Truck insurance cost estimator
Estimate your yearly truck insurance cost from your miles, then see which parts of your profile push it above or below the industry average.
Updated October 2026 · Free, no signup
Insurance cost estimate
- Industry average at 100,000 mi
- $10,600/yr
- Per month
- $883
- Per mile (ATRI 2025 avg)
- $0.106
- Federal minimum liability
- $750,000
Your profile vs the average
- Authority under 1 year. No loss history yet, so insurers price in the unknown.HIGHER
- Driver 25-64. The age band most policies are built around.EVEN
- Freight or equipment risk. General freight is the baseline most rates assume.EVEN
- Cargo limit $100,000. A common broker minimum for general freight.EVEN
- Clean record. No recent claims or violations is the strongest lever you control.LOWER
Not a quote. ATRI's average comes mostly from established fleets; your answers sit near it. Get quotes from licensed agents.
At about $883 a month for insurance alone, every empty mile on dry van costs you twice. Our dispatchers plan loads with short deadhead and send each one to you to confirm.
Get load offers for my truckHow the estimate is calculated
The estimator starts from one published number: insurance cost per mile from the American Transportation Research Institute's annual operating cost survey. For 2025, ATRI put insurance premiums at $0.106 per mile, up from $0.102 the year before.
Source: ATRI operating cost survey, 2025 data · checked 2026-10
Formula: yearly estimate = miles per year x 0.106 dollars per mile. Monthly = yearly / 12.
Then it checks your answers against the factors underwriters weigh, and marks each one HIGHER, EVEN or LOWER than the carriers behind that average. It doesn't multiply the number by made-up factors, because no public source publishes those weights. The direction is the honest part; your agent supplies the exact price.
Worked example
| EXAMPLE: dry van, 100,000 mi/yr | |
|---|---|
| Miles per year | 100,000 |
| x ATRI 2025 insurance per mile | $0.106 |
| Yearly estimate | $10,600 |
| Monthly | $883 |
A one-truck dry van carrier running 100,000 miles a year starts at about $10,600 a year, or $883 a month, at the ATRI average. If the authority is brand new, the estimator marks that factor HIGHER. Expect real first-year quotes above the average, then watch for better terms at renewal after a clean year.
A local dump truck running 40,000 miles shows about $4,240 at the same per-mile average. Construction work is marked as a higher-risk freight factor, so the real number can sit well above that.
What the factors mean
| Factor | Pushes cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Authority under 1 year | Higher | No loss history for the insurer to price |
| Clean record | Lower | The strongest lever you control |
| Driver under 25 | Higher | Many insurers rate or decline young CDL drivers |
| Hazmat, oversize, car hauling, construction | Higher | Higher claim costs or special coverage |
| Cargo limit above $100,000 | Higher | More coverage costs more |
Required coverage: the floor
Federal law sets the minimum public liability for for-hire carriers: $750,000 for general freight in trucks of 10,001 lb GVWR or more, and more for certain hazardous materials.
Source: 49 CFR 387.9 · checked 2026-10
Brokers usually set a higher bar, commonly $1,000,000 liability plus a cargo policy. That's a broker requirement, not federal law, so check each one.
Getting a real truck insurance quote
Have these ready: your USDOT and MC numbers, the truck's VIN, year and GVWR, your CDL and driving record, your radius and states, the freight you haul, and any loss runs from prior coverage. Ask at least two agents who write commercial trucking, and compare the same coverages and deductibles side by side.
When you dispatch with us, your certificate of insurance goes into every carrier packet, so brokers see your coverage before they tender a load.
Questions about this calculator
How much is truck insurance for an owner-operator?
ATRI's operating cost survey put insurance at about 10.6 cents per mile in 2025, which works out to roughly $10,600 a year at 100,000 miles. New authorities, young drivers and higher-risk freight usually pay more than that average, often a lot more in the first year. Only a licensed agent's quote tells you your number.
How much is box truck insurance?
It depends on the truck's weight rating, your miles, your authority age and the cargo you haul. A 26 ft box truck running local or regional miles will show a lower yearly figure in the estimator simply because it runs fewer miles. Federal minimum liability for for-hire general freight is still $750,000 in a 10,001 lb+ truck, and many brokers ask for $1,000,000.
What coverage do I need to haul for brokers?
Federal law sets minimum public liability: $750,000 for general freight in trucks of 10,001 lb GVWR or more, higher for certain hazmat. Brokers commonly ask for $1,000,000 liability and a cargo policy, often $100,000. Physical damage covers your own truck. Ask each broker for its requirements before you buy.
Why does my commercial truck insurance quote cost more than the average?
The ATRI average comes mostly from established carriers spread across many trucks. A new authority has no loss history, so insurers price in the unknown. Driver age, claims, the freight you haul and your state all move the number. Renewals after a clean first year are usually where the price starts to come down.
Is this a truck insurance quote?
No. It's an estimate built from a published industry average and your inputs, so you can budget and compare. Insurance quotes come only from licensed agents and insurers, who look at your record, your truck, your radius and the coverages you choose.
Numbers done. Want someone to find loads that beat them?
No setup fee. No contract. No haul, no pay.