Before settling on a company that writes flat bed insurance, you should compare plans from a few.
We’ve made comparison shopping easy.
Finding The Best Flat Bed Trailer Insurance
If you need insurance for a flatbed trailer, you need a policy that covers the types of risks you’ll face in your day-to-day operations.
You also will need cover the trailer itself from physical damage if you are financing it. The average 48-foot trailer costs between $20,000 and 30,000, so even if you own the trailer outright, you probably will still want to cover it from damage.
Risks that Flatbed Haulers Face
Load securement
Flatbedders are responsible for securing their freight. A poorly secured load can become unstable and topple out of the flat bed trailer, hurting or killing anyone nearby. Your cargo insurance policy has to address such circumstances.
It should protect you from injury as well. If you’re removing the tarp from a load and the wind picks up, you can be thrown from your truck and seriously injured. If you think the consignee will pick up your medical bills, you’re dead wrong.
Dangerous freight
Flat bed haulers have to navigate small, bumpy roads with oversize loads. They have to haul dangerous goods like I-beams and pipe. If you make a wrong move, your load could be shed in transit, causing accidents. It’s your responsibility to keep your freight safe. But anyone can make a mistake. An insurance policy should keep you safe from being held liable for an oversight.
Theft
Since their goods are out there in the open, flatbed truck drivers face higher rates of theft. This applies not only to your cargo but to your expensive chains, binders, and tarps as well.
Running empty
When flatbed trailers aren’t weighed down by freight, they can be extremely light. If you are running empty on a wet or snow-covered road, you could start to jackknife, leading to disaster.
Types of Flat Bed Insurance Coverages
Whether you’re hauling sheet metal, pipes, or heavy machinery, you need to fully insure yourself against the things that can happen on the road. Cargo spills and cargo shifts are all too common with flatbed haulers. The typical flat bed insurance policy includes several different types of coverages meant to anticipate any sort of situation.
How Much Does Flatbed Truck Insurance Cost?
Flatbed Insurance can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000 a year, depending on several factors, like:
- The value of your tractor and flat bed trailer
- What type of loads you will be hauling
- Your driving experience and driving record
- Your radius of operation
- Your coverages, limits, and deductibles
With so many variables influencing costs, it pays to shop around so you can find the best deal for your specific situation.
If a low cost is important to you, you can opt for minimum coverage, a low limit, and a high deductible. Heed caution, though, because if you do find yourself in an accident with a cheap policy, you could end up paying a large out of pocket cost
Flatbed Insurance Coverages
So which coverages are absolutely necessary? Some are mandated by law and some are nice to have. We’ve outlined a few of the common coverages below to discuss with your agent.
Liability Coverage – Required coverage. Pays for damage done to others’ property when you are at fault.
Physical Damage – Pays for damage done to your flatbed hauler caused by a collision—usually another motorist. Can also cover things like fire, theft, or a deer running out onto the highway.
Ramp, Chain, Tarp, and Binder Coverage – Unique to flatbedding, this coverage protects the equipment that secures your cargo.
Flatbed Cargo Insurance – Covers damage done to freight hauled. With the variety of loads that flatbedders carry, make sure your policy is covers what you are hauling. Some loads may be worth over $500,000! It’s a must to get the proper amount of flatbed cargo insurance. If you need more coverage for a specific load, you can usually get a temporary coverage and a certificate to provide shipper.
Trailer Interchange – For when you own just your tractor and haul different flatbed trailers belonging to other companies.
Whether you’re hauling sheet metal, pipes, or heavy machinery, you need to fully insure yourself against the things that can happen on the road. Cargo spills and cargo shifts are all too common. A robust policy includes coverages that anticipate every situation.
How to Lower Your Premium
One surefire way to lower your insurance costs without sacrificing full coverage is to shop around between different flatbed insurance companies. You might be a flatbed hotshot hauler with a gooseneck trailer or a full size 48 foot flatbed trailer. Comparing rates from different agents was once hard, but we’ve made the process easy. simply fill out our quick form and we’ll connect you with an expert that will find the best policy at the best price.
