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With so many trucks on the road, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict rules about insurance coverage.
NO INSURANCE, NO AUTHORIZATION
CARGO INSURANCE
The goods inside the truck must be covered in the event of damage. This is handled through cargo insurance, which covers property in transit.
If your company delivers anything, cargo insurance is a good idea. But if you transport household goods across state lines, you are required by federal law to have cargo insurance.
States also require additional insurance for certain types of cargo. Trucking companies must stay in constant contact with insurance providers to ensure they’re fully covered under federal and state laws.
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Federally-required liability insurance is determined by the weight of the truck and whether it carries hazardous materials. It’s sometimes called public liability insurance because it protects the public in the event of a truck accident.
If a truck carries non-hazardous materials and weighs 10,001 pounds or more, a $750,000 liability policy limit is required. So if a trucker causes an accident that does $500,000 worth of damage to a public roadway, the government will collect from the policy and repair the damage.
For hazardous materials trucks, liability policies must have significantly higher coverages due to the risk and expense of cleaning up hazardous spills. A $5 million policy must be carried at all times for trucks that deliver radioactive materials, explosives, gases, or anything that’s poisonous by inhalation.
Liability policies cover both property damage and bodily injury. If another motorist or a pedestrian has hospital bills as a result of an accident caused by a trucker, the liability policy addresses their bills.
Physical damage coverage protects trucks against natural disasters like fires and floods. It also covers theft, which is a major issue in trucking.
Non-trucking liability, also called bobtail insurance or deadhead coverage, covers trucks when they’re traveling without a trailer - deadheaded - or they’re off the road for servicing.

Almost 50,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks are being recalled after a steering-related issue was discovered.

Paccar is recalling more than 47,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks of various models because certain steering gears may have been assembled with fewer than the required number of recirculating balls, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall documents
The following Kenworth models are affected by the recall (all model years 2024-25):

L770
T280
T380
T480
T680
T880
W990
The following Peterbilt models are included in the recall, also model years 2024-25:

389
520
535
536
537
548
567
579
589
A steering gear with fewer than the required number of recirculating balls may bind when loads are applied. In some cases, the balls may align on the same side of the gear’s worm shaft and concentrated loads may cause the gear’s internal parts to fracture, resulting in a loss of vehicle steering. Loss of steering increases the likelihood of a crash.

Paccar dealers will inspect and replace the steering gears as necessary, free of charge.

Notification letters to owners of affected trucks are scheduled to be mailed out on March 25.