A trucking specialist with a tiered path in for new ventures.
Canal Insurance writes trucking and almost nothing else, on admitted paper, in thirty-plus states — with a structured new-venture program whose first tier requires the owner to be the primary driver.
Tell us the situation.
One licensed human replies the same business day — not five agents, not an auto-responder. If the policy you have is already the right one, we will tell you.
We use this to quote and service your insurance, and we do not sell it or pass it to lead networks. Privacy policy.
What Canal is.
A specialist, not a generalist
Canal has written commercial trucking for decades and does not diversify into unrelated lines. Long haul, short haul and flatbed are core, and they are a primary market for dump operations with two or more years in business.
Without it — A specialist underwriter reads a loss run differently from one who sees trucking occasionally.
The new-venture tiers
New ventures go in on a tiered basis. The entry tier is deliberately narrow: two or fewer owned units, no dumps, power units twenty-five model years or newer, long haul, and the owner must be the primary driver. Later tiers open up as the authority ages.
Without it — It is a real door for a new authority, and one you can check yourself against before spending anyone’s time.
Driver rules are explicit
Two or more years of Class A CDL experience. On a single unit the driver must be the owner; above that the owner drives and additional drivers are W-2 employees. No major violations, and a limited tolerance for minor ones.
Without it — These are gates, not preferences — an owner-operator running 1099 drivers is outside the program regardless of price.
Where they stop
Not available in Alaska, Alabama, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Nevada or Vermont. Box trucks came off the appetite at the end of 2025. Oilfield, quarry, road construction and residential dump work are out. Hot shots need two years and their own prior insurance.
Without it — The hot shot tenure rule is the one that surprises people, because Canal takes new ventures generally.
What people ask us about Canal.
Will Canal write a new authority?
Yes, through a tiered new-venture program rather than as an exception. The first tier is tight — two or fewer owned units, no dumps, long haul, tractors twenty-five model years or newer, and the owner driving. Meet it and you are a normal submission rather than a favor.
Will Canal write a new-authority hot shot?
No — and this distinction is worth getting right, because Canal does write new ventures generally. Hot shot specifically calls for two years in operation and prior insurance of your own. So a first-year hot shot needs a different door: Cover Whale, Progressive, GEICO and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate all write that combination.
Is Canal admitted?
Yes, which means the policy is filed with your state regulator and backed by the state guaranty fund, and there are no surplus lines taxes or fees on top. For a small motor carrier that is usually a few points of real money against an equivalent non-admitted quote.
Is this appetite current?
It reflects the carrier’s own market guidance as of the third quarter of 2026, and appetite moves — classes get added, states get pulled, and tenure requirements tighten after a bad quarter. Treat it as a strong indication of whether you are worth submitting rather than as a promise of a quote. We check the live guidance before submitting anything.
Why go through a broker instead of buying direct?
Because it does not cost you anything, which is the part that surprises people. Broker compensation is built into the carrier’s rate whether you use one or not — buying direct does not remove the cost, it removes the person being paid to be on your side of it.
Also in this family
Commercial insurance is 96% of what we do — it is not a department here, it is the whole business. Not ready to talk? The guides answer the questions this page raises in more depth. Already insured with us and need a certificate or a policy change? Ask the service team rather than starting a quote — it is faster and it goes to the people whose job it is. We also write home and auto, which is usually cheaper alongside the business policy than apart from it.