Workers Compensation Insurance for Trucking

Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Trucking Companies

Workers’ compensation provides medical benefits and wage replacement for employees who are injured on the job. For motor carriers and trucking companies with W-2 drivers and shop employees, workers’ comp is required by law in most states — and for heavy haul operations, where employees work around heavy equipment and hazardous conditions, the exposure is real.

Trucking Workers’ Comp Is a Specialized Market

Trucking is classified as a high-risk industry for workers’ compensation purposes, and heavy haul and oversize operations face additional hazards: loading and securing oversized freight, working around cranes and rigging equipment, exposure to construction and industrial job sites, and the physical demands of long-haul operations. Not every workers’ comp carrier is comfortable with this exposure, and rates and terms vary significantly by carrier.

What Workers’ Comp Covers

A workers’ compensation policy covers medical expenses for on-the-job injuries and illnesses, temporary and permanent disability benefits, and death benefits for employees killed in the course of employment. It also provides employer’s liability coverage, protecting the business against lawsuits brought by injured employees outside the workers’ comp system.

Coordinating with Your Overall Program

Workers’ comp fits into a larger risk management picture. If you also use owner-operators, you’ll need to understand how occ/acc coverage for those contractors interacts with your workers’ comp policy. We help make sure your whole program is coordinated and compliant.

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Further Reading

• Occupational Accident vs. Workers’ Compensation: What Owner-Operators Need to Know
• What Is Over-Dimensional Insurance — and Why Standard Trucking Policies Fall Short