General liability insurance covers third-party bodily injury, property damage, and advertising injury that happen off the truck: at your terminal, yard, or a customer’s dock.
See our general liability vs. trucking insurance breakdown for how it differs from the policy that covers your truck on the road.
Coverage responds to slip-and-falls at your yard, damage caused at a customer’s dock, and advertising or copyright disputes tied to your business.
Most brokers and shippers require $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate before they sign a contract or dispatch a load.
General Liability Insurance Alvix Provides
- A standard baseline of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate
- Bodily injury and property damage protection at your terminal, yard, or a customer’s site
- Products, completed operations, and medical payments coverage
- Personal, advertising, and rented-premises injury protection
- Additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and primary and noncontributory endorsements, added by name for broker and shipper contracts
- Certificate of insurance access, so a Saturday request from a broker gets answered the same day
What General Liability Insurance Does Not Cover
- A crash involving your own truck. That falls under primary truck liability insurance.
- Damage to your own trailer. That falls under physical damage protection coverage.
- Damage to a trailer you don’t own, under an interchange agreement. That falls under trailer interchange insurance protection.
- The value of the freight you’re hauling. That falls under cargo freight insurance protection.
- Limits above your base policy, for shipper contracts requiring $4,000,000 or more. That’s where excess liability insurance coverage stacks on top.
Who Needs General Liability Insurance
If you run your own MC authority, even with 1 truck, you need general liability the same as a fleet does. A home base or loading point is exposure enough on its own. We see brokers apply their own $1,000,000 floor before dispatching a load, above the state’s legal minimum, so this coverage needs to be active before you’re offered freight.
- Owner-operators and new authority holders
- First-time carriers setting up a new venture
- Small fleets running 6 to 25 trucks out of a shared yard
General Liability Insurance Coverage Limits
| Coverage Scenario | Minimum Limit | Maximum Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard broker or shipper contract | $1,000,000 per occurrence | $2,000,000 aggregate |
| Specialty freight shipper contract | $2,000,000 combined | $4,000,000 combined |
Limit requirements come from broker and shipper contracts, not a state filing. Check the states where Alvix writes general liability coverage below.
States Where Alvix Writes General Liability Insurance
Florida | Texas | Louisiana | Arkansas | Alabama | Georgia | South Carolina | North Carolina | Tennessee | Kentucky | Indiana | Ohio | West Virginia | Pennsylvania | New Jersey | Mississippi | Kansas | Missouri | Illinois | Nevada | Oklahoma | Colorado | New Mexico
General Liability Insurance FAQ
1. How much does general liability insurance cost for a trucking company?
General liability rarely prices as a standalone line. It’s usually folded into a broader stack with primary auto liability and cargo, and it moves your total less than auto and cargo do. Ask for a quote broken out by coverage line if you want the general liability portion isolated.
2. Does general liability insurance cover a truck accident or cargo damage?
No. A crash involving your truck is covered by primary liability. Damage to the freight you’re hauling is covered by cargo insurance. General liability only responds to injuries or property damage that happen off the truck, at a location.
3. What's the difference between general liability and primary truck liability insurance?
Primary liability answers whether your truck caused an accident while hauling freight under dispatch. General liability answers whether something at a location, your terminal, yard, or a customer’s site, hurt someone or damaged property.
4. Do I need general liability insurance if I only run 1 truck?
Yes. A single-truck authority still has a home base or loading point, and that’s exposure enough on its own. Most brokers won’t dispatch a load without a certificate showing at least $1,000,000 in general liability, regardless of fleet size.
5. What limits do brokers and shippers typically require?
Brokers typically want to see $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate before they sign off. Specialty freight shippers ask for more, sometimes $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 combined, met by stacking excess liability on top of the base policy.
6. Can I add a broker or shipper as an additional insured on my policy?
Yes. Many broker and shipper contracts require it as a separate step from just carrying the coverage. A waiver of subrogation and primary and noncontributory wording often ride along with that request, and both need to be added by name before a shipper signs off.
