Do I need bobtail insurance?

I am an owner-operator trucker, do I need bobtail insurance? Commercial insurance for truckers -owner-operator- is very specific and many wonder if they need to have Bobtail and Non-Trucking Liability insurance coverage. To understand what it is, we are first going to establish what Bobtail Insurance is.
To be able to operate, Florida law and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, require them to have certain insurance coverage.

For example, the FMCSA states that truckers traveling out of state are required to have liability coverage of between $750,000 and $1 million. While Florida law requires them to have the following coverages: personal injury protection or PIP, property damage coverage, and bodily injury liability insurance.

However, under certain conditions, these requirements may be insufficient. For example, when truckers use only the tractor head of the truck -bobtail-, without carrying the trailer, either when traveling for a personal matter, when moving to a workshop, when going to a yard or when they are looking for a trailer. The interesting thing about the subject is that, if at that moment they suffer an accident, most insurance companies would only be responsible if they have Bobtail Insurance coverage, otherwise “the companies will wash their hands like Pontius Pilate.”

On the other hand, it often happens that truck drivers work under a broker or are hired by a transport company that is responsible for the insurance-linked to the operation. Something that is not fulfilled, if you are an independent truck driver -owner-operator-, or you are circulating without load, with the truck empty, directing it to a certain place. The issue is that if an accident occurs under the aforementioned conditions, compulsory insurance will not protect you unless you have Non-Trucking Liability protection. I am an owner-operator trucker, do I need bobtail insurance?

To find out the details of the coverage that is convenient for you to have when operating a truck, call your Univista Insurance specialist and he or she will put together a package with different policies that will guarantee that your business is not in danger, after suffering an accident or mishap.

Call us today for a full qualification! 305-728-2088. You can also quote for free here.