If you are driving your truck without it’s hauling equipment, you would need a bobtail insurance policy. This policy will protect you in case of an accident when you are going to pick up a new load or in between dropping one and picking another one, or when you are returning home after the final drop-off.
If you own a truck and the primary liability is your or your company’s name, then in that case, you don’t need bobtail insurance. In case your motor carrier requires it, then you will need to have one. In some cases you might need bobtail insurance if you are working under someone else’s trucking authority.
A bobtail insurance policy usually covers liabilities like damage to other vehicles and injuries to other people in an accident where you are at fault. Thus any damage caused to your rig won’t be covered by it. Most of the time, this policy comes under effect when you have dropped your last load and are heading home and hit a pole or when you have dropped a delivery and met with an accident while going to drop off the second load.
There are times when bobtail insurance is used in tandem with non-trucking insurance, also known as non-trucking use liability insurance (NTLI). This type of coverage is usually provided to an owner-operator when they are not dispatched to the motor carrier. In case of an accident or damage, the NTLI would respond to the claims rather than the driver’s primary auto insurance policy. Both policies mostly work to protect your truck when it is not dispatched.
The insurance policy works by providing coverage for liabilities you incur during your drop-off of loads or when you return home after dropping your last load. It will protect you from liabilities like injuries to other people and vehicle damages.
If you want to protect your truck while dropping off loads, then contact our agent at Riverbend Insurance. You can also call us at 855-814-0308 to schedule an appointment today.
