Protect Your Trucking and Freight Operation

The trucking and freight industry is crucial to the economy, transporting goods from coast to coast. But a lot of liability is riding on your trucking and freight operation.

There were 3,625 reported incidents of cargo theft in 2024, according to CargoNet’s 2024 Supply Chain Risk Trends. Check out these top freight theft schemes:

Straight theft is when criminals steal straight off the truck along the route or at a stop.

Strategic theft is when scammers fake a legitimate freight booking or transfer loads between brokers without authorization. Strategic cargo theft groups focus on stealing high-value goods during transportation. Others pretend to be brokers. They book freight with one carrier, switch to another at a cheaper rate and pocket the difference. Both types of fraudsters have a deep understanding of the supply chain and know how to exploit it.

Cyber theft is when a cybercriminal captures driver, broker, or warehouse employee credentials and account information. They use these credentials to fake identities, access warehouses and truck routes, or impersonate a freight broker using stolen account logins to intercept loads.

Reliance Insurance will shop multiple insurance carriers and advise you on trucking and freight policies for your business.

Solutions to meet federal and provincial requirements

Across Canada, a basic amount of insurance is mandatory. However, each province and territory sets its own requirements for trucking insurance minimums. All require at least some liability coverage. Failure to comply can result in fines.

In British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, government-run insurance companies sell primary and optional truck insurance, while private insurers are allowed to sell optional coverage. In all other provinces and territories, individual drivers and companies buy all of their truck insurance through private insurers.

You’ll need to check the requirements in your own jurisdiction. Your insurance broker can provide more guidance, but you should at least have truck liability coverage.

Truck liability covers property damage and bodily injuries suffered by nonemployees. If someone files a claim alleging their losses are your or your company’s fault, this insurance covers the associated costs. It includes your legal defense and any resulting settlements or judgments.

Truck liability might be sold as individual property and bodily injury policies, or these coverages might be combined into one liability policy. When sold as stand-alone policies, some other terms you might see are “third-party property damage liability” and “accident benefits.” Third-party property damage liability covers physical damages, while accident benefits cover medical expenses, lost income, and disability and other payments to injured parties. But we also recommend protection that goes beyond compliance.

Get complete protection

In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, you should protect your trucking operation from liabilities threatening your revenue. These include vehicle accidents, cyberattacks, cargo theft, and damaged and lost freight. Here are common risk areas we cover:

Nontrucking liability covers your rig when you aren’t under dispatch or pulling a loaded trailer.

Commercial umbrella insurance extends liability limits across multiple lines of insurance once the limit on a named policy is exhausted. Umbrella insurance extends to several policies.

Completed operations coverage helps if a client claims your delivery services damaged their freight and sues you for losses.

Cyber liability insurance covers data theft and losses if a hack compromises your telematics, or broker, routing, or client management software. It covers software restoration, fines, legal fees and required credit monitoring services.

Excess insurance increases the liability limits on an insurance policy of your choosing. Unlike umbrella coverage, excess coverage is limited to one policy.

General liability insurance covers bodily injuries and property damage sustained while on your premises, from using your products or services, or because of a breach of contract. It applies to anyone who isn’t an employee.

Motor truck cargo insurance covers your freight against damage and loss. It can protect against various catastrophes, from theft to refrigeration failures.

Physical damage insurance covers truck and trailer repairs after an accident. Add uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to your auto policy to protect against uninsured and underinsured drivers.

Across Canada, a basic amount of insurance is mandatory. However, each province and territory sets its own requirements for trucking insurance minimums.

Call us for a coverage review

We’re an independent brokerage. That means we work for you, not the insurance company. We’ll shop multiple insurance carriers and advise you on trucking and freight policies for your business. Call us for a review of your insurance. We’ll see if we can save you money or find better coverage, or both!