Alabama Truck Insurance

AL License #: 3001067322

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Truck Insurance in Alabama

Hiring qualified drivers and maintaining your trucks in good condition are important, but protecting your vehicles takes more than that. It’s also imperative that you cover drivers and vehicles with the right level of insurance. With rising insurance rates, finding the right insurance with a budget in mind can be difficult, but it’s extremely important to do so. According to the FMCSA, in 2018, the “number of large trucks and buses in fatal crashes . . . increased by 48 percent from its low of 3,432 in 2009.” And according to the Alabama Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 2019 alone saw over 10,000 accidents involving trucks, with 137 fatalities. Of those fatalities, over 66 percent occurred on state routes and interstates. So it’s not a matter of whether or not you should be insured but how to find the best value for your money while keeping you and yours protected on the road.

While insurance is vital no matter where you drive, every state has its own special regulations. Let’s review why you need Alabama truck insurance and why you should use an independent insurance agent when protecting your trucks.

Why do I need Alabama Trucking Insurance?

  • Truck Liability Coverage

    All states require the purchase of liability coverage for your trucks, though they vary in specifications. Various laws notwithstanding, purchasing liability insurance would be in your best interest. When your truck is involved in an accident, liability insurance covers any injuries or damage sustained by the other driver or vehicle, so you don’t have to. In Alabama, truck drivers and businesses are required by law to hold a minimum level of liability insurance, determined by what you haul and where. For example, if your truck doesn’t cross state lines and is over 26,000 GVW, you must have an intrastate-only USDOT Number and be insured.

  • Physical Damage Coverage

    While physical damage coverage may not be required by law, it’s just as essential as liability coverage. When big trucks are involved in an accident, the damages can be extremely expensive. According to the FMCSA, “The average cost of all large truck crashes is about $91,000 per crash.” That average can escalate up to nearly $200,000 when there are injuries involved, and it can even reach millions of dollars in the case of fatalities. But physical damage coverage is designed to protect you from these losses, especially when a truck is put out of service for an extended time or permanently.

  • Motor Truck Cargo

    The two most popular cargo insurance forms are called broad-form cargo insurance and named-peril cargo insurance. Broad form covers everything except a list of exclusions, and named-peril coverage will only cover the list of scenarios (perils) listed on the policy. No matter what type of commercial vehicle you are driving, if you are hauling goods on a for-hire basis, you need motor truck cargo insurance to make sure you and your clients’ goods are covered. The limit you need is determined by the value of the goods in transport. Most dry van and reefer truckers have around $100,000 limits, but carriers hauling machinery and electronics could need limits of more than $1 million.

  • Truckers General Liability

    This coverage can be a bit trickier to understand, but here is the simplest way to understand it: Truckers general liability insurance is designed to protect your company from any damage that might occur when there is not a driver behind the wheel of your truck. On the other hand, your auto liability coverage would cover your business when you are driving. If you have other aspects of your business—such as a quarry or a consolidation warehouse—you will need a more robust general liability insurance policy that considers exposures outside the realm of trucking.

Why Should I use an Independent Insurance Agent?

Find Insurance Programs Specific to Your Needs

No matter what or where you’re driving, if you apply yourself, you can find an insurance program that caters to that specific type of vehicle and its needs. In the long haul, this will benefit your business more than trying to force a general insurance program to fit your needs. For example, TIS specializes in the trucking niche and provides market access to numerous specialty truck insurance programs, including programs for the following:

Instant Certificates of Insurance with our Mobile App

You never know exactly when you need good insurance, but it is such a relief when those occasions do arrive to know that you have the necessary coverage. When the unexpected happens and you need to prove your policy, the last thing you want is to be waiting for hours in the middle of the night for an insurance agent to return your call or get back into the office. For our part, TIS is available 24/7 to issue your certificate of insurance through our mobile app. Regardless of where you or your drivers may go, we’re right there with you for every mile of your journey.

Get Assistance with your Alabama Truck Permits & Filings

With so many regulations and laws, it can be hard to ensure that you stay compliant—but not staying compliant can be expensive. The right agent is there to not only make sure you’re insured but also to help you keep all your permits up to date. At TIS, our permits department is knowledgeable in all aspects of Alabama commercial trucking requirements, and we are constantly staying on top of the ever-changing system for updates that might trip you up. We ensure our clients have all the necessary Alabama truck permits and keep you informed of all changes made to laws and regulations.

Commercial Transportation & Truck Insurance in 48 States

We also have truck insurance available in surrounding states including Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Since TIS is unaffiliated with any insurance company, it has unimpeded access to nearly all carriers in the industry. With that being said, we can pair you with the appropriate carrier that can cater to your business's distinct requirements, regardless of the type of trucks you operate. 

Alabama Truck Insurance Quote

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