This is a reality that many truckers face, and lots do not know that separate insurance policies are needed to protect the truck and the damaged property. Otherwise, you could be out of work and money for quite some time. There are two insurance policies that cover accidents like these, but many confuse them. While bobtail insurance vs non-trucking liability insurance might be similar, they are two different policies that every trucker can benefit from holding.
Bobtail insurance is a policy that covers the truck when a trailer or container is not being pulled. This covers the truck whether or not you are currently dispatched on the job. What that means is that if you are leaving one job and going to another but get in an accident, bobtail insurance is going to cover the cost of that.
However, if you just finished a job and you’re still carrying the trailer, bobtail insurance is not going to cover that. You should also know the about bobtail and deadhead coverage.
Bobtail insurance only covers the truck when there is no trailer or container attached at all.
You might not think that you drive your truck often without a trailer, but think of the times that you drop it off and have to go pick up another one. So you need to know about bobtail and physical damage insurance too. Your general liability insurance isn’t going to cover you because you’re technically not on a job, so this is something that all truckers should consider.
Thankfully, bobtail insurance isn’t too expensive. You could pay anywhere from $30-$70 a month for a policy that would cover up to $1,000,000 in damages. When an accident occurs, you are going to be glad you have this.
Non-trucking liability insurance covers the truck when it is being used for personal use. A lot of truckers drive their truck on their days off, and commercial auto insurance isn’t going to cover the cost of the repairs the truck needs if an accident happens while you’re on the way to the movies with friends. Since a lot of truckers use their trucks as a personal vehicle, think of this as a type of car insurance for your truck. It covers damages to property, medical bills, and the cost of repair for your truck should an accident happen while you’re not on the job.
Non-trucking liability also covers the truck when an empty trailer is being pulled.
Unlike bobtail insurance, this policy can cover the cost of damages to the truck and empty trailer if it was being pulled behind the truck while not being dispatched on a job.
Many truckers confuse these two policies because they are similar, but they each have their place. In a perfect world, truckers would have both of these policies for when an accident occurs.
A trucker is going to need bobtail insurance if they want their truck covered when it is going between jobs or being pulled without a trailer. If you don’t use your truck for personal use, there’s no reason to have a non-trucking liability policy. That policy is only good for people who use their trucks for personal use. Non-trucking liability insurance is going to cost more than bobtail insurance because it usually covers more. You could be spending as little as $100 or as much as $500 a month or more depending on where your garaging address is, your driving record and how much coverage you get.
We hope this article on bobtail insurance vs non-trucking liability was informative. The best way to determine which policy is going to work best for you is to talk to your insurance company. Many companies can bundle policies for better savings, and reading the fine print of the contracts can help you to decide which policy is going to protect you in an accident.
Read through helpful commercial auto insurance for small business to help you better understand polices you own or are buying.
