Your cargo needs the right temperature. Your business needs the right coverage conversation.
Hauling refrigerated freight takes more than getting from pickup to delivery. The commodities you carry, your refrigeration equipment and your customers’ requirements all matter when choosing insurance. All-Star Insurance helps you explore coverage for your trucking operation—and understand the details behind the quote.
Owner-operators • Refrigerated fleets • New trucking businesses
Insurance built around refrigerated freight.
Whether you haul fresh produce, frozen food or another temperature-sensitive commodity, a policy should reflect your actual loads. A cargo limit alone does not tell you whether temperature-related damage is insured. The cause of loss, covered commodities, endorsements and policy conditions can make an important difference.
Tell our team what you haul, where you travel and the maximum value of a single load. We will help you review available options for your vehicles and cargo, including refrigeration-related coverage where offered.
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Commercial Trucking Insurance
Risk Factor
The type of trucking insurance you need can vary based on a number of factors. Private carriers who are hauling goods in their own truck or for an employer will need insurance designed for private trucking. Owner-operators will have different needs depending on whether they are operating under their own authority or under permanent lease to a motor carrier.
Solution
Having the right insurance for the situation is essential. For example, an owner-operator under permanent lease to a motor carrier may have their primary liability insurance provided by the motor carrier. However, there are other coverages they’ll want to consider. Additionally, the type of truck, driver experience, and goods hauled can all affect coverage needs as well.
Garagekeepers and On-Hook
Risk Factor
Tow trucks carry a unique risk involving the property of someone else. The tow truck could be involved in an accident and the vehicle it is towing could become damaged. Also, it’s not unusual for a towed vehicle to be stored overnight at the garage of the towing company. In either scenario, special insurance is needed to cover the towed vehicle.
Solution
On-hook insurance provides protection in the case of damages to a vehicle while it is being towed. Garagekeepers insurance would cover losses sustained when a vehicle is being temporarily stored at the towing company’s location.
Bobtail Insurance
Risk Factor
Sometimes a truck is driven without a trailer attached. This could include when the driver is on their way to pick up a load, has just dropped off a load, or is in between loads. When a truck is driven this way under someone else’s trucking authority, a coverage gap can exist if the truck is involved in an accident and found liable for bodily injury or damage to property.
Solution
Bobtail insurance is a liability policy that provides coverage for legal fees, damages awarded, and medical expenses for times when a truck is driven under someone else’s trucking authority and there is no trailer attached.
Non-trucking liability
Risk Factor
Trucks that are under permanent lease to a motor carrier are typically covered under their liability coverage, which offers protection when the truck is used for business purposes. But what happens if the truck is involved in an accident and is liable for damages caused while being driven for non-business purposes?
Solution
Non-trucking liability insurance offers protection when a truck is driven for personal reasons, for example while running personal errands on a day off. It covers medical expenses, property damage, and legal fees related to the driver.
Trailer Interchange
Risk Factor
There are times a trailer needs to be handed off from one trucker to another to finish the shipment. The contract that arranges this transfer is known as a trailer interchange agreement. The parties to this agreement would need trailer interchange insurance.
Solution
If a trailer is damaged, the trucker currently in possession of it would be responsible for them. Trailer interchange insurance offers protection for these damages for the period of time the policyholder is in possession of the trailer.
Rental Reimbursement With Downtime
Risk Factor
A truck that’s been damaged in an accident will need to be taken off the road for repairs. When the truck can’t be used, the business will lose money.
Solution
Rental reimbursement with downtime may cover the cost of truck payments and other bills while the truck is inoperable due to a covered loss. It may also provide reimbursement for a temporary replacement truck.
Motor Truck General Liability
Risk Factor
Owner-operators under their own authority and motor carriers can find themselves responsible for their mistakes. A customer injury, a delivery mistake or damage to goods, or damage to property caused by their truck or the actions of a driver can all be very costly.
Solution
Motor truck general liability insurance may provide coverage for bodily injury and property damage, personal or advertising injury, and other damages caused by the company’s own negligence.
Motor Truck Cargo Insurance
Risk Factor
For-hire truckers are often hauling something for someone. For the time that the freight or goods are in the possession of the trucker, the trucker is responsible for any damage to the goods. Whether the goods are damaged in a collision, are spilled off the truck, or damaged during loading and unloading, the expenses associated with this damage can add up fast.
Solution
Motor truck cargo insurance, sometimes simply referred to as cargo insurance, may cover the cost of the damaged cargo, removal expenses if the cargo is spilled, lost cargo, legal fees, and freight charges if the cargo is not delivered.
Physical Damage
Risk Factor
If a truck is damaged in an accident and another driver is not held liable for these damages, the truck’s owner would be responsible for the repairs. The truck’s owner would also be responsible for damages caused in other ways, such as if something falls on it, it is vandalized, it catches fire, or it is stolen.
Solution
Physical damage insurance covers the cost of repairs to your own vehicle if it’s damaged by you or it is damaged by some other factor that you cannot be held responsible for. For vehicles that are owned outright, this coverage may be optional. However, if the truck is being leased or financed, this coverage may be required by the bank.
Coverage options to discuss.
Commercial auto liability
Addresses covered claims for bodily injury or damage to other people’s property arising from the operation of insured vehicles. Discuss limits in light of your operations, applicable requirements and customer contracts.
Truck and trailer physical damage
Explore collision and comprehensive or specified-causes-of-loss options for insured equipment. Review deductibles, equipment values and how permanently attached refrigeration equipment is treated. Standard physical damage insurance is not a maintenance plan or a guarantee of payment for mechanical failure.
Motor truck cargo
Addresses your responsibility for covered loss or damage to customers’ freight. Review the commodity description, load values, deductibles and restrictions rather than assuming every item inside the trailer is insured.
Refrigeration breakdown and temperature-related cargo coverage
Ask whether an endorsement is needed for cargo damaged by a covered refrigeration failure. Review the actual trigger, any separate limit or deductible, maintenance requirements and temperature-control conditions. Coverage for spoiled cargo is different from paying to repair the failed refrigeration unit.
Questions worth asking before the next load.
- Are all commodities you haul eligible, including occasional or higher-value loads?
- How does the policy address temperature variation, incorrect settings, equipment failure and loss of refrigeration fuel?
- What records, maintenance or monitoring does the insurer require?
- How are rejected loads, salvage and disposal expenses handled?
- Are unattended trailers, temporary storage and trailer exchanges addressed?
These questions help us review your exposure; they do not mean every listed event is covered.
What affects your reefer insurance quote?
Your garaging location, driving and loss history, operating territory, vehicle values, commodities and requested limits can influence available pricing. Refrigeration-related coverage also depends on the insurer’s eligibility rules and policy terms. We compare available options with attention to both the premium and the protection being offered.
Keep your insurance as specific as your freight.
Before choosing a policy, make sure the conversation includes what happens inside the trailer—not just what happens on the road. Contact All-Star Insurance to review options for your reefer operation.
Quote checklist: Truck and trailer details; refrigeration equipment information; commodities; typical and maximum load values; routes; driver experience; current coverage and loss history; customer requirements.
Why work with All-Star Insurance?
An independent agency. A conversation built around your business.
Your trucking operation deserves more than a generic quote. All-Star Insurance helps you explore options from the insurance companies we work with and understand important differences in coverage, limits and deductibles.
Start with your operation. Tell us how your business works, including your equipment, drivers, cargo and contracts.
Compare more than the payment. Review available terms, deductibles and exclusions alongside the premium.
Work with people you can reach. Contact our Aurora team for quote questions, policy service and help understanding the next step.
Start your quote in three steps.
- Tell us about your business. Share your trucking type, business location and the best way to contact you.
- Review the details with our team. We will ask about your equipment, drivers, freight and insurance requirements, then explore available options.
- Choose your next step. Review the quote and its terms, ask questions and decide whether to proceed. Coverage begins only when it has been bound and the effective date and terms are confirmed.
Request your trucking insurance quote.
Tell us what you haul and how to reach you. Our team will explain what information is needed to review your operation.
Prefer to talk?
Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM Mountain Time
Coverage disclosure
This page provides general information, not a guarantee of coverage. Insurance availability, eligibility, limits, deductibles and exclusions vary by insurer, policy and operation. The issued policy and endorsements determine coverage. A quote request or certificate of insurance does not create or broaden coverage. Federal and state requirements, and customer contracts, may differ.
Reefer Truck Insurance FAQ
Does cargo insurance automatically cover spoiled freight?
No. A cargo policy can restrict temperature-related losses or require a specific endorsement. Tell us what caused the temperature problem you want to insure against so we can discuss the policy language that applies.
Does reefer breakdown coverage repair the refrigeration unit?
Do not assume so. A cargo endorsement addressing refrigeration breakdown concerns freight damage from a covered event. The unit’s own repair costs require a separate review of applicable equipment coverage.
Can you review my broker's insurance requirements?
Share the written requirements, your typical commodities and the maximum value you carry. We can compare those requests with available insurance terms. A certificate of insurance does not broaden the policy or remove its exclusions.
Can I request a quote for a new refrigerated trucking business?
Yes. Tell us about your experience, proposed equipment, routes and cargo. Eligibility and pricing depend on insurer underwriting; requesting a quote does not guarantee acceptance.
Let’s Get Started
Reefer Truck Insurance Information Request
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