Trucking Insurance for New Authority: US Markets
Six US carriers, MGAs and wholesalers that publicly accept new-venture trucking, with their unit caps, driver experience rules, limits and what to put in the submission.
Placement criteria
- Driver experience, not business age
- New ventures are accepted, but the driver still needs a track record: two years of CDL experience at Canal TestDrive, two years with a like vehicle at Cover Whale and RT Connector.
- Power units at bind
- Canal TestDrive: up to two trucks, four by the end of the first policy year. RT Connector: 1 to 10 power units. Cover Whale: new ventures with 5 or more units need written underwriting approval before binding.
- Equipment age and weight
- Canal requires model year 2000 or newer. Cover Whale and RT Connector require tractors and trailers newer than 23 years (27 for dump at RT). Cover Whale writes no vehicle under 6,001 pounds.
- Commodities and operations
- Exclusion lists decide most declines: Cover Whale and RT Connector exclude hazmat, livestock and towing or repossession, among others. STAR excludes hazmat haulers, boat haulers and scrap metal or auto haulers.
- Telematics
- Cover Whale requires a dashcam or ELD for auto liability. Canal TestDrive rates auto liability by the mile through a Samsara device it supplies.
Who writes this risk
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Local to long-haul trucking, New ventures
- Limits
- Policy limits up to $5,000,000; cargo limits up to $500,000.
- Radius and units
- No radius or unit count restrictions.
Note: The commercial auto product page states "New ventures welcome".
Canal Insurance Company
Carrier- Eligible classes
- New trucking operations with less than two years in business (Canal TestDrive)
- Territory
- United States
- Driver experience
- At least two years of CDL driving experience.
- Units
- Up to two trucks at start, no more than four during the first policy year.
- Drivers
- One truck: the driver must be the owner. Two trucks: the driver must be a company employee.
- Equipment
- Truck model year 2000 or newer.
- DOT
- DOT number held or applied for.
- Rating
- Auto liability charged per mile via a Samsara telematics device; physical damage, cargo and truckers' general liability at a fixed premium.
Note: Sold through retail agents.
Cover Whale
MGA- Eligible classes
- Commercial trucking, new ventures included
- Territory
- Admitted auto liability: FL, GA, IL, NV, NM, NC, OH, SC, WI (list dated February 10, 2025)
- Units
- Auto liability targets 1 to 25 power units at bind (1 to 75 for other coverages). New ventures with 5 or more units need written underwriting approval before binding.
- Driver experience
- Two years minimum with a similar vehicle.
- Telematics
- Dashcam or ELD required for auto liability.
- Equipment
- No vehicles under 6,001 pounds; tractors and trailers newer than 23 years.
- Excluded
- Includes hazmat, livestock, towing or repossession and cannabis haulers.
Note: Appetite article last updated February 10, 2025.
RT Specialty (RT Connector)
Wholesaler- Eligible classes
- New ventures eligible, Dry van, reefer, hotshot, dump, auto haulers, flatbed without oversize or overweight exposure, Local, intermediate and long haul
- Limits
- Auto liability up to $5,000,000 CSL.
- Territory
- Nationwide except Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York
- Units
- 1 to 10 power units.
- Drivers
- Age 18 to 75, minimum 23 for power units over 20,000 lbs; 2 years minimum experience with like vehicle.
- Equipment
- Tractors and trailers newer than 23 years, or 27 years for dump operations.
- Lines
- Auto liability, motor truck cargo, general liability, auto physical damage, non-trucking liability; package or standalone.
Note: RT Connector is an excess and surplus lines portal for RT Specialty contracted agents (sheet dated July 30, 2026).
STAR Mutual RRG
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Trucking and business auto classes, owner-operators to larger fleets, Published new-venture examples: dry van, straight truck, car hauler and hotshot
- Territory
- Auto liability in 40 states; APD and motor truck cargo in 33 states
- Eligibility
- Commercial auto liability for members of Reliable Transportation Association (RTA); APD and cargo through programs facilitated by RTA.
- Excluded
- Includes hazardous materials haulers, livestock, boat haulers, scrap metal or auto haulers, heavy duty wreckers.
Note: The homepage lists sample quotes, including a New Jersey dry van new venture at $1,500,000 liability.
TCB Insurance Programs
Wholesaler- Eligible classes
- Motor truck cargo, new ventures welcome, General commodities, refrigerated (reefer breakdown included), auto, boat and RV, household goods movers
- Limits
- High-value cargo limits up to $10,000,000.
- Units
- 1 to 1,000 units.
- Risk profile
- Hard-to-place risks, losses, driving records and tough classes listed.
- Excluded commodities
- Includes electronics, alcohol, tobacco, jewelry, live animals and seafood unless canned.
Note: Cargo program only: auto liability has to be placed elsewhere.
Public terms gathered from each market's own website, as of the date shown on each listing. Confirm with the market before binding coverage.
Who writes new-authority trucking
Six markets publish new-venture appetite on their own pages. They differ on unit caps, driver experience and which lines they write.
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC): the commercial auto page says "New ventures welcome", covers local to long-haul trucks, states no radius or unit count restrictions, and offers policy limits up to $5 million and cargo limits up to $500,000.
Canal Insurance Company: Canal TestDrive is built for operations with less than two years in business. The driver needs two years of CDL experience, the truck must be model year 2000 or newer, and the account starts at one or two trucks (four maximum during the first policy year). Auto liability is billed per mile through a Samsara device; physical damage, cargo and truckers' GL carry a fixed premium.
Cover Whale: the appetite guidelines target 1 to 25 power units for auto liability and require a dashcam or ELD, two years of like-vehicle experience and equipment newer than 23 years. A new venture with 5 or more units needs written underwriting approval before binding.
RT Specialty (RT Connector): the trucking sheet dated July 30, 2026 lists new ventures as eligible, 1 to 10 power units and auto liability up to $5 million CSL, nationwide except Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York. Drivers must be 18 to 75, at least 23 on units over 20,000 lbs. This is an E&S portal for RT Specialty contracted agents.
STAR Mutual RRG: the homepage shows sample new-venture quotes (dry van, straight truck, car hauler and hotshot). It writes auto liability in 40 states for members of Reliable Transportation Association, with APD and cargo in 33 states.
TCB Insurance Programs: a trucking wholesale broker whose cargo program welcomes new ventures, from 1 to 1,000 units, with high-value cargo limits up to $10 million. Cargo only: the auto liability goes elsewhere.
Why new authorities get declined
A new MC number has no loss runs, no inspection history and no safety scores, so the underwriter rates the driver and the operation instead of the company. Federal rules add a layer: a new entrant is under FMCSA safety monitoring for 18 months, with a safety audit once it has enough records, generally after at least 3 months of operation (49 CFR 385.307).
Most declines come from four things:
- Driver experience under two years with the type of truck. Canal, Cover Whale and RT Connector all publish a two-year threshold.
- Excluded operations. Hazmat, livestock, towing or repossession and oversize loads appear on the exclusion lists of Cover Whale and RT Connector. A towing account belongs on the tow truck markets page.
- Old or light equipment. Tractors and trailers 23 years or older at Cover Whale and RT Connector (27 for dump at RT), trucks older than model year 2000 at Canal, vehicles under 6,001 lbs at Cover Whale.
- Too many units on day one. Canal caps at two to start; Cover Whale sends 5 units and up to underwriting before bind.
Limits and filings
For-hire interstate carriage of nonhazardous property in vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more requires at least $750,000 of public liability. Oil and most listed hazardous materials raise it to $1 million, and certain bulk hazmat to $5 million (49 CFR 387.9). The insurer files the Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X certificate with FMCSA (49 CFR 387.313), so ask each market whether it makes the filing before you bind.
What to prepare before you quote
- USDOT and MC numbers (or the application), and a SAFER profile that matches the real operation. Cover Whale's quote guide asks agents to check it before binding.
- Each driver: date of birth, CDL date, years with the same type of truck, MVR.
- Each unit: year, make, VIN, stated value, owned or leased; trailers listed separately.
- Commodities with percentages, radius split totaling 100%, garaging address.
- Any prior loss runs. Cover Whale's form asks for three years; for a startup, give the drivers' prior employment history and add a "new venture" note for the underwriter.
- Coverages requested one by one: auto liability limit, cargo limit, physical damage values. Cover Whale requires at least one line in addition to auto liability.
For commercial lines agencies that quote startups every week, keeping this file in one place avoids asking the client twice.
Preparing and entering the same submission on several carrier portals takes time. Covera's AI quoting agents fill in those portals from the file you already have.
Frequently asked questions
Can a new authority get trucking insurance with no years in business?
Yes. BHHC, Canal TestDrive, Cover Whale, RT Connector and STAR all publish new-venture appetite. What they still require is driver experience: two years of CDL or like-vehicle experience is the common published threshold.
What liability limit does a new for-hire carrier need?
The federal minimum for interstate for-hire carriage of nonhazardous property in vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more is $750,000 (49 CFR 387.9). Certain hazmat raises it to $1,000,000 or $5,000,000. Shippers and brokers often ask for $1,000,000, so quote that limit as an option.
Does a cargo quote include auto liability?
No. TCB's program is motor truck cargo only. Place primary auto liability with a market that writes it, and keep the two quotes separate in the proposal.
How many trucks can a new venture start with?
It depends on the program: two trucks at Canal TestDrive (four by the end of year one), 1 to 10 power units at RT Connector. Cover Whale requires written underwriting approval before binding a new venture with 5 or more units.