Hot Shot · Gooseneck · Flatbed

Hot shot insurance that gets your authority active.

Primary auto liability with the federal filing, motor truck cargo and physical damage for hot shot carriers running a heavy-duty pickup with a gooseneck or flatbed trailer.

By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · En español · How this page is researched

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How it works

A pickup truck, a full motor carrier

Hot shot carriers often run one-ton pickups, but interstate for-hire work still makes you a motor carrier. Your MC authority doesn't go active until an insurer files proof of liability with the FMCSA, and most brokers won't load you without a certificate showing liability and cargo.

Fewer carriers write hot shot than standard trucking, and new authorities have the fewest options. I place hot shot operations with the markets that write them, including the truck and trailer as separate units.

Primary auto liabilityInjuries and damage you cause on the road, with the BMC-91 or 91X filing.
Motor truck cargoThe freight strapped to your deck.
Physical damageYour pickup and your trailer, each listed with its value.
Non-trucking liabilityFor operators leased on to another carrier's authority.

What I help with

Hot shot situations I'm called for

Brand-new MC number

Coverage and the FMCSA filing for an authority with no history. New authority insurance guide

Broker setup packets

Certificates that show the liability and cargo limits a broker asks for.

Under 10,001 lbs GVWR

Lighter rigs hauling for hire across state lines still need authority and a filing.

Leased on to a carrier

Non-trucking liability and physical damage when you run under someone else's authority.

Equipment and machinery loads

Cargo terms that fit heavy, high-value or unusual freight. See details

Shipper and site requirements

General liability for time spent at yards, docks and job sites. See details

Moving up to a semi

Trucking coverage when you add a tractor and step deck. Trucking insurance

Before you call

What underwriters will ask

Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.

Start the Quote Form

Truck and trailer: year, make, VIN, GVWR and value for each.
Drivers: names, dates of birth, license class and years driving.
Authority: USDOT and MC numbers, and the date authority was granted or applied for.
Freight: what you haul most, and the most valuable load you take.
Lanes: states you run and typical trip length.
History: any prior trucking policy and loss runs.

How the weight ratings decide CDL and medical card

Two federal definitions sort a hot shot rig, and both count the truck and trailer together, by rating or actual weight, whichever is greater. My CDL guide has the general rules; here is how they land on a pickup and trailer.

Medical certificate at 10,001 lb. Under 49 CFR 390.5, a vehicle carrying property in interstate commerce is a commercial motor vehicle when its GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW is 10,001 lb or more, whichever is greater. A pickup rated under 10,001 lb can cross that line once the trailer is counted. 49 CFR 391.41 then requires you to be medically certified, and a driver without a CDL must carry the original or a copy of the certificate while on duty.
Class A only with a heavy trailer. Under 49 CFR 383.91 and 383.5, a combination is Group A when it is 26,001 lb or more and the towed unit is over 10,000 lb. Group B is a single vehicle at 26,001 lb or more. A pickup under 26,001 lb pulling a trailer at 10,000 lb or less falls in neither group, so the federal rule requires a CDL for it only if it hauls hazardous materials as 383.5 defines them (Group C).
The scale counts. A gooseneck rated at 10,000 lb that scales heavier is judged by what it weighs, so a combination at 26,001 lb or more becomes a Group A rig for that trip.

I read the weight labels on both units before I quote, because the CDL class, or no CDL, has to match the rig on the application. Rules for trips that never leave your state vary by state.

Hours of service and the ELD question

Once your rig is a commercial motor vehicle, Part 395 applies. For property carriers, 49 CFR 395.3 allows 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour window that starts after 10 consecutive hours off, and bars driving once 8 hours of driving pass without a 30-minute break (drivers using either short-haul exception below are excused from the break). On-duty time caps at 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 in 8 days if the carrier runs every day of the week; 34 or more consecutive hours off restarts the count.

Recording it is a separate question: 49 CFR 395.8 requires an ELD unless an exception fits. The ones that come up in hot shot work:

150 air-mile short haul (395.1(e)(1)). Stay within 150 air miles (172.6 statute miles) of your normal work reporting location, return and be released within 14 consecutive hours, and have at least 10 consecutive hours off between shifts. The carrier keeps 6 months of time records instead of a log.
Non-CDL short haul (395.1(e)(2)). For a rig that doesn't need a CDL: the same 150 air-mile radius, a return to your reporting location at the end of each duty tour, and no driving after the 14th hour on duty on 5 days, or after the 16th hour on 2 days, of any 7 consecutive days.
8 days in 30. If you need a record of duty status on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, the carrier may let you log on paper.
Pre-2000 truck. A vehicle manufactured before model year 2000, as shown by the VIN on its registration, may be logged on paper.
RV trailer delivery. Paper is also allowed in a driveaway-towaway operation where the vehicle being transported is a motor home or recreation vehicle trailer, such as an empty travel trailer towed from the factory to a dealer. Freight on your deck doesn't qualify.

A one-way load that ends 600 miles out doesn't bring you back to your reporting location, so neither short-haul exception fits that trip.

IFTA and IRP for a pickup and gooseneck

Fuel tax and apportioned plates draw their line at more than 26,000 lb, but unlike the CDL groups, the trailer's own rating doesn't matter: the combination's weight counts.

IFTA. California's CDTFA treats a vehicle as qualified if it has three or more axles, or two axles and a gross or registered weight over 26,000 lb, or is used in a combination whose combined or registered weight is over 26,000 lb. A pickup used in a business is not a recreational vehicle for this purpose. A California-based carrier files one return each quarter for the whole fleet, even in a quarter with no travel, and gets a set of two decals per vehicle. IFTA credentials are not valid in Alaska, Hawaii or the District of Columbia.
IRP. Under the plan's criteria as Maryland's MVA lists them, a power unit qualifies with two axles and over 26,000 lb, three or more axles at any weight, or use in a combination over 26,000 lb; lighter two-axle rigs may opt in. California's DMV says most California-based commercial vehicles at 26,001 lb or more need IRP plates or trip permits outside California, and apportions fees by each state's share of your miles.

When I quote a new authority, I ask for the cab card and registered weight, so the policy describes the same truck the states do.

Reading your policy for hot shot gaps

Read these first on a hot shot policy.

Where cargo lives. The ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form (CA 00 20) excludes property damage to property the insured transports or holds in its care, custody or control. Freight is written on a separate motor truck cargo form, which IRMI describes as an inland marine form for property in the course of transit.
How the cargo limit applies. Partial loads from several shippers can share one trailer. Read the declarations for whether the limit applies per vehicle, per load or per occurrence, and compare it to your most valuable combined load.
A trailer you don't own. In CA 00 20, symbol 61 is any auto, and symbols 62, 64 and 67 are written to extend liability to trailers you don't own while connected to your power unit (for 67, one described on the declarations). Physical damage to that trailer is a separate question, so read which symbol sits next to each coverage. Symbol 68 is for autos you lease, hire, rent or borrow.
A trailer added mid-term. If symbol 67 (specifically described autos) is on your declarations, the form treats a newly acquired trailer as covered only if the policy already covers everything you own for that coverage, or it replaces one that had it, and you tell the insurer within 30 days.

Questions

Hot shot trucking insurance, answered

Do I need MC authority to run hot shot loads?

If you haul other people's freight for pay across state lines, generally yes, along with a USDOT number. The authority isn't active until your insurer files proof of liability. Hot shot runs only inside California may need a CA number and a Motor Carrier Permit from the DMV instead.

How much liability do hot shot carriers need?

The federal minimum for general freight on vehicles over 10,001 lbs GVWR is $750,000, and the minimum differs for lighter vehicles. In practice most brokers and shippers want $1,000,000 no matter what you drive.

Can a new hot shot authority get insured?

Yes, but fewer markets write new authorities and they look hard at the driver's experience and record. Prior commercial driving experience, even as a company driver, helps.

Do hot shot drivers need a CDL?

Generally a Class A CDL is required when the truck and trailer are rated at 26,001 lbs or more combined and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lbs. Some carriers want CDL experience even on lighter setups.

Does cargo insurance cover anything I haul?

No. Cargo forms list commodities they exclude or limit, and some have conditions for unattended trucks. Tell me what you haul and I'll check the form before you book the load.

Do I need IFTA if my hot shot truck only runs in California?

Not for IFTA: California's CDTFA says a qualified motor vehicle whose travel is restricted to California only does not need an IFTA or Interstate User Diesel Fuel Tax License. In-state fuel tax rules in other states vary.

Do you offer hot shot trucking insurance outside California?

Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see truck insurance by state or insurance requirements by state.

Official sources

Often placed alongside this

Guide

Insuring a new trucking authority

Coverage, federal and California filings, and underwriting.

Read the guide Coverage

Cargo & shipment insurance

Goods in transit by ocean, air and truck, for importers and exporters.

See coverage Coverage

Commercial trucking

Liability, cargo and physical damage for owner-operators and fleets.

See coverage

Questions people ask: How long does it take to get MC authority active? Do I need cargo insurance for my trucking company? What insurance does a new trucking company need? What is UCR registration and who has to pay it? What insurance does an owner-operator need?

Also covered with this: High-risk trucking insurance Non-trucking liability (bobtail) What is IRS Form 2290 (heavy vehicle use tax)? What’s the difference between IFTA and IRP? Heavy haul trucking insurance Non-trucking liability vs bobtail insurance: what’s the difference? Occupational accident insurance vs workers’ comp for owner-operators

By state: Truck insurance by state Insurance requirements by state

Hot shot trucking insurance

Send your rig and your MC. I'll shop it.

Your truck and trailer, driver details and authority status are enough to start.

Get a Quote Call (877) 711-4545

Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Some policies may be placed with nonadmitted (surplus lines) insurers, which are not members of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA).

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