Non-trucking & Bobtail Liability Insurance
Protection when the rig Is off the clock
Non-Trucking Liability (NTL), also known as Bobtail Liability, provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage when an insured truck is operated for personal or non-business purposes. For example, when dead-heading to a repair shop or driving home after the last delivery. It fills the gap where a motor carrier’s primary auto liability policy ends.
Coverage
Situation | How the policy responds |
|---|---|
Personal errands | Pays third-party claims if an accident occurs while the tractor is being driven off-dispatch (for fuel, food, or home). |
Dead-Head / No trailer | Covers liability while traveling bobtail to pick up the next load or returning to base without a trailer. |
Lease-required gap | Satisfies the lease clause that obligates an owner-operator to carry liability coverage whenever the carrier’s policy isn’t in force. |
Not covered: on-dispatch trips, freight hauling, or activities that generate business revenue. Those exposures remain under the motor carrier’s primary auto liability policy.
Who needs it
Who typically needs NTL / Bobtail Liability
Leased-on owner-operators driving under a motor carrier’s authority.
Lease-purchase drivers with tractors titled in personal or LLC name.
Power-only contractors moving between assignments without a trailer attached.
Drivers using the tractor for personal mileage (shop visits, family events).
Limits & costs
*Premium varies by driving record, radius, state, and equipment class.
Cost explanation
Factors that influence rate
Driving history (MVR, PSP): Clean records lower the premium.
Garaging ZIP: Dense metropolitan areas tend to rate higher than rural locations.
Tractor age & value: Newer, more valuable units carry slightly higher rates.
Prior liability claims: Loss-free experience earns credits.
