Intermodal Trucking Insurance (UIIA Coverage & Cost)
Last reviewed September 2026 by the Trucking Insurance Services team
If you pull containers out of ports and railyards, a standard truck policy will not get you through the gate. Every equipment provider that hands you a chassis works under the UIIA, and the UIIA has its own list of what your insurance has to say before you can interchange. That list is short, but the number of insurance companies willing to meet it is shorter, and that’s the part most agencies can’t help you with.
We can. Intermodal is one of the things we do most, from the ports in Savannah and Charleston to the ramps in Chicago and Dallas, and we have UIIA insurance options for every carrier in every state. Here is what the coverage is, what it costs, and how we get a new drayage operator or an established intermodal fleet set up and hauling.
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Intermodal trucking insurance at a glance
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What intermodal truck insurance covers
Most intermodal carriers own the tractor and lease the chassis, and the container belongs to someone else entirely. That is why the coverage stack looks different from an over-the-road policy: two of the five pieces exist to protect equipment you never own.
- Auto liability with the UIIE-1 endorsement. The $1,000,000 liability line that pays for injury and damage you cause, carrying the Truckers Uniform Intermodal Interchange Endorsement the UIIA requires. It is the same liability your insurer files with the FMCSA to activate your authority; see trucking liability insurance.
- Trailer interchange. Physical damage on the chassis and container while they are in your custody, comprehensive and collision both. It is the coverage intermodal runs on; see trailer interchange insurance.
- Motor truck cargo. The freight inside the container, at the limit your equipment providers require; see motor truck cargo insurance.
- General liability. Injuries and damage that happen off the truck, at a terminal or a yard, with no self-insured portion; see general liability for trucking.
- Hired and non-owned auto. Extends your liability to equipment you operate but do not own, which most equipment providers ask to see.
Physical damage on your own tractor sits alongside this stack and is priced as a percentage of the truck’s value, 3% to 12% a year, the same as on any trucking policy.
How much does intermodal insurance cost?
Intermodal sits among the higher-cost trucking classes. The $1,000,000 liability floor, the extra endorsements, and the smaller pool of insurers that write it all push the number above a plain over-the-road policy. For a single truck running drayage, here is where the policies we place land.
| Operation | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Drayage, UIIA-compliant package | $835 to $1,500/mo ($10,000 to $18,000/yr) |
| Reefer or specialized intermodal | Up to $2,000/mo ($24,000/yr) |
| Physical damage on your tractor | 3% to 12% of the truck’s value per year |
Your location, driving record, time under authority, and the equipment providers on your list all move the number, and a new venture sits toward the top until it has a year behind it. The line-by-line breakdown of what each coverage adds is on our UIIA insurance requirements guide. Get an exact rate →
UIIA insurance requirements, the short version
The UIIA, administered by the Intermodal Association of North America, sets the floor every intermodal carrier has to meet. Each equipment provider’s addendum can ask for more on top. These are the headline limits, and what we set a one-truck drayage operator up with.
| Coverage | Limit |
|---|---|
| Auto liability, with the UIIE-1 endorsement | $1,000,000 |
| General liability, no self-insured portion | $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 |
| Motor truck cargo | $100,000 is the common ask; some providers require $250,000 |
| Trailer interchange | Most providers $25,000 or less; we recommend $30,000 |
| Hired auto liability | $1,000,000 |
Every equipment provider you list also has to be named as an additional insured on your liability, which is what the 5C form is for. The endorsement forms, the 5C, and the provider-by-provider differences are covered in full on the UIIA insurance requirements guide. On this page, the point is simpler: we build the policy to clear the whole list before you ever pull up to a gate.
Which insurance companies write UIIA coverage?
The UIIA approves policies, not insurers. There’s no list of blessed carriers; any policy that meets the limits, carries the UIIE-1, names your equipment providers, and gets filed correctly satisfies the agreement. In practice, the list of insurance companies willing to do all four is short, and it’s the reason intermodal coverage has a reputation for being hard to place. A market has to be able to:
- Issue the UIIE-1 endorsement on the auto liability, not just quote a truck.
- Name every equipment provider on your 5C as an additional insured, and keep up as the list changes.
- Write general liability with no self-insured retention, which rules out a lot of package policies.
- Support the UIIA filing, so your documents can be uploaded and accepted instead of bounced.
The markets we place UIIA and intermodal coverage with include Progressive, Canal, Northland, Crum & Forster, Berkley Small Business, CoverWhale, Berkshire Hathaway, National Indemnity, Corgi, Incline, and Nirvana. Which one fits depends on your state, your equipment, your driving record, and the providers on your 5C, so we put them in competition for the account instead of sending it to whoever answers the phone first.
We have UIIA insurance options for every carrier in every state. Some states have more markets than others, and finding one in Topeka takes more phone calls than finding one in Savannah, but no matter where you’re based or what you’re hauling, we have a market that will write you for UIIA. That includes markets that write brand-new authorities, which matters because a new drayage operator used to be the hardest thing in trucking to place. Trucking Insurance Services is a UIIA certified insurance agency, which means we are certified to upload your insurance to the UIIA system directly rather than handing you paperwork to chase.
One market deserves its own mention: Progressive now writes UIIA and intermodal coverage through a small group of specialist agencies, and we are one of them. The details, and the states it covers, are in our post on the Progressive UIIA program.
Who needs intermodal insurance
- Drayage carriers hauling containers to and from ports and railyards
- Owner-operators and small fleets leasing chassis from equipment providers
- Carriers registering with the UIIA, or already on it and shopping their renewal
- Established intermodal fleets that outgrew a single market and want carriers competing for the account
- New ventures setting up to haul intermodal containers from day one
Getting set up to haul intermodal
To run under the UIIA you need an active USDOT and MC number, a SCAC code, a UIIA account, and a policy with the right limits and the UIIE-1. The first three are yours to get; if you are still activating, our guide to how much insurance you need to activate your MC number covers that stretch. The policy is ours.
Here is how it goes on our side. Send us your DOT number, your SCAC, and the equipment providers you want to haul for. We quote the package the same day. Once you bind, we issue the UIIE-1 on the liability, send you the 5C to list your providers, and upload your insurance to the UIIA system. That’s done within 24 hours of binding, and your certificates go out in about five minutes when a provider asks for one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UIIA in trucking?
The UIIA is the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement, the standard contract between motor carriers and the equipment providers that supply containers and chassis. It is administered by the Intermodal Association of North America. A carrier signs the UIIA once, lists the providers it wants to work with, and has to keep insurance on file that meets the agreement’s limits, including $1,000,000 auto liability with the UIIE-1 endorsement.
What does it mean to be UIIA certified?
For a motor carrier, being UIIA certified means you have signed the agreement, your insurance has been accepted into the UIIA system at the required limits, and your equipment providers show you as approved to interchange. For an insurance agency, it means the agency is certified to upload a carrier’s insurance to the UIIA system directly. Trucking Insurance Services is a UIIA certified insurance agency, so your documents go from us to the UIIA without a middle step.
Which insurance companies work with the UIIA?
The UIIA does not approve insurance companies; it approves policies that meet its requirements. The insurers that can meet them are the ones that will issue the UIIE-1 endorsement, name your equipment providers as additional insureds, write general liability without a self-insured portion, and support the UIIA filing. The markets we place UIIA and intermodal coverage with include Progressive, Canal, Northland, Crum & Forster, Berkley Small Business, CoverWhale, Berkshire Hathaway, National Indemnity, Corgi, Incline, and Nirvana. We have UIIA insurance options for every carrier in every state, including markets that write new ventures.
Do I need to buy insurance before I register with the UIIA?
You can open your UIIA account first, but you cannot be approved to interchange until compliant insurance is on file, so most carriers line up the policy at the same time. Bring us your DOT number, SCAC code, and provider list; we quote the same day and have your insurance in the UIIA system within 24 hours of binding.
Who is the additional insured for UIIA?
Every equipment provider you list on your 5C. Each one has to be named as an additional insured on your auto liability, and some require it on general liability too. The UIIE-1 endorsement extends your coverage to them for accidents involving interchanged equipment. When you add a provider, your insurer adds the endorsement, which is why the 5C has to stay current.
How much is UIIA insurance?
A UIIA-compliant package for a single-truck drayage operation typically runs $835 to $1,500 a month, or $10,000 to $18,000 a year, for $1,000,000 auto liability with the UIIE-1, general liability, cargo, and trailer interchange. Reefer or specialized intermodal can reach about $24,000 a year. Your record, radius, and garaging move the number the same way they do on any trucking policy.
Why intermodal carriers work with Trucking Insurance Services
Intermodal is a specialty, and we treat it like one. We put the markets that actually write UIIA coverage in competition for your account, build the policy to clear every provider on your list, issue the UIIE-1, upload your insurance to the UIIA ourselves, and send certificates in about five minutes when a provider asks. A real person answers the phone, and the same agent handles your renewal. Our founder ran her own trucks before she opened this agency, which is why we’re a trucking agency first and an insurance agency second.
If intermodal is part of a bigger operation, this coverage plugs into a full commercial truck insurance program. Either way, the first step is the same. Get your free quote → or call 855-281-2924 for a same-day rate on intermodal truck insurance.
Premium figures are averages from the intermodal policies Trucking Insurance Services places, for a single truck, and are general guidance only. UIIA and equipment-provider requirements change; confirm current limits with your agent and at intermodal.org before you interchange. Your actual premium depends on your operation, equipment, radius, records, and the limits your providers require.