When Do You Need More Bobtail Insurance?

Not every truck needs every type of insurance coverage all year-round. Liability and physical damage coverage are constants, but you might increase or add on more specific areas of coverage for different jobs. The same is true for bobtail insurance, which is liability coverage for your truck after you have dropped off your cargo trailer and are on the way home or to the next load. Here are three times when you may need more bobtail insurance then you usually keep on your truck.

Is winter on its way?

Driving without a trailer is a very different experience. Even a semi-truck with an empty trailer handles differently from a truck full of cargo. Without that standard weight distribution, the rear tires can’t get as much traction on the road. If you’re driving during winter, the trip back home is especially dangerous because the roads are icy and night falls faster. Consider getting additional bobtail coverage for when bobtailing is particularly slippery.

Do profitable carriers have more insurance requirements than the minimum?

Major corporations often increase the insurance requirements they demand in their contracts so they’re above national and state requirements. This requirement helps protect them from claims and backlash. It also acts as an indirect filter so corporations can ensure they’re dealing with professionals who can handle the additional costs and have safe enough drivers to afford more insurance. Major carriers may require additional insurance because government contractors and certain customers demand it first.

Do you occasionally transport nearly empty loads?

The shipping industry is in the middle of a period of rapid transformation. Promises of single-day shipping, drop shipping, and individualized grocery and meal delivery mean even tighter deadlines every stop of supply management, and that often means full-sized semi-trucks are transporting differently-sized trailers. Just like on icy roads, your wheels have less traction once the load has been dropped off. All of the different weights don’t make an empty, off-kilter truck any easier to drive after a delivery.

For affordable bobtail insurance and customizable coverage, go to J.E.B. Insurance Services, LLC. We provide commercial truck insurance in the states of Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa & Nebraska.

David Ott

David Ott