Non-Trucking Liability & Bobtail Insurance

What Non-Trucking Liability Covers

Non-trucking liability (NTL) covers your tractor when you're using it for personal purposes and are not dispatched on a load under your motor carrier's authority — driving home, running to the fuel island on your own time, or any use outside of active dispatch. Your primary auto liability policy specifically excludes this use, which is exactly the gap NTL is built to fill.

Bobtail coverage is closely related and specifically addresses the tractor when it's disconnected from any trailer. Many leasing arrangements and carrier agreements require owner-operators to carry both.

Why Leased Owner-Operators Are Required to Carry This

If you lease your truck to a motor carrier, that carrier's primary liability policy typically only covers you while you're operating under their dispatch. The moment you're off-dispatch — heading home, grabbing personal supplies, or between assigned loads — their coverage doesn't apply. Most lease agreements require the owner-operator to independently carry non-trucking liability to close that gap, and carriers routinely verify it before activating a lease.

What's Typically Not Covered

• Any use of the truck while dispatched under a motor carrier's authority — that's primary liability's job
• Cargo damage — NTL is a liability coverage, not a cargo coverage
• Physical damage to your own tractor — add physical damage coverage separately