Hot Shot Insurance Coverage
From the $750k FMCSA minimum your authority depends on to the $100k cargo limit brokers demand — here's every policy in a hot shot program, what it does, and what it runs.
Which Coverage Do You Actually Need?
A hot shot insurance program isn't one policy — it's a stack, and the right stack depends entirely on how you run. An owner-operator with their own MC authority needs the full build: primary liability at $750k minimum (realistically $1M, because that's what brokers require), motor truck cargo at $100k, and physical damage if there's a lien on the truck — and there usually is.
Leased-on drivers flip the math. The motor carrier's policy covers you under dispatch, so your stack shrinks to bobtail / non-trucking liability and physical damage — a $3,000–$5,000 program instead of a five-figure one. Pull trailers you don't own and trailer interchange enters the picture; run solo without workers comp and occupational accident covers the body that does the tarping.
Brand new to the game? The new authority package bundles the whole first-year stack with the federal filings, and the fleet program takes over once truck number two hits the yard.
| How You Run | Required | Strongly Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Own authority, financed truck | Primary liability + cargo + physical damage | Occ-acc, trailer interchange if power-only |
| Own authority, paid-off truck | Primary liability + cargo | Physical damage, occ-acc |
| Leased on to a carrier | Bobtail / NTL (per lease) | Physical damage, occ-acc |
| Brand-new MC authority | New authority package | Everything the brokers on your boards require |
| 2–10 trucks | Fleet program | Scheduled drivers list + occ-acc per driver |
Every combination above quotes through the same four-step form — tell us how you run and we price the stack that matches, nothing more.
What the Whole Stack Costs
The honest answer to "what does hot shot insurance cost" is a range, because the market prices your specific operation — not the average one. A full own-authority program lands between $7,000 and $30,000 a year. Experienced CDL operators with clean records and a couple years of prior coverage typically see $9,000–$19,000. New-venture non-CDL operators start higher, usually $12,000–$26,000, until the first clean year knocks the new-authority surcharge off.
Inside that total, primary liability does the heavy lifting at roughly 60–70% of the premium. Cargo usually runs $1,200–$3,000, physical damage prices at 3–5% of the stated value on your truck and trailer, and the smaller pieces — bobtail at $30–$50 a month, occupational accident at $120–$250 a month — round out the stack. Expect 15–25% down to bind, and read the full breakdown in our 2026 cost & coverage guide — including three itemized sample quotes you can benchmark against.
One number to burn in: the difference between quotes on the same rig can hit 10x depending on radius, freight type, loss history, and which carriers an agency can access. That last one is the part you control today — quote with a desk that actually specializes in this class.
| Coverage | Typical Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Primary liability ($1M) | $4,500–$18,000 |
| Motor truck cargo ($100k) | $1,200–$3,000 |
| Physical damage | 3–5% of stated value |
| Bobtail / NTL | $360–$600 |
| Trailer interchange | $500–$1,500 |
| Occupational accident | $1,400–$3,000 |
Ranges reflect what we see quoted for 1-ton dually + gooseneck setups across 48 states; your rig, radius, and record set the exact number. Five minutes on the quote form gets you yours.
Not Sure What Your Setup Needs?
Tell us how you run — leased on or own authority, CDL or non-CDL — and we'll build the exact policy stack, nothing more.