Trucking Insurance Cost by Freight Category

Trucking Insurance Cost by Freight Category (Insurance Costs by FMCSA Freight Category)

All interstate for-hire truckers must carry at least $1 million Combined Single Limit (CSL) auto liability—a non-negotiable minimum to satisfy brokers and shippers, even above FMCSA’s baseline of $750K. With that in mind, here’s how insurance premiums typically compare across FMCSA freight categories:

High Premium (Most Expensive)

1. Liquids/Gases / Hazardous Materials / Chemicals / Oilfield Equipment

  • Why so costly: Extremely high liability limits ($1–5 million), environmental risks, regulatory compliance, specialized driver training.
  • Estimated rating: 9–10/10

2. Intermodal Containers

  • High cargo value and complexity; still requires $1 million liability plus cargo coverage.

3. Motor Vehicles (Auto Hauler / Drive/Tow Away)

  • Frequent claims from loading/unloading incidents and vehicle damage—specialty premiums often match hazmat.
  • Rating: 8–10/10

High-Mid Premium

4. Building Materials / Construction / Metal: sheets, coils, rolls

  • Risk of load shifts, frequent stops, potential load damage; liability stays at $1 million.
  • Rating: 7–8/10

5. Machinery, Large Objects / Mobile Homes / Oilfield Equipment

  • Oversized loads, high replacement values, increased accident and securement risk.
  • Rating: 7–8/10

Mid Premium

6. Flat Value General Freight (Paper Products, Beverages, Refrigerated Food, Dry Bulk Commodities, Refrigerated Food)

  • Routine hauls with moderate equipment and spoilage risk.
  • Historically stable claims profile; liability stays at $1 million.
  • Rating: 6–7/10

7. Fresh Produce / Refrigerated Goods

  • Medium risk due to spoilage and temperature control issues.
  • Rating: 6–7/10

Lower Premium

8. Logs, Poles, Beams, Lumber

  • Heavy loads but fewer cargo damage claims; fewer broker restrictions.
  • Many carriers report these as among the cheaper class codes .
  • Rating: 5–6/10

9. Household Goods

  • Higher chance of damage/theft, but still moderate overall risk.
  • Rating: 6–7/10

10. Grain / Feed / Hay / Coal / US Mail / Garbage / Livestock

  • Bulk non-hazardous or minimal-liability goods; considered lower risk.
  • Rating: 5–6/10

Cogo’s comparison table

Freight CategoryLiability Req.Relative RiskEst. Rating
Liquids/Gases, HazMat, Chemicals$1–5 MVery High9–10/10
Intermodal Containers, Vehicles$1 MHigh8–10/10
Building Materials, Heavy Machinery$1 MMid-to-High7–8/10
General Freight, Produce, Refrigerated Hauls$1 MModerate6–7/10
Logs, Bulk Commodities, Livestock, Mail$1 MLower5–6/10

Real-World Numbers

  • Nationwide averages: $9K–16K/year for owner-operators; $5K–12K for leased or small-fleet carriers.
  • Specialty vs. Transport: Specialty niches (e.g., logging, refuse, hazmat) average ~$767/month ($9.2K/year), transport average ~$1,041/month ($12.5K/year) .
  • Log-specific: Generally $8K–15K/year with $750K–1M liability.

Why Costs Vary

  1. Cargo Risk – Hazmat and vehicle hauls have more exposure and severe loss possibilities.
  2. Value at Risk – High-value or oversized cargo demands more expensive insurance.
  3. Regulatory Burden – Liability limits for hazmat and certain commodities drive premiums.
  4. Claims History & Cargo Losses – Some cargo (cars, auto parts, perishable goods) see higher claim rates.
  5. Route & Geography – Urban vs rural, state-specific trends (higher rates in FL, NY, CA vs MS, NE, SD).
  6. Operational Controls – Safety programs, telematics, clean driving records can lower premiums by 10–20%

Key Insights

  • Cheapest Loads: Logs/forest products and bulk non-hazardous freight (grain, mail, refuse)
  • Mid-Tier: General freight, refrigerated loads, household goods
  • Costliest: Vehicle hauling, chemicals, hazmat, large machinery, building materials