Each mode of transportation and method of freight carrying used in the trucking industry comes with its challenges, opportunities, and expenses. Bobtailing, in which a semi-truck or 18-wheeler is driven without a trailer, is one of the riskiest practices. It’s possible to experience bobtailing when picking up or returning a load.
No matter the rationale, bobtailing is an activity that frequently necessitates a higher insurance policy. Your motor carrier may require you to carry bobtail insurance to safeguard you and your financial interests in the event of an accident.
What is Bobtail Insurance?
Bobtail insurance is a term used to describe a worldwide insurance policy designed for salespeople and marketing professionals. It can be thought of as a type of mobile insurance. Since it is meant to be taken with you wherever you go, it is an ideal insurance product for travelers and ex-pats who relocate frequently or move abroad regularly.
Bobtail insurance is liability protection while operating a truck without attached trailers or other carrying accessories. You’ll be glad you had it when the following apply to an accident:
- The next time you’re en route to pick up cargo,
- In the interim between delivering and collecting up,
- Back in the car after the last drop-off
Even while bobtail truck insurance won’t pay for repairs to your truck, it will cover the price of treating injured parties and their vehicles.
To What Extent Does Bobtail Insurance Differ From NTL Coverage?
Bobtail and non-trucking liability insurance (NTL) are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. However, there are significant differences between these two types of insurance coverage.
Liability Coverage That Doesn’t Apply to Trucking Operations
Driving your commercial truck without a trailer (i.e., not hauling) is covered by your non-trucking liability insurance policy. This section of your insurance policy will pay for any damages incurred from an accident while you are out doing your weekly grocery shopping. How, then, is it unique? You will only be covered if you perform tasks related to dispatch that could be considered work.
To Protect Your Bobtail or Bobtail Insurance
When you’re bobtailing, you’re still covered by your insurance, but only while operating under someone else’s authority as a truck driver (i.e., working).
Bobtails and Damage
Physical damage and bobtail insurance are intertwined becauseliability is all that is covered by bobtail insurance. Thus, it can’t be used to replace a damaged rig. Usually, the insurance for your vehicle will take care of it. Instead, it pays for other people’s medical bills and repairs to their cars if you cause an accident and are found at fault.
The typical limit for a bobtail policy is $1 million. You can typically purchase extra coverage if you worry about bobtailing accidents or you frequently bobtail.
