Blog
Trucking insurance, coverage mechanics, and motor carrier resources
Long-form guidance for owner-operators and small motor carriers — written and reviewed by Nate Jones, CPCU, founder of Truck Guard Insurance.
Cost Guides
How trucking insurance and motor carrier business costs actually work — drivers, structures, and frameworks for evaluating quotes.
Cost Guides
How much does it cost to start a trucking company in 2026? A complete startup cost breakdown for owner-operators
A CPCU breakdown of every startup cost a new motor carrier faces in 2026 — authority, equipment, ELD, IRP, IFTA, BOC-3, HVUT, insurance, and cash reserves.
Read post →Cost Guides
New authority insurance: why first-year trucking policies cost the most and what you can do about it
CPCU explains why new-authority trucking insurance prices at a premium — surplus lines markets, no loss history, no tenure — and what changes at month 13.
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Liability limits explained: why brokers require $1 million and FMCSA only requires $750,000
A CPCU explains the gap between the FMCSA financial-responsibility minimum and the $1M liability limit brokers and shippers require on every load.
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Physical damage coverage on a financed truck: how the lienholder, the carrier, and the cargo move together
A CPCU walks physical damage coverage on a financed truck — stated value vs ACV vs agreed value, gap coverage, and lienholder requirements.
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What drives trucking insurance premiums up — and what brings them down: the rating factors explained by a CPCU
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter walks the rating factors that move trucking insurance premiums — radius, commodity, fleet age, MVR, CSA, and more.
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How a reefer breakdown claim actually plays out under motor truck cargo coverage
A CPCU walks the reefer breakdown claim process — proof of loss, refusal documentation, deductible interaction, breakdown vs spoilage exclusions.
Read post →Coverage Explained
Line-by-line walkthroughs of the coverage forms motor carriers buy — what each form does, what it does not do, and when each fires.
Coverage Explained
BMC-91 vs MCS-90: what every motor carrier should know about FMCSA insurance filings
A CPCU breakdown of the BMC-91 filing form versus the MCS-90 endorsement, what each one does at FMCSA, and why motor carriers confuse them.
Read post →Coverage Explained
General liability for trucking operations: the coverage that protects you when the truck is not moving
A CPCU walkthrough of general liability for trucking, the premises-and-operations exposures auto liability misses, and why motor carriers need both.
Read post →Coverage Explained
Non-trucking liability vs. bobtail coverage: the off-dispatch gap that catches leased-on owner-operators
A CPCU walkthrough of bobtail versus non-trucking liability coverage, the off-dispatch gap leased-on owner-operators face, and which form fills it.
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Trailer interchange agreements: when you are liable for someone else's trailer and what coverage responds
A CPCU walkthrough of trailer interchange agreements, UIIA framework, and which coverage responds when you damage a non-owned trailer in your care.
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Workers comp for trucking payrolls: how monopoly-state and interstate operations change everything
A CPCU walkthrough of workers comp for trucking payrolls, the four state-monopoly funds, and how interstate operations change the rating analysis.
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When MCS-90 actually fires: pollution events, cargo spills, and the federal guarantee no one wants to trigger
CPCU walkthrough of when MCS-90 fires, how the federal financial-responsibility guarantee works, and why motor carriers owe the money back.
Read post →Owner Resources
Operational guidance for owner-operators and small motor carriers — FMCSA filings, DOT audits, CSA scores, trade-association choices, and quarterly compliance.
Owner Resources
CSA score interventions: what an FMCSA warning letter means, how it affects your insurance, and how to fix it before renewal
A CSA warning letter is the first step in FMCSA's intervention sequence. Here is what triggers it, how it affects insurance, and how to fix it.
Read post →Owner Resources
Broker vs. dispatcher vs. factor: who works for whom, what they cost, and the legal lines you cannot cross
Brokers, dispatchers, and factors play different roles in your trucking business. Confusing them creates legal risk. Here is what each one does.
Read post →Owner Resources
How to pass your DOT new entrant safety audit: the 16 violations that fail you automatically
Every new motor carrier faces a DOT safety audit within 12 months. 49 CFR 385.321 lists 16 violations that fail you automatically. Here are all 16.
Read post →Owner Resources
FMCSA's 2026 ELD crackdown: revoked devices, MOTUS registration, and what every motor carrier needs to do this year
FMCSA has revoked more electronic logging devices in 2025-2026 than in any prior period. Here is what the crackdown means and what to do now.
Read post →Owner Resources
IFTA filing made simple: what owner-operators need to track and when each quarter is due
IFTA is a quarterly fuel-tax filing for qualified motor vehicles crossing state lines. Here is what to track, when to file, and how to stay compliant.
Read post →Owner Resources
OOIDA vs. ATA: which trucking association actually represents your interests as an owner-operator
OOIDA and ATA both lobby FMCSA, often on opposite sides. Here is what each association represents and which one actually speaks for owner-operators.
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