Truck Insurance Liability Coverage
April 30th, 2009 | by Steve Turner |Before drivers are able to drive commercial trucks they are required to have specific amount of public liability limits for bodily injury, environmental restoration, and property damage on their Truck Insurance policies. These requirements are set up by the Federal and State governmental laws. The amount of coverage that they will need depend on the type of operations that they will be doing.
Public liability limits are typically divided into two groups. A limit of $300,000 is required for vehicles that weigh less than 10,000 pounds. The most common amount is $750,000 for vehicles weighing over 10,001 pounds.
The type of cargo being carried can have a difference as well. If hazardous material is being carried then the limits change to $1,000,000. This will increase even further to $5,000,000 if a liquid hazardous material is being carried.
Some but not all goods will be transported across state lines. The base state of operation may have particular insurance requirements that need to be met it this is the case.
Purchasing the truck insurance policy through an agent that specializes in the trucking industry will be able to easily determine the particular needs of the driver. Having such a resource is very helpful since there are such large implications of liability related to the trucking industry.
Drivers must also carry $5,000 of cargo insurance coverage in addition to the above public liability coverage. To protect their merchandise most drivers’ customers will require them to carry $100,000 of cargo coverage instead of the low minimum.
Purchasing the insurance policy from a stable insurance provider is crucial. Accident claims related to commercial trucks will be large and drivers need to make certain that the provider they choose will be able to quickly and easily take care of the related expenses.