Car hauler and auto transport insurance built around your load

Car hauler insurance, also called auto transport insurance, is a commercial program for businesses that haul vehicles for others. It combines primary auto liability, physical damage on your truck and trailer, and motor truck cargo sized to the vehicles you carry, plus bobtail, general liability, and FMCSA filings.

Your cargo limit should match the total value of every vehicle on the trailer, not a flat $100,000. Add up what a full load is worth on your most valuable run and insure to that number. Too little cargo coverage is an expensive mistake, because the gap on a total loss is yours.

Open haulers carry standard vehicles on an exposed trailer and usually need cargo limits in the mid six figures. Enclosed haulers carry high-value, exotic, and classic cars, so they need much higher cargo limits and often stricter security and handling requirements. Premiums track the value and risk of the load.

Insureon reports a median of $787 per month, or $9,442 per year, for commercial auto insurance among the car hauling businesses that apply through it. Progressive Commercial reports an average of $926 and a median of $821 per month for new for-hire transport truck policies in 2025. Cargo is priced on top and follows the value you haul. A driver leased to a carrier who only needs non-trucking liability and physical damage pays less.

It can, but you have to confirm it. A large share of car hauler claims happen during loading and unloading, and some cargo forms limit or exclude that exposure. We check the form and make sure loading, unloading, and tie-down damage is covered.

Yes, if you haul for hire across state lines. Federal rules require at least $750,000 in liability for a for-hire carrier in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more, and large brokers such as C.H. Robinson and TQL require $1,000,000. The MCS-90 endorsement goes on your policy, and your insurer files a BMC-91X with the FMCSA before your authority is active.

Often yes. Even after a flawless repair, a transported vehicle can lose resale value, and the owner may file a diminished value claim against you. Standard cargo forms do not always respond, so we confirm how your policy handles diminished value before you bind.