Quick Answer: Hot shot insurance is commercial truck insurance for a pickup and trailer hauling freight for hire. Most hot shot operators carry primary auto liability, physical damage on the truck and trailer, and motor truck cargo. Federal rules set the liability minimum at $750,000 for interstate for-hire carriers in vehicles rated 10,001 pounds or more. Large freight brokers such as C.H. Robinson and TQL ask for $1,000,000 in liability and $100,000 in cargo.
What Hot Shot Insurance Covers
Primary Auto Liability
Helps pay for injuries and property damage your truck causes to other people. This is the coverage federal rules require of a for-hire carrier and the one your insurer files with the FMCSA.
Physical Damage
Helps pay to repair or replace your truck and trailer after a covered collision, theft, fire, hail, or vandalism. A lender will require it on financed equipment.
Motor Truck Cargo
Helps pay for the freight on your trailer when it is damaged or lost in a covered event. Federal rules do not require it for general freight. Brokers and shippers do.
Non-Trucking Liability
For owner operators leased to a motor carrier. It typically responds when you drive the truck for personal use and the carrier's policy does not apply.
Trailer Interchange
Covers physical damage to a trailer you do not own while it is in your care under a written interchange agreement.
General Liability
Helps address claims that do not come from driving, such as damage you cause on a shipper's premises. Some brokers and shippers ask for it in the contract.
Often added: workers compensation if you have employees, and a commercial umbrella when a contract calls for higher limits. Go deeper on what physical damage covers, cargo insurance, and non-trucking liability.
What Is Hot Shot Trucking?
Hot shot trucking is hauling smaller, time-sensitive loads with a heavy-duty pickup and a flatbed or gooseneck trailer instead of a semi. Typical freight is equipment, machinery, building materials, and vehicles that need to move now and do not fill a 53-foot trailer. You will see it written as hot shot and as hotshot. The insurance is the same.
Once you haul someone else's freight for pay, you are a for-hire motor carrier. Personal auto policies commonly exclude carrying property for a fee, so a claim on a paid load can be denied. Hot shot insurance is commercial trucking insurance written for that work and sized to a pickup and trailer.
How you run decides what you buy. Under your own authority, you carry the full program: primary liability, physical damage, and cargo, plus the federal filing that makes your authority active. Our guide to FMCSA insurance requirements for a new authority walks through the steps in order.
Leased on to a motor carrier, that carrier's policy generally provides the primary liability while you are under dispatch. You usually carry non-trucking liability, often called bobtail, and physical damage on your own equipment. The lease agreement says who buys what, so read it before you buy. Our owner operator insurance page compares both setups.
Hot shot is one corner of trucking. If you run a straight truck, see box truck insurance. If you haul vehicles on a wedge or multi-car trailer, see car hauler insurance. For pickups and vans that do not haul freight for hire, commercial auto insurance is usually the fit.
Know your weight ratings before you call
The federal rules below are written around weight ratings: the GVWR on your truck's door label, the GVWR on your trailer's plate, and the two added together. Have both numbers ready. They decide your liability minimum, whether you need a USDOT number, and whether the driver needs a CDL.
Hot Shot Insurance Requirements
Seven federal rules shape a hot shot insurance program. The minimum is what the law asks for. Your contracts usually ask for more.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Liability, 10,001 pounds or more 49 CFR 387.9 |
A for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous property in interstate commerce, in a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage. | Code of Federal Regulations |
| Liability, under 10,001 pounds 49 CFR 387.303 |
A for-hire fleet made up only of vehicles under 10,001 pounds GVWR must carry at least $300,000. | Code of Federal Regulations |
| Cargo insurance 49 CFR 387.303 |
Federal rules require cargo insurance only of household goods carriers. There is no federal cargo requirement for general freight, so the amount is set by your broker or shipper contract. | FMCSA |
| Proof and filings 49 CFR 387.7 |
The carrier keeps proof of coverage, the Form MCS-90 endorsement on the liability policy. For operating authority, the insurer files Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X with the FMCSA. | Code of Federal Regulations |
| USDOT number | Required when the truck or the truck and trailer together are rated at 10,001 pounds or more and operate in interstate commerce. Many states also require one for carriers that never leave the state. | FMCSA |
| Operating authority (MC number) | Required to haul federally regulated commodities owned by others, for a fee, in interstate commerce. | FMCSA |
| Commercial driver's license 49 CFR 383.5 |
A Class A CDL applies to a combination with a gross combination weight rating, or actual combined weight, of 26,001 pounds or more when the trailer is over 10,000 pounds. | Code of Federal Regulations |
This is a summary for insurance planning, not legal advice. Hazardous materials carry higher minimums, and each state sets its own rules for carriers that stay in state.
What brokers ask for. The federal minimum will not get you loads from most large brokers. C.H. Robinson and TQL both publish carrier requirements of $1,000,000 in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo. Read the insurance section of each broker and shipper agreement, then send it to us so the policy and the certificate of insurance match it.
Non-CDL Hotshot Insurance
A non-CDL hotshot setup keeps the truck and trailer at a combined weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less. A Class A commercial driver's license comes into play at 26,001 pounds or more combined, when the trailer is over 10,000 pounds.
Staying under that line changes the license you need. It does not change the insurance rules. The federal liability minimum is tied to the 10,001-pound rating and to hauling for hire across state lines, so a non-CDL rig above that rating needs the same $750,000 minimum, a USDOT number, and operating authority.
Insurers still look closely at the driver: commercial driving experience and the motor vehicle record. Tell us both up front, along with your truck and trailer ratings, and we will take the account to the carriers that write non-CDL hot shot operations. Starting out in Illinois? Read insurance for a new trucking authority in Illinois.
What Hot Shot Insurance Costs
Progressive Commercial reports that its national average monthly cost for commercial truck insurance in 2025 ranged from $734 for specialty truckers to $926 for transport truckers. It does not publish a separate hot shot figure. Seven things move your number.
| Cost factor | How it moves the premium | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Under your own authority you buy the primary liability and the federal filing. Leased to a carrier, you generally buy less. | USDOT and MC numbers, or the date you applied |
| Limits and coverages | A $1,000,000 liability limit and $100,000 in cargo cost more than the federal minimum. Each added coverage adds premium. | The insurance section of your broker or shipper contracts |
| What you haul | Cargo premium follows the type of freight and what a load is worth. | Commodities and the typical value of a load |
| Operating radius | More miles and more states mean more exposure on the road. | The states you run and your farthest regular trip |
| Truck and trailer | Physical damage premium follows the age and value of the equipment. | Year, make, VIN, GVWR, and stated value for each |
| Driving history | Violations and accidents raise the price. Commercial driving experience helps. | License class, years of experience, and driving record |
| Location | Rates differ by where the truck is based. | The garaging address |
Progressive's averages are for its own new policies in 2025, per power unit, with liability and physical damage and no driver violations. They are not a quote. The seven factors are the ones Progressive lists. For the wider market, read how much commercial truck insurance costs.
What we need to quote hot shot insurance
Trucking underwriters ask for the same items on every account. Having them ready gets your hotshot quote back sooner.
- USDOT and MC numbers, or whether you are applying for new authority
- Whether you run under your own authority or are leased to a carrier
- Truck: year, make, model, VIN, GVWR, and stated value
- Trailer: year, type, length, VIN, GVWR, and stated value
- Each driver's license class, years of commercial experience, and driving record
- What you haul and the typical value of a load
- The states you run and your farthest regular trip
- The limits your brokers or shippers require
- Prior insurance and loss runs, if you have them
What Our Clients Say
Why Hot Shot Truckers Choose Pro Insurance Group
An Agency, Not a Carrier
We are an independent agency. We work for the trucker and shop the market on your behalf.
Hot Shot Markets
We take your account to the carriers that want pickup and trailer operations, not just the first one that answers.
Filings Handled
We arrange the MCS-90 and the BMC-91X filing with your insurer so your authority can go active.
Certificates, Fast
Brokers want a certificate before they release a load. We turn them around the same day in most cases.
Adding trucks or drivers? Our trucking insurance program covers owner operators and fleets, and general liability can be written alongside it.
Hot Shot Insurance FAQ
What is hot shot insurance?
Hot shot insurance is commercial truck insurance for a pickup and trailer hauling freight for hire. A typical program combines primary auto liability, physical damage on the truck and trailer, and motor truck cargo. Operators leased to a motor carrier usually carry non-trucking liability and physical damage instead of the full program.
How much does hot shot insurance cost?
Progressive Commercial reports that its national average monthly cost for commercial truck insurance in 2025 ranged from $734 for specialty truckers to $926 for transport truckers, per power unit, for new policies with liability and physical damage and no driver violations. It does not publish a separate hot shot figure. Your price depends on your authority, limits, cargo, radius, equipment, driving history, and location.
How much insurance does a hot shot driver need?
Federal rules require at least $750,000 in liability for a for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous freight across state lines in a vehicle rated 10,001 pounds or more. Brokers often ask for more. C.H. Robinson and TQL both publish carrier requirements of $1,000,000 in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo.
Do I need commercial insurance for non-CDL hotshot trucking?
Yes. Staying at a combined weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less changes the license you need, not the insurance rules. The federal liability minimum is tied to the 10,001-pound weight rating and to hauling for hire across state lines, so a non-CDL rig above that rating needs the same coverage, a USDOT number, and operating authority.
Is cargo insurance required for hot shot trucking?
Not by federal rule for general freight. The FMCSA requires cargo insurance only of household goods carriers. In practice cargo coverage is set by contract, and brokers such as C.H. Robinson and TQL publish a $100,000 cargo requirement for the carriers they use.
Does my personal auto policy cover hot shot loads?
Usually not. Personal auto policies commonly exclude carrying property for a fee, so a claim that happens on a paid load can be denied. Hauling freight for hire calls for a commercial truck policy.
Do I need a USDOT number and an MC number for hot shot trucking?
You need a USDOT number when your truck, or your truck and trailer together, are rated at 10,001 pounds or more and you operate in interstate commerce. You need operating authority, an MC number, to haul federally regulated freight owned by others, for a fee, across state lines. Many states have their own rules for carriers that stay in state.
What insurance do I need if I am leased on to a carrier?
The motor carrier's policy generally provides the primary liability while you are under dispatch. Leased owner operators usually carry non-trucking liability and physical damage on their own truck and trailer. Your lease agreement says who buys what, so read it before you buy.
Is Pro Insurance Group an insurance company?
No. Pro Insurance Group is an independent insurance agency, not an insurance carrier. We work for the trucker, take the account to the carriers that write hot shot operations, and place the policy with the company that fits. We write trucking accounts in Illinois and 40+ states.
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Reviewed by Neal Fusco, VP Commercial Lines
25 years in insurance, including 16 at Zurich North America in workers' compensation managed care and claims.
Illinois licensed insurance producer #18515626