Non-trucking liability insurance
Non-trucking liability covers a leased-on owner-operator when the truck is in use but not under dispatch. Your motor carrier insures you while you are working for them; NTL is what responds when you are not.
It is narrower than most drivers assume, and the phrase "not under dispatch" is where almost every dispute starts.
Who this is for — and who it is not
- You need NTL if: you own the truck and are leased on to a motor carrier, running under their authority and their primary liability.
- You do not need NTL if: you run under your own authority. You carry primary liability, which already covers you in business use. Anyone selling you NTL instead of primary liability is selling you something that will not respond when you need it.
That second point is worth being blunt about. It is the most consequential mis-sale in this corner of the market, and it usually surfaces after an accident rather than before.
Don't buy insurance just to activate your authority.
What counts as "under dispatch"?
Coverage flips depending on the answer, so it is worth understanding where the clear ground ends.
| Situation | Likely to respond |
|---|---|
| Loaded, en route to a delivery | Motor carrier's primary liability |
| Driving home after your last drop, dispatch closed | Non-trucking liability |
| Personal errands on a home day | Non-trucking liability |
| Deadheading to your next assigned pickup | Contested. Usually treated as business use — check your policy |
| Driving to a repair shop mid-week | Contested. Depends on wording and on your lease |
| Truck parked, unattended | Neither — that is physical damage or comprehensive |
The two contested rows are where claims are denied. Read the definition of "non-trucking use" in your own policy and compare it with the dispatch language in your lease. If the two documents disagree, you have a problem that only shows up after an accident.
What it does not cover
- Your truck. That is physical damage.
- The freight. That is cargo insurance.
- Anything while you are under dispatch. That is the motor carrier's policy — and the entire design of NTL.
- Your own injuries. That is occupational accident cover or workers compensation.
If you are thinking about getting your own authority
The insurance picture changes completely the day you do. NTL comes off, primary liability goes on, cargo becomes your responsibility, and the premium goes up by a large multiple. That cost belongs in the decision before you file, not after.
Check the wording against your lease
Send me your NTL policy and your lease agreement. The gap between how the two define dispatch is the exposure, and almost nobody has looked at both side by side.
Insurance is offered through Shay Denise, a licensed property and casualty producer. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Nothing on this page is a binder, a quote, or an offer of coverage.
The filing this is often confused with
Non-trucking liability is not a federal requirement and nothing about it is filed. The confusion is usually with the MCS-90, which is a different document doing a different job — worth settling before you decide what you are buying.
The MCS-90 is an endorsement attached to your policy and kept at your principal place of business. The document filed with FMCSA is the BMC-91 or BMC-91X certificate.
Commonly got wrong: MYTH: "the MCS-90 is your insurance policy" and "you file the MCS-90 with FMCSA". Two different documents, two different places. The MCS-90 obliges the insurer to pay a judgment even where the policy would otherwise exclude it.
For-hire carriers hauling non-hazardous property in vehicles with a GVWR of 10,001 lb or more must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage.
Commonly got wrong: Part 387 was last amended 91 FR 45660, 21 Jul 2026 — the $750,000 figure survived that amendment.
Non-trucking liability questions
What is non-trucking liability?
Liability coverage for a leased-on owner-operator when the truck is being used but not under dispatch — the personal-use gap. Your motor carrier's policy covers you while you are working for them. NTL is what responds when you are not.
Is bobtail the same thing?
People use the words interchangeably and they are not identical. Bobtail traditionally means driving the tractor without a trailer attached, whatever the purpose. Non-trucking liability is defined by whether you are in business use, trailer or no trailer. NTL is the broader and the more commonly written of the two — but read what your policy actually says rather than assuming from the name.
Do I need it if I have my own authority?
No. NTL is for owner-operators leased on to a motor carrier. Under your own authority you carry primary liability, which covers you in business use. Being sold NTL as a substitute for primary liability would be a serious mis-sale.
What counts as "not under dispatch"?
That is the whole fight, and it is why claims get denied. Driving home after your last delivery. Taking the truck for personal errands on a home day. Repositioning without a load assignment. The gray areas — deadheading to your next pickup, driving to a repair shop — are where insurers and carriers disagree, and the answer lives in your specific policy wording and your lease.
Does it cover cargo or the truck?
Neither. NTL is liability only — injury and damage you cause to others. The truck itself is physical damage. Freight is cargo insurance.
Why is it so cheap compared to primary liability?
Because it covers a fraction of the exposure. You are insured for the hours you are not working, which is when the truck is least likely to be involved in a serious commercial loss. That is also why it is not a substitute for anything.