Box truck insurance

Where your box truck sits on the weight chart

10,001 lbs or more

GVWR or actual weight, whichever is greater. In interstate commerce the truck is a commercial motor vehicle: USDOT number, DOT medical certificate for drivers, FMCSA safety rules (49 CFR 390.5, 391.41).

26,001 lbs or more GVWR

A single vehicle this heavy is a Group B vehicle: drivers need a Class B CDL (49 CFR 383.5), and CDL drivers must be in a drug and alcohol testing program (49 CFR 382.103).

Over 26,000 lbs, two axles

For interstate runs, a two-axle truck with a gross or registered weight over 26,000 lbs — or any truck with three or more axles — needs IRP plates and an IFTA license.

That is why the popular 26,000-lb GVWR box truck is non-CDL — but it is still over 10,001 lbs, so it is a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce and falls in the higher insurance tier below. Hauling only inside one state? Many states require a USDOT number for intrastate trucks too; see the state guides.

Liability limits for box truck authority

FMCSA’s insurance chart for for-hire carriers of general (non-hazardous) freight:

• $750,000 — vehicles rated 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, which includes non-CDL trucks up to 26,000 lbs;
• $300,000 — vehicles rated under 10,001 lbs GVWR.

Certain hazardous materials require $1,000,000 or $5,000,000. The minimum is a floor, not a recommendation: delivery contracts, brokers and shippers can require higher limits, so check what yours ask for before you pick one.

Moving household goods

Movers are the one group FMCSA requires to carry cargo insurance. Its chart for for-hire household goods carriers lists $750,000 of liability and $5,000 of cargo coverage, filed on Form BMC-34 or BMC-83 on top of the BMC-91 or BMC-91X.

If you move household goods for individual customers across state lines, you also follow FMCSA’s household goods rules in 49 CFR Part 375. Moves inside one state are regulated by that state — for example, North Carolina, South Carolina and Missouri each require their own authority for in-state movers; see the state guides.

Coverage to consider for a box truck

• Primary auto liability — required; with your own authority it carries the MCS-90 endorsement and the BMC-91X filing.
• Motor truck cargo — required only for household goods by FMCSA, but delivery and freight contracts can set a cargo limit. See cargo insurance.
• Physical damage — collision and comprehensive for the truck; a lender with a lien on it will require it.
• General liability — for claims that don’t come from driving the truck, for example at a customer’s premises.
• Workers’ compensation — if you have employees such as helpers; your state’s law sets when it is required.

Quote checklist for a box truck

• USDOT and MC numbers (or your pending application).
• For each truck: VIN, year, make, model, GVWR, body type (dry van, reefer, liftgate) and the value to insure.
• Drivers’ license class and years of experience.
• What you haul — freight, packages, furniture, household goods — and where.
• Contract insurance requirements and who needs a certificate of insurance (certificate holders).
• Loss runs from recent insurers.