Louisiana Commercial Truck Insurance
Louisiana Commercial Truck Insurance
The staff at Bayou Insurance has over 20 years combined experience in the commercial trucking insurance market. We do not place coverage with B rated carriers or risk retention groups. If you decide we are the trusted insurance advisor for your operation, you can sleep well knowing you are protected by a quality A.M. Best A or better rated carrier.
Bayou Insurance can handle your Louisiana commercial fleet insurance, Louisiana owner operator insurance, and all Louisiana commercial auto coverage in between.
What Does Commercial Truck Insurance Cover?
There are multiple forms of trucking insurance. The mandatory and most costly form of coverage is your primary trucking liability. This is the coverage that protects you when your truck and or trailer does damage to other parties (bodily injury and/or property damage). Required limits are set by the Texas DOT and Federal Motor Carrier. Under current state and federal laws, truckers are required to have a minimum liability coverage starting between $300,000 (up to 10,000 lbs) and $750,000 (over 10,000 lbs), rising to $5 million for certain hazardous cargoes. Expenses for your legal defense are also covered by your primary trucking liability.
Physical Damage Coverage
Covers you for any damage to your vehicle from an accident or another incident. This coverage includes both comprehensive coverages to pay for damage from theft, vandalism and other than collision causes, as well as collision coverage to pay for damage from a crash. Towing expenses (when the result of a covered peril) are typically picked up under your physical damage coverage as well. You’ll want to check with your agent to confirm the towing limit you have.
Uninsured Motorists Coverage
This can cover damages and injuries if you or one of your employees is in an accident when the other driver is at fault, but that driver doesn't have enough coverage or no coverage. This coverage is often misunderstood and not explained well by insurance agents. UMPD or uninsured motorist physical damage is only available for purchase when you do not carry your own physical damage coverage. If an at fault party is uninsured or underinsured and you carry physical damage, your coverage will repair your equipment.
Medical Payments
Cover any persons for medical expenses when bodily injury is caused by your at fault accident. This coverage is outside of and separate from your primary liability limits. Typical limits for medical payments range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Cargo Insurance
While not required by law, cargo insurance is typically mandatory when transporting the goods of others. The standard industry limit is $100,000 but can go in excess of $1,000,000. You’ll want to make sure you discuss thoroughly with your insurance agent the commodities you’ll be transporting. Cargo insurance can be the most complicated coverage as there are typically many exclusions and/or sublimits.
What vehicles do commercial truck insurance cover?
If you are subject to state and/or federal motor carrier guidelines, you need a commercial truck insurance policy. Some examples of vehicles that can be covered would be: ¾ ton trucks, flatbed trucks, dump trucks, log haulers, tractor trucks, garbage trucks, vacuum trucks, motor vehicles haulers, and the list goes on.
What should I expect from my insurance agent?
Superior customer service is a must. If your trucking operation involves booking loads and needing to provide certificates of insurance, you should have those on demand. There is no excuse to wait a day, an hour, or even 15 minutes for a certificate. Make sure you choose an agent that offers certificates on demand. FYI, at Bayou Insurance you have access to certificates on demand 24 hours a day 7 days a week! Beyond quick turnaround for change requests and certificates, make sure your agent is familiar with the necessary filings for your operation. Your insurance agent should be a trusted advisor, not a get a cheap quote here person. To see if we are the right agent for you, give Bayou Insurance a call at 318-805-6448 to start a conversation.