Best bobtail insurance companies

Bobtail insurance companies cover truckers when they are operating a semi-truck without a trailer for business-related purposes. The best bobtail insurance companies offer several coverage options. 

Bobtail insurance providers typically cover physical damage caused to other vehicles, medical fees, legal fees, and other related expenses. It’s important that you choose the best bobtail insurance companies for your needs in order to insure your business, vehicles, and truckers against expenses accrued after a collision. 

Keep reading to learn about the details behind the best bobtail insurance companies. And when you’re finished, check out the other articles in our ‘Bobtail insurance’ series:

• What is bobtail insurance?
• How much does bobtail insurance cost?
• Best bobtail insurance companies

Quicklook: 6 Best Bobtail Insurance Companies

• Best For Overall Coverage: Progressive Commercial
• Best For Flexible Deductible Savings Options: Liberty Mutual
• Best For Owner Operators: OOIDA
• Best For Pricing and Discount: State Farm
• Best For Motor Carriers: The Hartford
• Best For Single Truck Businesses: Sentry

What Is Bobtail Insurance?

Bobtail insurance is a type of commercial trucking insurance that solely covers truck owner-operators’ liabilities when they are not actively towing anything. When a truck driver is involved in an incident without a trailer attached, and if the accident then results in property damage or personal harm, bobtail insurance is applied.

How Does Bobtail Insurance Work?

Bobtail insurance only applies when individuals operate their trucks without the cargo trailer attached to and from the terminal. The bobtail coverage is only applicable if the truck is used for business by the individuals listed on the insurance policy. Bobtail insurance protects an insured vehicle from theft, vandalism, fire, and collision.

This insurance covers liability, medical expenses, legal fees, personal property, and others. Some insurance companies refer to a combination of physical damage insurance and non-trucking liability insurance as bobtail insurance. Owner-operators should verify that the insurance company’s policies are a great fit for the policies their trucking business needs.

Is Commercial Truck Insurance Coverage Required for Bobtails?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) does not specifically require insurance for bobtail trucks. Instead, bobtail trucking insurance is a supplemental policy that protects trucking businesses and owner-operators when driving a truck without a trailer attached for non-business purposes, and it is not explicitly required by federal regulations.

However, motor carriers or contracting companies may require owner-operators to have bobtail insurance as part of their agreements to ensure liability coverage during non-business-related driving. In such cases, it becomes a contractual requirement, not an FMCSA mandate.

Best Bobtail Insurance Companies 

Here are the top six bobtail insurance companies offering top-tier services.

Progressive Commercial

Progressive Commercial offers insurance for all types of commercial trucks. Also, Progressive offers low prices and customizable payment schedules to make commercial trucking insurance affordable. This insurance provider offers bobtail truck insurance coverage in all 50 states across the U.S.

Best For: Overall Coverage

Online Quotes: Yes

Coverage Options: 

• Bodily injury
• Liability
• Medical payments
• Uninsured motorist
• Collision
• Personal property damage

Special Features: 

• Customizable policy
• Free state and federal filings
• Specialized heavy truck claims

Benefits: 

• Customizable policy
• Offers a variety of coverage options
• Available in all 50 states in the U.S.
• Discounts  

Disadvantages:

• Varying coverages and features 
• Potential for travel radius to apply 

Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual provides robust bobtail insurance coverage tailored for commercial truck drivers operating without a trailer or cargo. A standout feature of Liberty Mutual’s bobtail insurance is its deductible fund program, which allows policyholders to save on out-of-pocket costs for claims by gradually building a fund to cover their deductibles. This innovative feature provides financial flexibility and peace of mind, especially for truckers managing tight budgets.

Best For: Flexible deductible savings options

Online Quotes: Yes

Coverage Options:

• Bobtail liability
• Physical damage
• Collision coverage
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist
• Medical payments

Special Features:

• Nationwide coverage
• Flexible policy options tailored for owner-operators
• Dedicated claims support team for commercial auto

Benefits:

• Available across most states
• Discounts for safe driving and bundling policies
• Competitive rates tailored to trucking needs

Disadvantages:

• Coverage availability may vary by state
• Limited options for bundling with personal insurance policies
• Specific requirements for policy eligibility may apply

OOIDA

OOIDA offers bobtail liability insurance in all 50 states. The company also recommends various insurance options that can cover trucking businesses against liabilities using transportation modalities. This insurance company provides a comprehensive range of coverage and policy alternatives specifically for small trucking businesses.

Best For: Owner-Operators

Online Quotes: No

Coverage Options: 

• Physical damage
• Rental reimbursement
• Personal property
• Liability
• Trailer interchange
• Medical benefits
• Cleanup and towing
• Gap insurance

Special Features: 

• Identity theft management and resolution service
• Truck to success program

Benefits: 

• Several economical commercial truck insurance options
• Up-to-date trucking news and information 
• Personal property protection

Disadvantages:

• No online quotes
• Must be members of OOIDA to take advantage of insurance options 
• Only accepts owner-operators and small trucking businesses 

State Farm 

State Farm provides a variety of coverage alternatives that can be combined into a single affordable policy. Their bobtail truck insurance coverage is available in 48 states. The company is highly respected for its excellent customer service and affordable auto insurance rates.

Best For: Pricing and Discounts

Online Quotes: Yes

Coverage Options: 

• Rental reimbursement
• Collision
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist
• Property damage
• Liability
• Medical payments

Special Features: None

Benefits: 

• Coverage for individual or fleet vehicles
• Availability of online quotes
• Several discount bundles

Disadvantages: 

• No new policies in Massachusetts or Rhode Island
• No gap insurance

The Hartford

The Hartford is a bobtail insurance company that offers special programs and discounts to fleets. The risk engineering team at Hartford Insurance teaches fleet owners how to increase their safety measures while reducing the risk of accidents. This insurance company received A+ ratings from top credit rating companies A.M. and S&P. 

Best For: Motor Carriers

Online Quotes: No

Coverage Options: 

• Rental reimbursements
• Collision
• Gap insurance
• Liability
• Medical payments
• Personal injury protection
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist

Special Features: Fleet management program  

Benefits: 

• Fleet management programs
• Discounts
• Insurance coverage in all 50 states 
• Special risk engineering services for fleets

Disadvantages: 

• Limited coverage options for single customers
• No online quotes available

Sentry

Sentry Insurance prioritizes single truck customers even though the company also provides coverage to owner-operators and trucking fleets. However, only designated agencies that specialize in trucking are authorized to offer the sentry commercial trucking insurance.

Best For: Single Truck Businesses

Online Quotes: No

Coverage Options:

• Collisions
• Liability
• Comprehensive
• Medical payments
• Physical damage

Special Features: Cyber damage coverage

Benefits: 

• Flexible coverage options
• Available in all 50 states
• Specializes in bobtail coverage for owner-operators
• Specializes in personal use liability

Disadvantages: Must work with a local agent if you are an individual 

What Factors Affect the Price of Bobtail Coverage?

Here are three main factors that contribute to the total cost of bobtail insurance:

• Driving History: The more experience a driver has driving a truck, the lower the insurance provider’s monthly premium rate will be.
• Policy Limits: The policy limit determines the maximum amount of money that the insurance provider will pay towards claims on each type of coverage you select. The bobtail insurance cost often increases with the level of coverage you choose.
• Insurance History: If you have a history of frequent claims on your past insurance policies, you will likely pay more for your bobtail insurance.

What to Consider With Bobtail Insurance 

There are many factors to consider when looking into your bobtail insurance options, including coverage, types of trucks covered, deductibles, monthly premiums, policy limits and the bobtail insurance company’s financial standing. 

Coverage Options

The bobtail coverage option determines which incidents, expenses, and damages will be covered by the insurance provider. Truckers should verify that the insurance company’s coverage options meet their trucking business needs.

Trucks Covered

The type of trucks that a business operates will likely determine the cost and the coverage options that are available to them. Bobtail insurance providers tend to consider the size of the vehicle and the type of vehicle being driven when they are determining the costs of coverage. That said, some insurance providers do not offer bobtail insurance for specific types of trucks.

Deductible

The deductible is the amount of money that a trucking company or a trucking business must pay towards their claim before the bobtail truck insurance coverage will go into effect. 

Monthly Premium

A monthly premium is the amount of money that individuals or trucking business owners must pay in order to retain their insurance company policy and the coverage that comes with it. You can think of it like rental payments, but instead of paying for a place to live, you are paying to insure your trucks and drivers every month. Truckers should make sure they are financially able to afford the monthly premium of a certain type of coverage before agreeing to an insurance plan. 

Policy Limit

A policy limit determines the maximum amount of money your insurance provider will pay for claims on each type of coverage that you select. You should make sure your selected policy limits completely cover the needs of your business. Doing so will help you avoid additional expenses. 

Provider’s Financial Standing

A company’s financial standing will affect the type of bobtail insurance coverage level that they can apply for. A company must make sure it can afford the bobtail insurance policy in the long run to avoid experiencing a loss.

Choose the Best Bobtail Insurance Company for You

Selecting the best bobtail insurance company will require you to take a look at your individual or trucking business needs. The best bobtail insurance companies offer coverage for different types of trucks and industries, as well as provide additional features. 

Consider one of the best bobtail insurance companies talked about above. The aforementioned options can assist your business, vehicles, and truckers from accruing expenses that result from an unexpected collision.

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