?

A DOT number, almost certainly, and an MC number if you haul for hire across state lines. Federal rules apply to any vehicle in interstate commerce rated over 10,000 pounds, which is every box truck, and to any vehicle carrying placarded hazmat or nine or more passengers. Operating authority is for carrying other people’s freight for hire in interstate commerce. Purely intrastate rules are set by each state and many require a state DOT number too. Check both at fmcsa.dot.gov before you take a load.

What the authority requires you to carry

Can I insure a box truck under a brand new authority?

Usually, and the federal minimum is the same $750,000 for general freight in any truck rated 10,001 pounds or more. Most box truck operators also need what their contract requires on top, which for delivery work is often $1,000,000 of auto liability, cargo and sometimes trailer interchange. The drivers matter more than the truck, because a non-CDL box truck is often driven by people with the least experience on the road.

Insuring a new authority

What insurance does Amazon Relay require for a box truck?

Amazon sets its own requirements and revises them, so read the current Relay page before you buy. Our guide lists what it asked for when we last read it, and the usual trap is trailer interchange, which a box truck operator pulling Amazon trailers needs and often assumes is already included.

Amazon Relay insurance requirements

What does a box truck operations insurance application ask for?

The applications for box truck operations businesses ask about 4 things above all: what is your business structure (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or llc); what types of freight do you haul, and what percentage of your business is each type (refrigerated, dry van, auto hauling, tanker, flatbed, other); do you have a safety manager, and if so, is it full-time or part-time; how many revenue units (tractors and straight trucks) do you operate. Have count of each vehicle type you operate (tractors, straight trucks, trailers by type) and your gross revenue and miles for the current year and past four years ready and a quote takes a day instead of a week.