Box truck insurance for delivery, moving, and freight
Box truck insurance pairs auto liability for the damage you cause others with physical damage for your truck and cargo coverage for the load. A for-hire box truck crossing state lines needs at least $750,000 in liability at 10,001 pounds GVWR or more, while hauling your own non-hazardous goods puts you under state minimums.
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What does box truck insurance cover?
Box truck insurance is not one policy. It is an auto policy for the truck, plus separate coverage for the load and for the work you do around the truck. Most box truck operations need some mix of these four lines:
| Coverage | What it pays for | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|
| Auto liability | Injury and damage you cause to others through the ownership, maintenance, or use of the truck, up to your limit | Your own truck, and property you own, haul, or have in your care |
| Physical damage | Your truck: collision and overturn under collision coverage; theft, fire, vandalism, hail, flood, and other causes under comprehensive | Wear and tear, mechanical or electrical breakdown, and tire blowouts. It pays the lesser of actual cash value or the cost to repair or replace |
| Motor truck cargo | Loss of or damage to the freight you haul | Terms and exclusions vary by policy, so check them against what you actually carry |
| General liability | Injury and damage from your operations beyond driving, such as loading with a forklift or dock equipment | Accidents involving the truck itself, which belong to the auto policy |
The auto policy also follows state law. Where a state requires no-fault benefits or uninsured motorists coverage that you cannot reject, the policy carries those coverages for trucks licensed or garaged there. We place all four lines, and our commercial truck insurance page lists every program we write.
How much liability insurance does a box truck need?
It depends on four things: whether you haul for pay, whether you cross state lines, the truck’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), and whether the load is hazardous. These are the federal minimums:
| Your operation | Minimum | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| For hire across state lines, general freight | $750,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
| For hire across state lines, fleet of only trucks under 10,001 lb GVWR | $300,000 | 49 CFR 387.303T |
| Household goods mover across state lines | $750,000, plus cargo of $5,000 per truck and $10,000 per occurrence | 49 CFR 387.303T |
| Oil and most hazardous materials, for hire or private (interstate in any quantity; intrastate in bulk) | $1,000,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
| Bulk hazardous substances, bulk explosives, and certain poison gases, in any commerce | $5,000,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
For-hire carriers prove the coverage through their insurer: an MCS-90 endorsement on the policy and a BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing with FMCSA, plus a BMC-34 cargo filing for household goods movers. FMCSA won’t grant operating authority until the filing is in place, and you have to keep it on file to avoid revocation. Under 49 CFR 387.7, the policy stays in force until either side cancels with 35 days’ written notice.
Hauling your own goods
If you deliver products you sell, such as furniture or appliances, you are a private carrier. The federal minimums reach private carriers only for hazardous materials, under 49 CFR 387.3. You still need commercial auto insurance, because state law sets the minimum, and some states set it high. California requires at least $750,000 for a box truck over 10,000 pounds GVWR, even if you only deliver goods you sell, and the DMV requires a motor carrier permit for it, private or for-hire. Our California commercial truck insurance page covers that state’s rules for box trucks in full.
Does box truck insurance cover loading, unloading, and liftgates?
Partly, and the dividing line matters for delivery and moving work. The ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form, the standard auto form written for truckers, excludes three things a box truck runs into every day:
- Handling property away from the truck: injury or damage from handling property before it leaves the place where you accepted it for loading, or after it reaches the place where you finally deliver it.
- Mechanical devices not attached to the truck: injury or damage from moving property with a mechanical device, other than a hand truck, unless the device is attached to the covered truck.
- Property in your care: damage to property you own, transport, or have in your care, custody, or control. That gap is what cargo coverage fills.
In practice, IRMI explains, loading with a lift permanently attached to the truck is a commercial auto claim, while a load that falls from a forklift, a conveyor, or a hoist fixed to a building is a general liability claim. Some general liability policies add an endorsement that turns the auto exclusion absolute and removes the loading and unloading coverage, so check yours if you load at customer docks. Our guide to CGL insurance for truckers explains where each policy starts and stops.
What insurance does Amazon Relay require for box trucks?
More than federal law does. Amazon Relay accepts 16-foot and 26-foot box trucks with a functional tuck-under liftgate. Every Relay carrier needs a DOT number with interstate authority active for at least 180 days, a valid MC number, and these minimums, per the Relay FAQ:
- Auto liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence, including $50,000 of trailer replacement coverage.
- Cargo: at least $100,000.
- General liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.
- Workers’ compensation: in every jurisdiction where you operate.
- Employer liability: $100,000 per occurrence.
General liability, workers’ compensation, and employer liability are separate from your truck policy, so a program built for local delivery may not include them. If Relay flags your insurance as non-compliant, Amazon says to update it with your provider and have the provider submit it directly to FMCSA. Our Amazon Relay requirements guide covers the safety score thresholds. Other shippers and brokers set their own limits in their contracts, so collect those requirements before you buy.
Are rented and newly added box trucks covered?
Only if the right covered-auto symbols are on your policy. The symbols on the declarations page decide which trucks each coverage applies to, and three situations come up often with box trucks:
- Trucks you rent for peak season: liability for a truck you lease, hire, rent, or borrow applies only with the hired autos symbol (68 on the motor carrier form, 8 on a business auto policy) or an any-auto symbol.
- Damage to the rental itself: that takes hired auto physical damage. It also pays the rental company’s loss-of-use charges, but the standard forms cap that payment per day and in total, so read the rental contract.
- Trucks you buy mid-term: with an any-auto or owned-auto symbol, a truck you acquire is covered for the rest of the policy term. With the specifically described autos symbol (67, or 7 on a business auto policy), it is covered only if it replaces a covered truck or you already cover every truck you own, and you tell the insurer within 30 days.
Our guide to commercial auto symbols explains each symbol and how to read your declarations page.
What drives the cost of box truck insurance?
The details of your operation. Insurers rate what you haul, how far you run, the truck, where it is garaged, your limits, and your drivers’ records. For benchmarks and the full list, see how much commercial truck insurance costs.
- Commodity: hazardous materials carry higher required limits and higher premiums, and the cargo limit you need depends on the value of what you carry.
- Radius: trucks that run a larger radius are exposed to more risk. Describe your real split of local delivery and longer runs, because a quote built on the wrong radius prices the wrong risk.
- Truck value: physical damage is priced on what the truck would cost to repair or replace, so newer trucks usually cost more to insure.
- Limits: a contract that requires $1,000,000 in auto liability costs more to meet than the $750,000 federal floor.
- Safety record: violations and crashes raise your rate, and inspections feed the record underwriters read, as our guide to CSA scores and truck insurance explains.
How to get a box truck insurance quote
Step 1: Describe your operation
Tell us whether you haul for pay or deliver your own goods, whether you cross state lines, what you carry (household goods and hazmat change the rules), your delivery radius, and each truck’s GVWR.
Step 2: Gather your records
Your USDOT and MC numbers, three to five years of loss runs, a driver list with motor vehicle records, and a unit schedule with VINs, values, and garaging addresses.
Step 3: List your contract requirements
Amazon Relay or other shipper and broker limits, the certificate holders and additional insureds they require, and any trucks you rent during the year.
Step 4: Request your quote
A licensed agent follows up with options, and we handle the filings and certificates your authority and contracts call for.
Sources
The rules and figures on this page come from these official sources, checked on September 25, 2026.
- eCFR — 49 CFR 387.9, Financial responsibility, minimum levels: The $750,000, $1 million, and $5 million public liability minimums and when they reach private and intrastate hazmat.
- eCFR — 49 CFR 387.303T, Security for the protection of the public: minimum limits: The $300,000 minimum for for-hire fleets of trucks under 10,001 pounds and the household goods cargo limits.
- eCFR — 49 CFR 387.3, Applicability: Federal minimums apply to for-hire property carriers in interstate commerce and to hazmat carriers.
- FMCSA — Insurance Filing Requirements: BMC-91, BMC-91X, BMC-34, and MCS-90 forms by carrier type, and filings as a condition of operating authority.
- IRMI — Implications of the CGL “Auto” Exclusion (2020): Attached liftgates as auto claims, forklift and hoist loading as general liability, and the absolute auto exclusion endorsement.
- Amazon Relay — Frequently Asked Questions: Relay’s box truck equipment types, authority tenure rule, and minimum insurance.
- eCFR — 49 CFR 383.5, Definitions (commercial motor vehicle): The CDL thresholds: 26,001 pounds by rating or actual weight, whichever is greater, or placarded hazmat.
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Frequently asked questions
How much liability insurance does a box truck need?+
A for-hire box truck rated 10,001 pounds GVWR or more needs at least $750,000 to haul general freight across state lines, and a for-hire fleet of only lighter trucks needs $300,000. Hazmat raises the minimum to $1 million or $5 million, and a private carrier hauling its own non-hazardous goods follows state minimums.
Do I need a CDL to drive a 26-foot box truck?+
Only if the truck’s GVWR or actual weight, whichever is greater, is 26,001 pounds or more, which takes a Class B CDL. Below that, you need a CDL only to haul hazardous materials that require placards.
Does box truck insurance cover the cargo?+
Not the auto liability policy, which excludes property you transport or have in your care. Motor truck cargo coverage protects the load, and interstate household goods movers must carry at least $5,000 per truck and $10,000 per occurrence.
What insurance does Amazon Relay require for box trucks?+
$1,000,000 in auto liability with $50,000 of trailer replacement coverage, $100,000 in cargo, $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate in general liability, workers’ compensation, and $100,000 in employer liability. Relay accepts 16-foot and 26-foot box trucks with a tuck-under liftgate.
Does my policy cover a box truck I rent?+
Only if your policy carries the hired autos symbol or an any-auto symbol for liability. Damage to the rented truck itself takes hired auto physical damage coverage.
Do I need commercial insurance if I only haul my own goods?+
Yes. Federal minimums reach private carriers only for hazardous materials, but state law requires liability coverage. California, for example, requires $750,000 for trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more, even when you haul only your own goods.
Other services
Simplex Group is a full-service trucking partner — insurance is one piece of a much larger toolkit.