What published data says about 2026 prices
Nobody can tell you your exact premium without a quote. Published data gets you close enough to set a budget. Two reputable sources publish figures worth using.
Progressive Commercial publishes average premiums from its 2025 new truck policies. The figures are per power unit, cover auto liability and physical damage, and come from policies with no driver violations. Progressive reports that its for-hire transport truckers, the group hauling general freight and autos, averaged $926 a month, with a median of $821.
Its for-hire specialty truckers, such as garbage, septic, and logging operations, averaged $734 a month, with a median of $635. Tow trucks averaged $606 a month, with a median of $355.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) tracks trucking costs per mile from carrier financial data. ATRI's 2026 operational cost update puts liability and cargo insurance premiums at 10.6 cents per mile for 2025, up from 10.2 cents the year before.
That is a 3.9% increase. ATRI puts the total cost of running a truck at a record $2.336 per mile.
| Source | What it measures | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive Commercial | For-hire transport, average per power unit | $926 per month |
| Progressive Commercial | For-hire transport, median per power unit | $821 per month |
| Progressive Commercial | For-hire specialty, average per power unit | $734 per month |
| Progressive Commercial | Tow trucks, average per power unit | $606 per month |
| ATRI | Liability and cargo premiums, 2025 | 10.6 cents per mile |
| ATRI | Total operating cost, 2025 | $2.336 per mile |
How to read these numbers as a Texas trucker
Both sources are national. Neither one breaks out Texas. Treat them as a starting point, not a Texas price list.
A quick way to use them is to multiply the ATRI rate by your annual miles. At 100,000 miles a year, 10.6 cents per mile works out to about $10,600 in liability and cargo premium. At Progressive's $926 monthly average, a full year of liability and physical damage comes to about $11,112 per truck.
Watch what each number leaves out. Progressive's averages assume a clean driving record, so violations push a quote higher. ATRI's insurance line counts liability and cargo premiums and comes from carriers that took part in its survey.
A brand-new authority in Houston with a financed truck will often price differently from either average. So will a 20-truck fleet in San Antonio with ten years of clean loss runs.
Every factor that moves your premium
Underwriters price risk. Each item below changes how much risk they see in your operation. Let's break it down.
| Factor | What underwriters look at | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| CDL experience | Years holding a CDL. Many underwriters want to see at least two. | Fewer markets quote newer drivers, and the ones that do charge more. |
| MVR | Tickets, accidents, and suspensions on each driver's motor vehicle record | Recent violations are one of the fastest ways to raise a quote. |
| Years in business | How long your authority has been active | A new authority has no track record, so it prices higher. |
| New authority status | Whether you are in your first year or two under your own USDOT and MC numbers | Many insurers limit how many new ventures they write. |
| Radius | Local, regional, or long haul | More miles and more states mean more exposure. |
| Commodity | What you haul | High-value, high-theft, and hazmat loads cost more to insure. |
| Garaging ZIP | Where the truck parks at night | Local traffic, theft, and weather losses show up in pricing. |
| Unit value | Stated value of each truck and trailer | Physical damage premium scales with the value you insure. |
| CSA scores | FMCSA safety measurement results | Poor scores signal higher crash risk. |
| Loss runs | Claims history from your prior insurers | Clean loss runs help. Frequent claims hurt. |
| Deductibles | What you pay before coverage pays | Higher deductibles lower physical damage and cargo premium. |
| Limits | Auto liability limit and cargo limit | Higher limits cost more, though contracts often require $1,000,000. |
Texas details that show up in your quote
Where you garage and where you run both matter. A truck parked near Port Houston that runs Beltway 8, SH-225, and I-45 every day faces dense traffic.
A truck running I-20 out of Midland into the Permian Basin faces oilfield traffic, long night runs, and wildlife. Underwriters price those exposures differently.
Weather hits the physical damage side. Hail across North Texas along I-35 and I-30, flash floods in the Hill Country, hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, and winter ice storms all lead to physical damage claims. The higher your truck's value, the more that exposure shows up in your premium.
Border freight is its own risk. Drayage and cross-dock work around the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Pharr-Reynosa, and Ysleta-Zaragoza in El Paso means congestion and high-value loads, which can affect liability and cargo pricing.
Intrastate versus interstate matters too. A Texas-only carrier files with TxDMV and needs at least $500,000 in liability for trucks over 26,000 lbs. An interstate for-hire carrier of general freight needs at least $750,000 under FMCSA rules. Most brokers ask for $1,000,000 either way, so price that limit from the start.
How to lower your quote
Some of these take time. Some you can do this week.
- Raise physical damage and cargo deductibles to an amount you could pay from savings tomorrow.
- Pay in full if you can. Some insurers discount a paid-in-full policy, and installment plans can carry fees.
- Keep every driver's MVR clean. A single recent ticket can change which markets will quote you.
- Pull loss runs from every prior insurer before you shop. Clean loss runs speed up underwriting.
- Work on CSA scores. Fix what roadside inspections flag, clear out-of-service items fast, and challenge data errors through DataQs.
- Match limits to your contracts. Carry what your brokers and lender require, and ask the agent to price more than one limit so you can compare.
- Ask about telematics programs. Some insurers price using ELD or camera data.
- Hire drivers with two or more years of CDL experience and clean records.
- Avoid gaps in coverage. Continuous coverage with no lapses looks better at renewal.
- Describe your radius and commodities accurately. Overstating raises the price. Understating can leave a claim unpaid.
What the agent needs to quote you
The agent who handles your quote will ask for the items below. Sending them with your request saves a round of follow-up calls.
- USDOT number, plus your MC number or TxDMV number if you have them
- Driver names, dates of birth, CDL numbers, and years of experience
- Year, make, VIN, and value of each truck and trailer
- What you haul, with a rough percentage for each commodity
- Your radius and main lanes, such as I-35 between Laredo and Dallas
- Loss runs from prior insurers and your current declarations page
- Lienholder or lessor details for any financed or leased unit
Coverage this guide touches
Questions truckers ask
What is the average cost of semi truck insurance in Texas?
No reputable source publishes a Texas-only average. Progressive Commercial reports a national average of $926 a month per power unit for its for-hire transport truckers on 2025 new policies, covering auto liability and physical damage with no driver violations. ATRI puts liability and cargo premiums at 10.6 cents per mile for 2025. Your Texas quote depends on drivers, freight, radius, and garaging ZIP.
Why is insurance so expensive for a new authority?
A new authority has no loss history under its own USDOT number, so underwriters have nothing to price from except driver records and the equipment. Many insurers limit how many new ventures they write, which narrows your options. Clean MVRs, two or more years of CDL experience, and continuous coverage through the first renewal all help your pricing as the authority ages.
Is it cheaper to lease onto a carrier than run my own authority?
Progressive notes that leasing onto a motor carrier is usually cheaper than running under your own USDOT authority. The carrier you lease to typically covers auto liability under its authority, so you often carry physical damage and non-trucking liability instead. You give up some freedom over loads and rates, so compare the full cost of both setups before you decide.
Does a higher deductible really lower my premium?
Yes, on physical damage and cargo coverage a higher deductible usually lowers the premium, because you take on more of each claim. It does not change your auto liability price much. Pick a deductible you could pay from savings without missing a truck payment. Lenders often set a maximum deductible in the loan agreement, so check that first.
Sources
- Progressive Commercial: What does commercial truck insurance cost?
- Progressive Commercial: How much is commercial auto insurance?
- ATRI: New ATRI report details accelerating costs (2026 operational costs update)
- FreightWaves: Trucking costs outpaced consumer inflation in 2025 (ATRI insurance per-mile figure)
- TxDMV: TxDMV number and insurance minimums
- eCFR: 49 CFR 387.9 financial responsibility minimums