Montana Truck Insurance

Montana Commercial Truck Insurance

Understanding Montana Trucking Insurance Coverages

• Auto Liability

  When it comes to operating commercial trucks in Montana, carrying proper auto liability insurance is not just recommended - it's legally required. This covers bodily injury and property damage if one of your drivers causes an accident. For example, if your dump truck driver rear-ends a car and injures the occupants, your liability coverage can pay for their medical bills and repair or replace their vehicle. Or if your moving truck sideswipes a row of parked cars while turning a tight corner, your insurance helps pay for the damage. While Montana's roads see less congestion than other states, accidents still happen - especially tricky winter driving conditions. That's why carrying robust liability limits is crucial to protect your business in the event of an expensive, negligent or preventable crash you may be held responsible for. $750,000 may seem high, but a serious accident's injuries could exceed that quickly when emergency/hospital treatment, ongoing care, permanent impairments, lost wages and pain and suffering are considered. The right insurance helps give your company peace of mind that an unfortunate crash won't devastate your finances.

• Physical Damage

  Operating commercial trucks on Montana's rural roads and long hauls exposes vehicles to all manner of road hazards and weather extremes. That's why many trucking firms in Big Sky Country invest in physical damage coverage to protect their heavy investments should the worst occur. Physical damage coverage pays to repair or replace your owned/leased trucks and trailers if they are damaged or destroyed in incidents like collisions, fires, floods, animal strikes or vandalism. For example, say an early autumn blizzard dumps heavy wet snow and your tractor-trailer slides off an icy stretch of interstate, resulting in a overturned rig and total loss. Or a large buck darts into the road, leaving your delivery van with extensive front-end damage. In situations like these, physical damage coverage would pay your repair shop bills or reimburse you the actual cash value or replacement value of your destroyed vehicle - minus your deductible amount. For small fleets or independent owner operators, losing a truck for any period of time can severely hamper business and revenue. The right physical damage protection provides cash flow to repair or replace your assets quickly so you can get back out on the open Montana roads doing what you do best – keeping commerce flowing.

• Motor Truck Cargo

  Hauling goods across the expansive roads of Big Sky Country is the lifeblood of Montana's economy. And for trucking companies transporting anything from livestock to construction materials, having motor truck cargo coverage is essential. This inland marine insurance protects you in case the products you're shipping are lost, damaged or destroyed along the way. For example, say one of your flatbed trucks is moving a load of lumber from a mill in Western Montana to a builder in Billings. En route, the aging tie-down straps securing the load break on a bumpy stretch of highway, sending boards and beams spilling across the roadway. The long planks smash into oncoming traffic, some are crushed by your truck trying to avoid the debris, and other cars swerve resulting in a multi-vehicle accident. The remaining intact lumber is also now considered too damaged or compromised to be delivered to the waiting client. In this scenario, cargo insurance would pay out based on the wholesale value of the lost or destroyed lumber as well as freight charges owed, helping make up for the failed delivery. For truckers hauling non-perishable goods of all types, motor truck cargo coverage delivers peace of mind that your business won't take the monetary hit if your transported commodities don't make it to their destination.

• Reefer Breakdown

  In addition to cargo coverage, commercial trucking firms transporting refrigerated products in Montana could benefit from reefer breakdown protection. This covers loss or spoilage of temperature-controlled loads if the refrigeration equipment fails during transport. For instance, an aging reefer system unexpectedly stops cycling mid-route, resulting in thawed dairy or meat products being considered a total loss upon delivery. Or what if a reefer unit electrical fault disables critical alarms meant to warn of equipment failures or temperature fluctuations? Reefer breakdown insurance helps cover your cargo's wholesale value as well as reasonable expenses incurred to inspect, repack and dispose of the cargo. It provides one more layer of protection for truckers transporting time- and climate-sensitive freight so vital to Montana's economy.

• Non-Owned and Trailer Interchange

  Non-owned trailer coverage is important for Montana's commercial trucking companies that utilize trailers they don't own in their operations. For instance, say your delivery firm has a contract to haul goods from a major retailer's distribution center. However, you don't own enough dry van trailers to transport their high trailer load volumes in the required timeframe. So you lease five additional dry van trailers from a rental outfit to fulfill the contract obligations. If one of those non-owned trailers gets damaged during transport or handling at the distribution facility through no direct fault of the driver, this optional coverage pays for repairs so you don't have to foot the bill or battle with the leasing company. Trailer interchange coverage works similarly but covers Physical damage when your drivers drop an owned trailer at a facility and pick up another cargo-loaded trailer in its place - essentially trading responsibility. If that swapped trailer gets damaged or destroyed while in your driver's control, this coverage option pays claims. For flexible fleets without expansive trailer pools, these two coverages help reduce financial risk when utilizing non-owned trailers essential for meeting Montana shipping demands.

• Non-Trucking Liability

  For truckers and motor carriers operating in Montana, having non-trucking liability coverage could offer an added level of protection. Say one of your drivers is “bobtailing” (driving the tractor without an attached trailer) to the terminal shop for maintenance in preparation for an upcoming haul or running a personal errand between jobs. If they cause an accident during this non-revenue generating activity resulting in property damage and injury, their basic truck insurance may not respond since they weren’t technically involved in active commercial trucking at the time. However, non-trucking liability insurance kicks in to help cover bodily injury or property damage your uninsured tractor driver caused by negligence during private use or deadheading. For example, backing the bobtail rig into a pickup in a gas station parking lot or failing to notice a red light could trigger this policy's coverage. While basic liability insurance should suffice for over-the-road hauling operations, non-trucking liability fills a coverage gap for when your drivers operate tractors outside of actively earning revenue. It’s cheap peace of mind for Montana-based fleets.

• Excess Liability

  Operating commercial trucks on Montana's remote rural roads leaves little margin for error. A serious accident caused by one of your drivers could easily exceed the federally mandated $750,000 minimum liability limit. That's why many prudent trucking outfits in the state invest in excess liability coverage. This affordable policy enhancement covers bodily injury and property damage claim costs above your primary liability limits - up to $1 million or even $5 million in additional protection. For instance, say one of your loaded dump trucks fails to obey a highway work zone flagger and plows at speed into a construction site, injuring several workers and doing millions in equipment damage. Or a tired driver veers into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision that claims three lives in another vehicle. In either catastrophic event, excess liability insurance helps shield your business assets if the massive claim exceeds your underlying liability coverage. It could mean the difference between staying solvent or going bankrupt. Considering Montana's highway death rate runs near the national average, excess liability coverage brings desperately needed peace of mind to truckers sharing the road.

• Workers Compensation

  With Montana's expansive rural geography and varied climate, truck drivers face occupational hazards from animal collisions and extreme weather to jackknife situations on icy mountain grades. That makes carrying proper workers' compensation insurance essential. This mandatory coverage pays for medical treatment, lost wages and rehabilitation services if one of your drivers suffers an injury on the job - whether it happens making a delivery or performing maintenance back at the yard. For instance, say a flatbed driver slipping on ice while securing chains suffers a badly broken leg. Not only would workers' comp cover their hospital bills, but also a portion of income lost while recovering. Without this insurance, you'd otherwise have to rely on your driver's health insurance or pay everything out of pocket - expenses that stack up quickly. Carrying a quality workers' comp policy protects your business finances and demonstrates you care about your loyal employees if they get hurt working for your commercial trucking outfit.

• Occupational Accident

  For independent big rig owner-operators hauling loads in Big Sky Country, occupational accident insurance can serve as a lower-cost alternative to complex state workers’ compensation requirements. This first party coverage pays cash benefits directly to you if you become injured driving or loading/unloading your own truck. Payouts can help replace lost income by covering hospital bills, disability payments, even accidental death benefits if tragedy occurred. For example, say you slip getting out of your cab at a fuel stop and break your dominant arm. Occupational accident insurance could pay you while recovering and unable to make hauls. It ensures a paycheck keeps coming without dipping into personal savings or retirement funds. With Montana’s remote nature making prompt emergency care ability sporadic, this coverage brings invaluable financial aid when you need it most.

• General Liability

  Operating a trucking business in Montana involves more than just hauling freight between destinations. You also likely have a home terminal, warehouse space, offices and more that require protection. That's where general liability insurance comes in. It covers your trucking firm if a third party suffers bodily injury or property damage while visiting your premises, during operations, or due to your products. For example, a visitor trips over loose carpeting in your office lobby and breaks their wrist. Or an electrical fire sparked by outdated wiring in your aged terminal building causes smoke damage to nearby structures. Maybe outdated tires you installed fail on a client's rig, contributing to an accident. In instances like these, general liability insurance helps reimburse medical bills, repair costs and legal expenses up to your policy limits. Without adequate coverage, such situations could severely hurt your small business' finances. But general liability coverage gives Montana trucking owners peace of mind that accidents happening both on the road and at permanent business locations won’t necessarily break the bank.

Why Choose The Insurance Store for Truck Insurance in Montana?

Here is what Our Happy Customers have to say

Andrew really went above and beyond to get us the absolute best prize for our new commercial insurance, he was always on top of everything and worked very hard on our policy. Outstanding communication skills and excellent customer service, if I was his boss I would give him a raise. 😃

Helen Sobalvarro

They found us insurance and covered us when nobody else could (FOR A BETTER RATE THAN COMPREHENSIBLE). Their staff if amazing and hardworking, especially Kelli. Really saved us and our work for this upcoming year. A huge thank you to the entire team. I cant express how much it means to us to be covered this year and able to work. I would write more but it would look like a fake review so while I am still ahead, go with TIS when you need your insurance.

Michael K.

I would like to commend my agent Lorraine. She went above and beyond and saved me over 200 a month!!!!!! And got my policy within 24 to 48 hours. Kudos. I highly recommend this company they care and do good honest business.... They are not sharks trying to eat up the small businessman. Thank you to you and your team.

Walker Trucking