Motor Truck Cargo Insurance
Protect the freight you haul with cargo coverage built around the commodities, limits, routes, and contracts in your operation.
Protects
Freight against covered loss, damage, theft, and collision
Built around
Commodity, cargo value, radius, contracts, and equipment
Start with
Cargo type, required limit, routes, and broker requirements
Why cargo insurance matters
Motor truck cargo insurance addresses your responsibility for customers' freight while it is in your care. It is different from physical damage insurance on your own truck or trailer.
Tell Supreme what you haul, the highest value of a load, and the requirements in your broker or shipper contract. We can then review available markets and identify conditions to discuss before you choose a policy.
What we review with you
Common questions
Is a $100,000 cargo limit enough?
Do not choose a limit from a common number alone. Compare the maximum value on one load with your contract and the policy's commodity-specific limits. A certificate showing $100,000 does not mean every load is insured for that amount.
Does cargo insurance cover reefer breakdown?
Do not assume temperature-related losses are included. Ask about a refrigeration-breakdown endorsement, covered causes, maintenance requirements, and exclusions for the commodities you haul.
Is cargo insurance federally required?
FMCSA does not require a cargo filing for most non-household-goods property carriers, but household-goods carriers have different requirements. State rules and broker or shipper contracts may also require coverage. Check the requirements for your actual operation.
Will cargo insurance repair my truck?
No. Cargo addresses freight. Damage to your own insured truck or trailer is a separate physical damage coverage question.
What affects the price?
Carriers review the commodities, maximum load values, routes, loss history, equipment, limits, and deductibles. We need those details to request an operation-specific quote instead of presenting a generic price as your rate.
Check the details before accepting a load
Match the limit to the freight
Share a typical load and your highest-value load. Ask whether a commodity has a lower sublimit, and how the deductible would apply. A higher certificate limit does not remove exclusions.
Make special cargo explicit
Temperature-controlled goods, vehicles, electronics, and other specialized freight need a specific conversation. Describe the cargo accurately before a market reviews the submission.
Separate cargo from trailer damage
Freight inside a trailer and the trailer itself are different insurance exposures. Ask which coverage addresses each, especially when hauling a trailer you do not own. Cargo insurance does not replace physical damage or trailer interchange coverage.
Keep the contract with the quote
Send the insurance requirements from your broker or shipper. Your agent can compare them with the proposed coverage; a certificate is evidence of insurance, not a replacement for the policy.
Compare more than the premium
Put the proposed cargo limit, deductible, covered commodities, sublimits, and key exclusions beside each other. Two quotes with the same headline limit can still offer different protection. Ask for the applicable forms and endorsements before deciding.
Ask about stops and transfers
Describe overnight parking, storage, and any handoff to another carrier. Ask how the proposed policy treats unattended loads, time in storage, and freight in another carrier's custody. Do not assume those situations are included.
What to have ready for your quote
Start with what you have. Your agent will confirm any additional information the carrier needs.
- DOT or MC number, if available, and legal business name
- Commodities, load values, routes, and operating radius
- Truck and trailer details, including refrigeration equipment
- Requested limits, broker requirements, and target start date
- Current coverage and available loss runs, if previously insured
Protect your cargo today
Cargo market options with clear follow-up from a trucking-focused agent.
A quote request does not bind coverage. Availability, limits, exclusions, and effective dates are subject to carrier approval and policy terms.