Physical damage insurance pays to repair or replace your truck after a collision, fire, theft, vandalism, or weather event, regardless of fault. It combines collision and comprehensive coverage, both defined in Alvix’s glossary for trucking insurance, and almost every lender requires it before financing a truck.
Collision coverage pays for hitting another vehicle, a guardrail, or a loading dock. Comprehensive coverage pays for damage with no collision involved, such as fire, theft, or hitting a deer, and in most cases the policy extends to your trailer as well.
Physical Damage Protection Alvix Provides
Alvix Insurance Group builds physical damage coverage around your actual equipment:
- Collision coverage that repairs or replaces your truck, and usually your trailer, regardless of fault
- Comprehensive coverage for fire, theft, vandalism, hail, or hitting an animal
- A deductible subtracted directly from your claim payout, never billed separately
- Total loss payouts based on actual cash value, not what you paid new
- Coverage that activates on your timeline, not paperwork’s
- Claims handled directly by Alvix’s team, not left to an adjuster alone
What Physical Damage Protection Does Not Cover
- Injuries or property damage to others, covered by Primary Truck Liability Insurance
- The freight you haul, covered by Cargo Freight Insurance Protection
- A trailer you pull but do not own, covered by Trailer Interchange Insurance Protection
- Non-vehicle liability like a slip-and-fall claim, covered by General Liability Insurance Coverage
- Losses beyond your liability limits, covered by Excess Liability Insurance Coverage
Who Needs Physical Damage Protection
This coverage matters most when a truck is not fully paid off or cannot be replaced out of pocket, since a financed or leased truck almost always carries a lender requirement for it.
- Owner-operators financing or leasing a truck
- Small fleet managers running mixed equipment
- First-time authority holders putting a first truck into service
Vehicle and Cargo Types Alvix Covers Under Physical Damage Protection
Physical damage protection covers the vehicle itself, so it applies across every equipment type Alvix insures:
Flatbed | Auto Hauler | Heavy Haul | Logging | Cement | Tank | Dump | Box | Hot Shot | Reefer
Physical Damage Protection Rates by Vehicle Type
| Vehicle/Cargo Type | Minimum Rate | Maximum Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Flatbed Truck Insurance | $7,000/year | $22,000/year |
| Auto Hauler Insurance | $8,000/year | $30,000/year |
| Heavy Haul Trucking Insurance | $11,000/year | $42,000/year |
| Logging Truck Insurance | $8,000/year | $30,000/year |
| Cement Truck Insurance | $6,000/year | $22,000/year |
| Tank Truck Insurance | $11,000/year | $50,000/year |
| Dump Truck Insurance | $6,000/year | $18,000/year |
| Box Truck Insurance | $3,000/year | $12,000/year |
| Hot Shot Trucking Insurance | $5,000/year | $16,000/year |
| Reefer Truck Insurance | $7,000/year | $25,000/year |
These figures span every state Alvix writes this coverage in. See the states list below for detail on yours.
States Where Alvix Writes Physical Damage Protection
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
FAQs
1. How much does physical damage insurance cost for a commercial truck?
From about $3,000 a year for a box truck to $50,000 for a tank truck, depending on equipment and state.
2. Does physical damage insurance cover a trailer I do not own?
No. A trailer you pull but do not own falls under trailer interchange insurance instead.
3. What is the difference between physical damage insurance and a manufacturer's warranty?
A warranty covers a defect in a part built wrong. Physical damage insurance covers an outside event, like a collision or fire, that damaged something working fine.
4. Does physical damage insurance cover hitting a deer or other animal?
Yes, under comprehensive coverage, not collision, since nothing else was moving when the impact happened.
5. How much does raising my deductible actually save?
Moving from a $1,000 to a $2,500 deductible typically saves $400 to $900 a year, worthwhile only with that reserve on hand.
6. Is physical damage insurance required by law?
No. It sits outside FMCSA’s financial responsibility minimums under 49 CFR Part 387, though almost every lender requires it anyway.
