Best Trucking Insurance Companies for a New Authority, Ranked by an Agency That Places Them

By Will Kremer, Truck Insurance Agent · Last updated September 21, 2026

If you just got your MC number, you need to know two things: which companies will write a brand-new authority, and which of those fits the way you plan to run. We place new authorities every week, so this list of the best trucking insurance for a new authority comes from our own desk: who we quote first, what each company is built for, how you’ll pay, and how fast the quote comes back. Nobody paid to be here, and the order is ours.

The short answer The main insurance companies that write new trucking authorities are Progressive, GEICO, CoverWhale, Canal, Corgi, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate, National Indemnity and Prime, in the order we’d quote them. Progressive fits almost any new operation, GEICO is a close second, and the rest each suit a specific kind of startup. Most of them quote a new authority the same day.

Key takeaways A new authority has real choices. Eight companies on this list write first-year trucking businesses, and most quote within hours. Fit beats brand. The right company depends on your equipment, what you haul, and who’s driving. How you pay differs by company. Some bill you directly. Others are premium financed, which adds a finance agreement. Make sure the policy can file on your MC number. A commercial auto policy that isn’t built for trucking can’t activate your authority. Year one isn’t forever. We reshop every client every year, and two to three clean years usually opens up preferred markets.

The best trucking insurance companies for a new authority, compared

The whole list is below. The order is the order we’d typically quote a brand-new MC, and the quote times are what we actually see when we submit a new venture.

There are smaller markets that write new ventures too, but these eight are the ones that place most of the new authorities we see. This page is about new authorities, meaning a new USDOT and MC number. If you want the basics of the coverage itself, what it costs and what FMCSA and brokers require, that lives on our new venture truck insurance page.

The eight companies, one by one

1. Progressive: the widest door in the market

Best for: just about anyone getting into trucking. Progressive will look at nearly any commercial vehicle and nearly any operation: general freight, flatbed, reefer, auto hauling, oilfield equipment, frac sand, dump trucks, logging. When we say there’s always an option for a new authority, this is usually the option we mean. We catalog the first FMCSA insurance filing made for every new trucking authority, which shows which company wrote it. By that filing data, Progressive writes roughly 55 percent of new authorities in the country over the past year.

What placing it looks like: same-day quotes, competitive pricing, and direct billing, so you pay Progressive and there’s no separate finance agreement with interest. It’s also comfortable with drivers who are new to their CDL and with owners who are licensed in a different state than the company.

Good to know: the real advantage in year one is flexibility. New businesses change lanes, add a trailer, swap a driver. Progressive gives a young company room to make those changes while it figures out what it actually needs. If you’re an owner-driver with one tractor-trailer and a fixed plan, put a Canal quote next to it, and for a hotshot or box truck with experienced drivers, add Berkshire Hathaway Homestate. We’ve earned Progressive’s Truck 25 Elite recognition, and we work with their truck underwriters every day.

2. GEICO: broad appetite and sharp pricing

Best for: new authorities hauling general freight that want a second strong price next to Progressive. In the states where GEICO writes trucks, its appetite is nearly as broad, its pricing is very competitive, and by the same FMCSA filing data it writes about 13 percent of new trucking authorities.

What placing it looks like: same-day quotes and direct billing. Like Progressive, GEICO works with out-of-state drivers and drivers who are new to the job.

Good to know: GEICO’s fit for refrigerated freight and box trucks varies by state, and auto haulers are a better match for other companies on this list, usually Progressive. We confirm GEICO’s availability for your state and operation when we quote. We hold GEICO’s Premier Truck Partner designation, and we’ll know within a few minutes whether your operation lines up with them in your state.

3. CoverWhale: for the operation that isn’t textbook

Best for: new authorities in intermodal; new authorities hauling dirt, sand and gravel; and owners or drivers whose records have a few marks on them. Where some companies rate up steeply for driver violations, CoverWhale is often the more reasonable number. It’s also willing to look at risks other standard markets pass on.

What placing it looks like: same-day quotes. The policy is premium financed, which means a finance company pays the annual premium and you pay the finance company monthly. We set that up the same day, so it doesn’t slow down your filing.

Good to know: CoverWhale connects to your telematics or ELD. If you’re already running an ELD, you’re most of the way there, and safe driving data works in your favor.

4. Canal: for the owner-driver with a clear plan

Best for: a new authority where the owner is the driver, has CDL experience, and runs a tractor-trailer pulling dry van, flatbed or refrigerated freight. For new ventures, Canal’s focus is tractor-trailers. If you know what you’re going to haul and don’t plan to change it much, Canal can be very competitively priced.

What placing it looks like: quotes usually come back in about a day. Canal fits best with an experienced, locally licensed owner-driver whose trucks are run by the company’s own drivers.

Good to know: Canal offers a mileage-based program to new authorities, and it’s one of the most useful things on this list. In your first months the truck may sit more than it will in year two. On the mileage program you’re billed for the miles you run, directly by Canal, so a parked truck doesn’t carry a full insurance bill. Canal’s other programs are premium financed.

5. Corgi: the newest option for new authorities

Best for: a new authority that wants one more competitive number on the table, especially when the rest of the market is coming in higher than the budget allows. Corgi launched its trucking program in July 2026, and we’ve been placing new authorities with them since August 2026. So far it has priced new authorities very competitively with a quick turnaround.

What placing it looks like: same-day quotes and direct billing.

Good to know: Corgi’s group includes risk retention groups, which are insurers owned by their policyholders under a federal law called the Liability Risk Retention Act, and it launched an admitted insurance company in August 2026. Some brokers and shippers ask for a specific AM Best rating on the certificate. So ask which Corgi company will issue your policy, and check it against the brokers you plan to haul for before you bind. We do that check with you.

6. Berkshire Hathaway Homestate: strong in the niches

Best for: new hotshot and box truck authorities, including final-mile freight run under your own authority. The appetite for equipment is broad, and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate does its best work in these specific niches more than in long-haul over-the-road trucking.

What placing it looks like: same-day quotes and direct billing.

Good to know: this company fits best with experienced, locally licensed drivers. If that describes your crew, it belongs near the top of your list.

7. National Indemnity: specialty work from day one

Best for: new authorities in specialty lanes: hotshots, oversize and overweight loads, auto hauling with a hotshot, and final-mile work. National Indemnity and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate are related, but they’re separate companies with their own underwriting, and we quote them separately.

What placing it looks like: about a day for a quote. New authorities are premium financed here, and we arrange the financing as part of binding.

Good to know: like Berkshire Hathaway Homestate, it fits best with experienced drivers, and it’s comfortable with drivers licensed in another state.

8. Prime: when nothing else fits

Best for: the new trucking company that doesn’t line up with any standard market. Prime exists for exactly that situation. We don’t place many new ventures here, but we have placed them, and it means a startup with an unusual operation still has a way to get on the road.

What placing it looks like: plan on three to five business days for a quote, and a telematics connection for a new venture.

Good to know: Prime prices for the risks it takes on, and the down payment is the largest on this list. For the right operation, it’s the policy that makes the business possible.

How you’ll pay: direct bill or premium financed

Two quotes with the same premium can ask for very different money up front, and billing is usually why. With a direct-bill company you make your down payment and monthly payments to the insurance company. With a premium-financed policy, a finance company pays the year up front and you repay it monthly, with a finance charge. Both work, and both can bind the same day. It just helps to know which one you’re looking at when you compare two quotes. The percentages below are what we typically see, as a share of the annual premium.

On Canal’s direct-bill mileage program, the 15% is held as a deposit that carries from year to year and comes back to you when the policy ends. When a Canal policy is premium financed, plan on 20% down. For the full picture of what’s due up front and why no policy is truly zero down, see what you actually pay upfront for truck insurance.

How to match the company to your operation

The ranking above is a general order. Your order depends on what you run. This is roughly where we start for the new authorities we see most.

We’re appointed directly with Progressive, GEICO, CoverWhale, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate, Corgi and Prime, and we reach Canal and National Indemnity through wholesale partners. That matters because a new authority shouldn’t have to fill out eight applications. You give us the details once, and we bring back the quotes that fit, usually the same day.

Get your new authority quoted → or call 855-281-2924.

What every new authority should expect in year one

A few things are true no matter which company you land with, and knowing them ahead of time makes the quote easier to read.

• You’ll be rated for a wide radius. Most companies rate a new operating authority at 500 miles or more. Your authority lets you run nationwide, and until there’s operating history to look at, insurers rate for that. It also means you’re free to take the longer load when it pays.
• Some companies connect to your ELD or telematics. CoverWhale does, and Prime does for new ventures. If you drive well, that data helps you at renewal.
• Financed policies still bind the same day. Either the company arranges the financing or we use one of our premium finance partners, so it doesn’t hold up your filing.
• Filings move fast. The companies that write new ventures are set up to send your proof of insurance to FMCSA quickly, often within 24 hours of binding. New authorities also enter FMCSA’s New Entrant Safety Assurance Program, so clean inspections in these first 18 months pay off later.

The one thing to check before you buy: can the policy file on your MC number?

The most common misstep we see from a new authority is buying a standard commercial auto policy from a company that doesn’t write trucking. The policy is real and the coverage may be fine for a contractor’s pickup, but it can’t make the federal filing on your MC number, so your authority never goes active.

Every company on this page writes trucking and makes those filings. If you’re comparing a quote from somewhere else, ask one question: will this policy make the insurance filing FMCSA requires on my MC number? If the answer is yes, you’re in good shape. Our guide on how to get your MC and DOT numbers covers how the filing activates your authority.

What happens after year one: we reshop you every year

The company that’s best for your first year usually isn’t the company you’ll be with in year four, and that’s good news. We reshop every client at every renewal, because the market for your business gets wider each year you run clean.

Here’s a real path from our book. A new venture started with Canal. When we reshopped them at renewal, we moved them to Progressive. After three years in business with a clean loss history and good safety scores, they qualified for a preferred market, the kind of company that writes established trucking businesses at lower rates. That’s the usual timeline: two to three years of clean losses and solid inspections, then the preferred markets open up.

For year one, that means a short to-do list: get with a company that fits, keep the coverage continuous, keep the truck maintained, and let us do the shopping each year. This order is specific to a first-year authority, so it differs from our general ranking, which weighs things like claims handling and programs for established fleets. For that wider look at the market, including the companies that come into play once you’re established, see our list of the top trucking insurance companies.

Frequently asked questions

Who has the best trucking insurance for a new authority?

It depends on what you run. Progressive is the usual starting point, Canal often wins for an owner-driver with a tractor-trailer, and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate and National Indemnity are strong for hotshots. The table above shows where we start for each operation, and we quote several at once.

Is Progressive good for a new trucking company?

Yes. It’s the first quote we get for most new authorities because it writes nearly any truck and operation. It offers same-day quotes, direct billing, and the flexibility to change trucks, drivers and lanes as a new business finds its footing.

Can I get trucking insurance with a brand-new MC number and no history?

Yes. Every company on this list writes authorities with no operating history. Have your USDOT number, your truck’s VIN and your driver’s information ready, and most of them will quote you the same day.

How fast can a new authority get insured and filed?

Most of the companies here quote within hours, and we can usually bind and send the filings within 24 hours, sometimes much sooner. Canal and National Indemnity take about a day to quote, and Prime takes three to five business days.

What is a risk retention group in trucking insurance?

It’s a liability insurer owned by the businesses it insures, set up under the federal Liability Risk Retention Act. Risk retention groups can be a good route to coverage for a new authority. Since some brokers ask for an AM Best rating, confirm your brokers accept the company before you bind, and we’ll help you check.

Ready to see which companies fit your new authority?

Send us your DOT number, your truck and your driver, and we’ll come back with the companies that fit, side by side, usually the same day. The owner of this agency ran her own trucks before she ever wrote a policy, and new authorities are a big part of what we do every week. You’ll talk to a person who knows these eight companies by name.

Get your new authority quote → or call 855-281-2924.

About the author Will Kremer, Truck Insurance Agent A truck insurance agent at Trucking Insurance Services since 2011, Will Kremer specializes in owner-operators, new ventures, and fleets, and helps truckers pick the coverage that fits how they actually run.

This ranking reflects our own experience placing new trucking authorities and is for general guidance only. No insurance company paid for placement. Company appetite, billing and down payment terms change and vary by state; the down payment percentages are what we typically see, not quoted terms. Market share figures come from our own catalog of first FMCSA insurance filings for new authorities. Company names are used to identify the insurers we work with and belong to their owners. Get a quote for exact terms. Trucking Insurance Services LLC — 380 Dahlonega St #212, Cumming, GA 30040 — 855-281-2924