Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance
General liability for trucking companies
Your auto policy covers accidents involving your trucks. It doesn’t cover everything else that happens around your business: a slip at your yard, a load dropped by a shipper’s forklift, or a customer’s claim over your advertising. That’s what commercial general liability (CGL) is for, and most brokers, shippers and warehouses won’t work with you without it.
Call 360-450-2211 or start a quote online. We work in English, Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian.
Where the auto policy stops and general liability starts
The motor carrier auto form covers injury and damage from accidents involving your covered trucks. It excludes property you’re hauling, and injury or damage from moving property with a device that isn’t attached to the truck.[1] The general liability policy is written to fit around it: its auto exclusion removes anything arising from the use of your trucks, and “use” includes loading and unloading.[2]
| What happened | Usually covered by |
|---|---|
| Your truck backs into a dock door | Auto policy (it’s use of the truck)[2] |
| A load falls from your truck’s liftgate or mounted winch | Auto policy[3] |
| A load dropped by a forklift, building hoist or free-standing conveyor | General liability[4] |
| A visitor slips at your yard or office | General liability[5] |
| Damage to the freight itself | Neither; you need cargo insurance[1][3] |
Buying auto and general liability from the same insurer helps the two policies fit together without gaps.[3]
What general liability covers for truckers
- Bodily injury and property damage that isn’t from using your trucks, personal and advertising injury, and medical payments. Limits include a per-occurrence limit and an aggregate, so “$1M/$2M” means $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 per policy year.[5]
- How it’s priced. Truckers are rated mainly on terminal and garage payroll. Driver payroll is left out because that exposure belongs to the auto policy, and warehousing is classified separately.[6]
- Truck-mounted equipment. For trucks with cranes or compressors, general liability can cover operating the attached equipment, but not driving the truck.[7]
Why customers require it
Amazon Relay, for example, requires $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate general liability, along with $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo.[8] Brokers, shippers and warehouses often ask for similar limits, plus two contract terms:
- Additional insured. The customer is added as an insured on your policy, usually to back up an indemnity clause in your contract.[9]
- Waiver of subrogation. Your insurer gives up its right to recover from the customer after paying a claim. Additional insured status protects the customer from outside claims; a waiver protects the two of you from claims against each other.[10][11]
A certificate of insurance alone doesn’t give anyone these rights. The certificate says it doesn’t change the policy, so you need the actual endorsements.[12] Send us the insurance section of your contract and we’ll match it.
What to have ready for a quote
- Your business address, yards, terminals or warehouses
- Payroll by type of work (office, terminal, shop)
- Any non-driving work you do: loading, warehousing, spreading, installing
- The insurance sections of your broker, shipper or warehouse contracts
- Your current auto policy and loss runs
Frequently asked questions
I already have $1,000,000 in auto liability. Why do I need general liability?
The auto policy covers accidents involving your trucks. General liability covers what isn’t use of a truck, such as premises accidents, loads dropped by unattached equipment and advertising injury.[2][4]
Does general liability cover the freight I haul?
No. Property in your care is excluded from both policies, so you need cargo insurance.[1][3]
Is backing into a dock door a general liability claim?
No. That’s use of the truck, which the general liability policy excludes and the auto policy covers.[2]
If I’m hurt loading with the shipper’s forklift, which policy applies?
Damage caused by a forklift that isn’t attached to your truck usually falls under general liability. A liftgate or mounted winch is an auto policy matter.[4][3]
Is a certificate enough when a contract asks for additional insured and a waiver?
No. The certificate doesn’t change the policy; you need the additional insured and waiver endorsements on the policy itself.[12]
Get a general liability quote
Call 360-450-2211 or start your quote. We quote trucking operations in the 48 contiguous states from our office in Vancouver, Washington, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific.
Related coverage
Sources
- [1] ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form CA 00 20 (summary, RNC)
- [2] IRMI: The auto exclusion in the CGL policy
- [3] IA Magazine: Movement of property by mechanical device, BAP or CGL?
- [4] IRMI: Implications of the CGL auto exclusion
- [5] IRMI: How the limits apply in the CGL policy
- [6] Rough Notes: Truckers and CGL classification
- [7] IRMI: Auto versus mobile equipment in the CGL
- [8] Amazon Relay: Understanding insurance requirements (2026)
- [9] IRMI: Additional insured
- [10] IRMI: Waiver of subrogation
- [11] IRMI: Additional insured status and waivers of subrogation
- [12] IRMI: Certificate disclaimers
General information only, checked September 2026. Rules change; confirm with the agency that issues your permits. Coverage availability, terms and filings depend on underwriting and the policy issued; a quote request does not bind insurance.