The policy the contract asks for.
General liability for motor carriers and owner-operators, for the claims your truck's auto liability policy doesn't handle.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · En español · How this page is researched
Auto liability stops at the truck
Your primary auto liability covers accidents involving the truck. Truckers general liability covers the rest of the business: someone hurt at your yard or office, damage at a customer's dock, and products or completed-operations claims tied to your work.
Shippers, brokers, warehouses and load boards increasingly require it before they'll load you, often with specific limits and additional insured wording. I place it with carriers that write trucking, alongside your auto liability and cargo coverage.
- Premises injuriesSomeone hurt at your yard, office or terminal.
- Customer propertyDamage at a shipper's or receiver's location, subject to policy terms.
- Contract requirementsLimits and additional insureds for shipper and broker agreements.
- Advertising injuryClaims such as copying another company's name or ads.
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.
- Authority: USDOT and MC numbers.
- Operations: what you haul and how far.
- Locations: yards, offices and terminals.
- Contracts: limits and wording your shippers or brokers require.
- Revenue: annual revenue and number of trucks.
- History: current policies and claims.
Loading and unloading: where the two policies meet
The line between your truck policy and your GL is drawn in the standard CGL form. As IRMI quotes ISO form CG 00 01 04 13, exclusion g excludes bodily injury and property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use or entrustment to others of any aircraft, auto or watercraft owned or operated by or rented or loaned to any insured. It then says "use" includes operation and "loading or unloading," and defines that term as the handling of property in three stages:
- After it is moved from the place where it is accepted for movement into or onto the auto.
- While it is in or on the auto.
- While it is being moved from the auto to the place where it is finally delivered.
The carve-out is the part that matters on a dock: loading or unloading does not include moving property with a mechanical device, other than a hand truck, that is not attached to the auto. IRMI's commentary reads it this way: loading with a lift permanently attached to the vehicle is a commercial auto claim, while a load moved by a forklift, mobile crane, unattached conveyor or building hoist falls on the CGL side. That is the form's wording; any one claim turns on your policies, endorsements and the facts. Tell me whether your trucks have liftgates and your crews run forklifts, so the GL and the commercial auto policy are written for the work you do.
Exclusion g also has an exception for parking an auto on, or on the ways next to, premises you own or rent, as long as the auto is not owned by, rented to or loaned to you or the insured. If other carriers park in your yard, say so on the application.
On every truckers GL quote I look for an endorsement that makes the auto exclusion absolute. The IRMI author says it removes the form's exceptions, raises questions about parked vehicles and loading, and calls it "one to be avoided." When a quote carries it, I raise it with the market before you sign.
The UIIA's general liability line
If you pull containers under the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement, general liability is a separate line from auto. The current UIIA, effective June 18, 2026, says in Section F.6.b that the Motor Carrier shall provide a commercial general liability policy with a combined single limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence or greater, of which no portion can be self-insured. That is the agreement's minimum requirement for participation, not a price. IANA's insurance requirements page adds that the equipment providers on its UIIA general liability list must be named as additional insureds on that policy. Before a certificate goes in, I check these items:
- Additional insured endorsements. Every equipment provider on IANA's GL list that you interchange with. For policies from certain insurers it names, IANA asks for confirmation of its listed items, including copies of the additional insured endorsements, within 24 hours of the certificate being submitted.
- Umbrella wording. An umbrella shown on the ACORD 22 should specify which policies it sits over. If it doesn't, IANA says the umbrella will not be applied to your account.
- Cancellation notice. Section F.6.d of the current agreement requires that IANA receive at least thirty calendar days' advance notice of cancellation, or fourteen calendar days when cancellation is for non-payment of premium.
- Exclusions. Exclusionary endorsements that limit or restrict the policies being provided should be included and noted on the ACORD 101 when the certificate is submitted.
- Renewal timing. The UIIA system expires policies at 12:01 a.m. on the expiration date, so the renewal has to be submitted before then.
The auto symbol, hold harmless endorsement and trailer interchange rules are on the intermodal drayage page.
Truckers general liability, answered
Doesn't my truck insurance cover this?
Auto liability covers accidents involving the truck. General liability covers other business claims, like injuries at your yard or damage at a customer's location.
Why is a broker asking for general liability?
Many brokers, shippers and warehouses require it in their carrier agreements. Send me the requirement and I'll match the limits and wording.
Can I get GL with new authority?
Yes. Markets are fewer in the first year, but GL is available for new ventures alongside the auto liability you need for your filings.
What do underwriters rate on?
Revenue, what you haul, where you operate, the locations you control and your claims history.
Does truckers general liability cover the freight I'm hauling?
General liability forms commonly carry a care, custody or control exclusion for property in the insured's care, custody or control. IRMI notes that this exposure is insured under more specific policies such as motor truck cargo coverage, so ask about cargo coverage separately.
Do you offer truckers general liability 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
- IRMI: Implications of the CGL 'Auto' Exclusion (Mahurin, July 3, 2020)
- IRMI glossary: Mobile Equipment
- IRMI glossary: Care, Custody, or Control
- UIIA: Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (effective June 18, 2026)
- IANA: UIIA Insurance Requirements
- Cal/OSHA Title 8 Section 3668: Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training
- Cal/OSHA Title 8 Section 3650: Industrial Trucks, General
Send the requirement. I'll shop it.
Your DOT number and the contract's insurance requirements are enough to start.
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).
Tell me how to reach you. I’ll take it from there.
Takes about 30 seconds. Your next step comes by email, and you get an update at every step until your quotes are ready.
(877) 711-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
Get a reminder before your renewal.
Tell me when your policy renews and I’ll email you about six weeks before, when it’s worth comparing. One email, no calls.