Kansas Commercial Truck Insurance

With its wide open spaces, Kansas is an enjoyable place to drive a truck commercially. But before you get behind the wheel, you need to make sure that you are properly insured. This guide to Kansas commercial truck insurance will go over the legal requirements, the types of truck insurance, and the factors that can affect your costs. We will also point you toward some top carriers.

Anyone who is driving a truck for commercial purposes in Kansas is legally required to be insured.

That includes if you are driving:

• Box trucks
• Dump trucks
• Flatbed trucks
• Agricultural trucks
• Dry vans
• Livestock trucks
• Hazmat trucks
• Garbage trucks
• Long haul trucks
• Any other commercial trucks

What are the Commercial Insurance Coverage Requirements for Kansas?

In order to drive a commercial truck legally in Kansas, you need to meet the state’s basic requirements for liability insurance. Here are the minimums that apply if your truck is above 10,000 GVW, and you do not drive outside of Kansas.

$5,000,000                  Liability Insurance (Hazmat)

$300,000                     Liability Insurance (Household Goods)

$750,000                     Liability Insurance (General Freight)

$1,000,000                  Liability Insurance (Oil Transport)

$3,000/vehicle            Cargo Insurance (All carriers)

Are you planning on doing interstate driving?

You will need to meet the federal liability requirements, which are usually either $750,000 or $1,000,000. Check with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to find the exact requirements that you need to meet.

When you begin paying for insurance, double check to make sure your carrier sent the necessary forms to the federal and state governments (they probably did, but it is always smart to follow up on this).

Types of Kansas Trucking Insurance

There is more than one type of truck insurance. In fact, most trucking businesses will require a number of different types of trucking insurance policies. Below are some examples of common types of truck insurance in Kansas. Keep in mind that this is not a list of all types of coverages. There are other specialized types of policies you can find as well.

• Primary liability coverage: Cover repair costs and medical costs if you get into an accident when you are driving your commercial truck for work in Kansas.

• General liability coverage: Another important type of insurance for any business, including a transportation business, is general liability insurance. If you damage another person or their property, it will help pay the damages (i.e. in situations that do not involve driving). This policy covers third parties only, not you or your staff or commercial property.

• Physical damage coverage: This type of policy covers damages from a wide range of causes, including fire, weather, vandalism or accidents.

• Motor truck cargo insurance: What if something happens to your cargo when it is in transit? You can insure the freight you haul with this type of coverage. Damages to freight can add up to a lot of money fast, even at times from something as simple as a breakdown causing a day’s delay. So, this type of coverage is very important, especially if you haul perishables, livestock, fragile goods, etc.

• Trailer interchange insurance: If you sometimes drive with a rented trailer, you need to be able to cover that trailer. You can do that using trailer interchange insurance.

• Bobtail insurance: This type of insurance policy covers you when you are driving your truck without a trailer attached to it. Your other policies do not apply during these times, so do not miss out on this specialized insurance type.

• Non-trucking liability insurance (NTL): This insurance allows you to cover your commercial vehicle when you are using it for non-commercial purposes. If, for example, you decide to run a personal errand in your truck off of work hours, and get into an accident, NTL could pay out when your other policies would not.

• Uninsured motorist insurance: If you hit an uninsured or underinsured driver, their policy may not be able to pay out sufficiently to cover your damages or medical costs. But if you have this type of coverage, then your own policy can pay out to help make up the difference.

• Trucking umbrella policy: Also known as “excess liability insurance,” a trucking umbrella policy helps to fill in gaps in your coverage or provide extra coverage if you have low maximum coverage amounts for some of your policies.

• Workers Compensation: If you have even one employee working for you, then you are required by law to pay for workers compensation. This type of policy covers your workers’ lost wages and medical costs if they get sick or injured on the job. Its cost depends on how many workers you have and the size of your payroll.

• Occupational accident: What happens if it is you who gets sick or injured on the job? Since workers compensation does not cover you, you need to cover yourself with occupational accident insurance. It can pay out to help you with medical expenses as well as lost wages due to having to take time off to heal.

What are the Average Costs in Kansas for Truck Driver Insurance Policies?

Now let’s talk about what it costs to get truck insurance in Kansas. Assuming you get liability, physical damage and cargo insurance, your costs on average will likely range to between $14,000 and $16,000.

The more types of policies you have, the more you will pay for your insurance collectively. Many owner-operators of new trucking businesses need to start out with the basics and add on more coverages as they can afford them. But do try and cover your business as well as you can with the budget you have. Here are some factors that can raise or lower your premiums.

• Deductibles: If you want lower monthly costs, you can try raising your deductibles. Just be aware that if you have to file a claim at some point, you need to pay the amount of the deductible out of pocket before your coverage will begin paying for damages.   

• Coverage amounts: Another way to reduce your monthly premiums for truck insurance is to lower your maximum coverage amounts. As with raising your deductible, this decision can result in higher expenses in the case of a claim. But it can save you money on your ongoing monthly costs in the meantime.

• Your driving experience: More experienced commercial truck drivers can qualify for more competitive insurance rates than unseasoned drivers.

• Your service area: The specific parts of KS that you drive in may have an impact on how much your insurance costs. Driving in cities versus rural areas may be taken under consideration, as may being an interstate or purely Kansas-based driver.

• Your cargo: Another factor that can modify rates is the type of freight you haul. Some types of cargo may be at risk for more types of damage than others. For example, dry goods may not go bad, but refrigerated goods may spoil. And hazardous materials are, well, hazardous. So they tend to be more expensive to insure too.

• Your claims history: Truck drivers who have a history of frequent claims have demonstrated themselves to be risky to insure, which can drive up their rates. But those who do not file claims often or at all have shown that they can drive safely, which can bring their rates down.  

• Discounts: Along with discounts for going long periods of times without filing claims, drivers may qualify for other types of discounts as well. Bundling policies and following safe practices while driving may help you save on your truck insurance rates.

• Underwriting guidelines: Insurance businesses use different models to determine how risky a prospective customer is. Based on those models, they offer different quotes. One insurance carrier may determine that you are riskier than another carrier may believe. Because that is the case, you need to request quotes from more than one company to get a feel for the price range that is available to you. Pick the company that offers you the best value for your money.

Where to Get Kansas Truck Insurance Quotes

If you are ready to get on the road and start driving a truck commercially in Kansas, it is time to get the insurance you need to legally operate. Let us help you get for custom quotes from top Kansas truck insurance carriers in one easy step.