As an independent owner-operator, your truck is your livelihood. You want to make sure it's protected with truck insurance at all times. That's why non-trucking liability insurance is a necessity. When you're under permanent lease to a motor carrier and you're not driving under dispatch, non-trucking liability insurance provides the truck insurance coverage you need.

Non-trucking liability insurance can pay for medical and associated expenses for injuries or even death that you cause to other people or for any damage caused to other peoples' property.

Typically, a motor carrier will provide primary auto liability insurance coverage for owner-operators but does not provide physical damage coverage. This means you need to purchase physical damage coverage for your truck on your own. Physical damage coverage protects you whether or not you're under dispatch in the event of a total loss or if your truck is damaged by a collision or overturn, theft or natural disaster. With non-trucking liability and physical damage coverage for your truck, you can be sure you're fully protected.

Non-trucking liability insurance is sometimes called bobtail insurance. However, bobtail insurance may not be the same thing as non-trucking liability insurance. Bobtail insurance typically protects a tractor when it's being operated without a trailer, regardless of whether or not it's under dispatch. Non-trucking liability protects the tractor when it's being operated off dispatch, regardless of whether or not it's pulling a trailer.

As a trucker, we know you're always on the look-out for better rates on truck insurance. And we have them, especially for high-value vehicles with proof-of-prior insurance. Our physical damage rates can be as low as 1.5% of your vehicle's stated amount. And remember, our physical damage rates are primary and coverage applies whether you are under dispatch or not.

You are off duty and not under disbatch and driving your truck for personal reasons when you vehicle swerves and hits a guard rail.

No one is seriously injured, but you took out 100 feet of guard rail.

Your motor carrier's liability insurance won't cover this accident since you were off duty and not under disbatch when it happened. Your non-trucking liability insurance, however, will protect you.

If you chose limits of $1,000,000 combined single limit, your non-trucking liability would pay for:

• The $12,000 owed to the State to replace the 100 feet of guard rail.

Since none of the expenses incurred in this accident exceed your limits, your non-truck liability insurance would cover the all of these costs.

Non-trucking liability insurance coverage does not apply when you are pulling a loaded trailer, operating on behalf of a motor carrier, or using a vehicle for any revenue generating purpose. These types of activities are covered by primary auto liability insurance.