Protection from point A to point B and everywhere in between
Primary liability for the units you operate.
Business auto liability is the first layer for a transportation company: bodily injury and property damage a driver causes. Limits, filings, and whether you run interstate or stay local in Illinois change both the rate and the paperwork.
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The base transportation policy is the printed form. An endorsement is a taped-on change — adding coverage, taking it away, or renaming who is insured. Optional coverages ride along with the policy. Separate policies sit beside it.
Form names and availability vary by carrier. This is a map of add-ons we commonly shop in Illinois — not a promise that every company offers every item.
Base policy
Transportation policy
Hover an add-on to read it, then click to pin it here — a review list for your next conversation with an advisor.
Send this list to an advisor →We’ll open the contact form for this coverage so an advisor can help you decide which add-ons belong on the policy.
The transportation industry is incredibly broad. Moving people and things from one place to another can get complicated. What you transport, where it goes, how it gets there, and other factors are just the tip of the iceberg. That is why you need specialized transportation insurance to take your industry and business-specific risks into consideration.
Imagine a company that transports goods with one truck and only goes a short distance. They have different needs than a company that moves high-value items across the country with a large fleet of trucks. If your business transports people, there are entirely different risks to consider. Interstate, international, and intercontinental transportation each have their own specific needs to consider as well. Your transportation insurance should be tailored to your business so you get the right coverage for any circumstances.
Vehicles make up a significant piece of many transportation companies. Having proper business auto insurance is the first step to a comprehensive insurance program. For some organizations, a standard business auto insurance policy might be enough. This provides coverage for physical damage to its own vehicles and liability coverage for property damage or bodily injury a driver might be responsible for. For businesses with a large number of vehicles, fleet insurance might be a better option.
What you transport matters and the type of transportation insurance you need should respond to that risk. For example, trucks carrying high-value items are at higher risk for cargo theft. If you are transporting people, in a chartered bus, limousine, or school bus, your liability insurance needs to cover you in the event of an accident or personal injury. If you are transporting pets or livestock, you will want your policy to reflect that as well.
There's a lot of planning involved when it comes to transporting goods from one place to another. Transportation logistics provides coverage for times when things do not go as planned. Maybe a shipment is delayed, a connection is missed, or something else happens. You can be held responsible for damages this causes others. Additionally, if part of your business involves warehousing vehicles or goods that belong to someone else, you will need specific coverage for that.
There are some insurance coverages that are recommended for most businesses. For example, if you have a computer network that holds customer information, cyber liability insurance is important. Employment practice liability insurance (EPLI) provides protection if you are accused of discrimination or harassment. Commercial property and general liability insurance are essential to protect your building and property, as well as offering coverage in the event that someone is injured on your property.
Do you need specialized transportation insurance for your business? Contact us to discuss your options for your specific business.
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The same transportation policy add-ons from the explorer above, listed out. Form names and availability vary by carrier.
Endorsement
Shippers, brokers, and facilities named on auto liability.
Broker packets and shipper contracts ask for additional insured on auto, plus waiver of subrogation. Same rule as construction: the certificate follows the endorsement. Blanket AI helps when the customer list changes weekly.
Endorsement
When you arrange loads rather than haul them yourself.
Freight brokers need contingent cargo and sometimes contingent auto — because the hired carrier’s insurance can fail. That is not motor truck cargo for your own trucks. Mixing broker and carrier operations on one form is how people get surprised.
Endorsement
Collision and comprehensive on a rented or borrowed truck.
Liability hired auto does not repair the Penske you rented. Hired physical damage (or the rental company’s waiver) does. We compare the endorsement limit to the rental fleet you actually use.
Endorsement
Public liability endorsement required for many motor carriers.
MCS-90 supports federal (and some Illinois) financial-responsibility filings. It is a public liability safety net, not extra cargo. Radius, GVW, and interstate vs intrastate change whether you need it. We do not treat it as optional once you are a motor carrier.
Endorsement
The freight in your custody — not the truck itself.
Cargo is a separate coverage from commercial auto physical damage. Limits, commodities, and theft warranties (unattended truck, kingpin locks) decide claims. Refrigerated loads need a reefer-breakdown conversation on top of cargo.
Endorsement
Liability when operating a tractor without a trailer, off dispatch.
Owner-operators often carry non-trucking liability for bobtail movements when not under the motor carrier’s dispatch. It is not a full commercial auto replacement and it does not cover hauling a load. Wrongly assuming the motor carrier’s policy follows the tractor is a common gap.
Endorsement
The geographic box the auto coverage is priced and limited to.
A 50-mile radius policy that regularly runs to Indiana or Wisconsin is a misclassified risk. Radius endorsements and territory symbols should match dispatch. Underwriting after a claim in another state is a bad time to discover the box you bought.
Endorsement
Cargo spoilage when the refrigeration unit fails.
Cargo forms often exclude spoilage unless the reefer unit itself has a sudden mechanical breakdown — and even then, maintenance records matter. A reefer-breakdown endorsement is how grocers and food haulers close that hole. A driver leaving the unit off is a different story.
Optional coverage
Your owned trailers, listed and valued.
Owned trailers need to be scheduled for physical damage. A tractor policy does not silently cover a $60,000 reefer trailer in the yard. Stated amount vs ACV matters after a hailstorm in the lot.
Endorsement
Physical damage for trailers you pull but do not own.
Interchange agreements make you responsible for the other company’s trailer. Trailer interchange is the endorsement that insures that trailer while in your possession. It is not cargo and it is not your scheduled trailer’s physical damage.
Optional coverage
Optional on commercial auto — still worth a hard look.
Commercial auto UM/UIM is often rejected to save premium. A serious crash with an uninsured motorist still injures your driver. Illinois personal-auto habits do not automatically carry over. We show the rejected-coverage form rather than burying it.
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