Truck Insurance Rates Up Despite Fewer Crashes, More Safety Tech

ATRI: Truck Insurance Costs Rise Despite Fewer Crashes

Truck Insurance Costs Rise Even as Crash Rates Improve

Truck insurance costs are rising even as heavy-duty truck crash rates have moved in the other direction, according to new research from the American Transportation Research Institute.

ATRI’s May 2026 report, Trucking’s Rising Insurance Costs: Issues and Opportunities, looks at the growing cost of commercial auto liability insurance in the trucking industry. The research is based on data from motor carriers representing more than 105,000 truck-tractors.

The report found that liability insurance premium costs rose by 18.6 percent from 2021 to 2024. By 2024, those costs reached 10.2 cents per mile. That increase outpaced consumer inflation by 5.4 percentage points.

At the same time, ATRI found that heavy-duty truck-involved crash rates fell by 2.6 percent across the industry. That contrast is one of the key findings in the report. Truck insurance costs are not rising simply because more trucks are crashing. Instead, ATRI points to rising claims costs, litigation expenses, and larger losses tied to crashes.

Among responding fleets, per-mile liability losses rose by an average of 33.1 percent from 2021 to 2024. That means the cost of claims rose far faster than crash rates.

For truck drivers, the issue may seem like a back-office business problem. But rising truck insurance costs can affect how fleets operate, how they hire, what safety tools they use, and how closely drivers are coached after safety events.

Claims and Lawsuits Add Pressure

ATRI’s report says rising crash claim expenses are a major reason insurance costs have climbed. The report also points to litigation and what the industry often calls “social inflation.” This refers to rising claim payouts and legal costs that go beyond normal economic inflation.

This matters because liability insurance is not just tied to whether a crash happens. It is also tied to how expensive the claim becomes after the crash.

ATRI found that excess coverage costs rose sharply during the 2021 to 2024 period. Excess coverage is insurance above the primary coverage level. The report found that per-mile premium costs for the $5 million to $10 million insurance layer rose by 34 percent. Costs for the $10 million to $15 million layer rose by 45 percent.

That increase is important because the $10 million level is often connected to so-called nuclear verdicts. ATRI said the rising costs in those upper coverage layers point to the growing role of litigation in trucking insurance costs.

For fleets, these costs can affect coverage decisions. For drivers, they can lead to more focus on crash prevention, driver behavior, documentation, training, and technology that may help reduce risk.

Small Fleets Face Higher Truck Insurance Costs

The impact is not the same across all parts of the trucking industry.

ATRI found that smaller fleets often pay more per mile for liability insurance than larger fleets. Fleets with 5 to 25 trucks spent 20.3 cents per mile on premiums in 2024. That was 4.2 cents per mile more than fleets with 26 to 100 trucks.

Fleets with 26 to 100 trucks saw premium costs rise by 50.5 percent from 2020 to 2024. ATRI noted that this fleet size group already faces high costs in other areas, including equipment payments, repair, and maintenance.

Larger fleets often have more tools to manage truck insurance costs. They may use self-insurance, higher deductibles, or other risk-management options. Smaller carriers may not have the same financial room to make those moves.

This can be especially important for owner-operators with authority and small fleet owners. Higher insurance costs can make it harder to grow, replace equipment, hire drivers, or compete with larger carriers.

Fleets Take On More Risk to Control Costs

ATRI found that some fleets are responding to higher insurance costs by retaining more risk. In plain terms, that can mean using higher deductibles, self-insurance, or buying less total coverage.

The report found that fleets which reduced total purchased coverage saw a 2.4 percent reduction in combined liability losses and premium costs after adjusting for inflation. Fleets that increased deductibles or self-insurance were also able to reduce total risk costs by lowering premium costs enough to offset higher losses.

However, this strategy is not simple. Fleets that take on more risk may save money on premiums, but they also become more exposed when a serious claim happens.

ATRI found that all responding fleets with more than 500 trucks used self-insurance. Fleets with 501 to 1,000 trucks self-insured a median of $1 million. Fleets with more than 1,000 trucks self-insured a median of $2 million.

Smaller fleets were more likely to use traditional deductible policies. Among fleets with 50 or fewer trucks, 80 percent used a traditional deductible policy, with a median deductible of $7,500.

Safety Technology Becomes a Bigger Part of Truck Insurance

One of the most driver-relevant parts of the report is ATRI’s finding on safety technology.

ATRI found that six safety technologies had a statistically significant link to lower per-mile liability losses in 2024. Those technologies were forward collision warning, lane departure warning, collision mitigation systems, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, and automated emergency braking.

The report also found that fleets increased their use of these systems between 2021 and 2024. Forward collision warning rose from 47 percent average deployment in 2021 to 71 percent in 2024. Lane departure warning rose from 39 percent to 61 percent. Blind spot detection rose from 22 percent to 44 percent.

Road-facing cameras and driver-facing cameras did not show a statistically significant link to lower per-mile liability losses in this report. However, ATRI noted that industry stakeholders still view cameras as important tools for driver coaching and litigation defense.

For commercial truck drivers, this part of the report may be the most visible on the job. As fleets work to control truck insurance costs, more drivers may see trucks equipped with collision warning systems, automatic braking, lane alerts, blind spot systems, and adaptive cruise control.

Drivers may also see more coaching tied to safety events, following distance, lane control, hard braking, and crash-prevention practices.

Hiring and Safety Policies Could Tighten

Rising insurance costs may also affect hiring and driver retention.

The report does not announce new hiring rules. However, the data shows why carriers and insurers may place more focus on clean driving records, crash history, safety performance, and driver experience.

For CDL applicants and newer drivers, this could mean carriers may be more careful during screening. For experienced drivers, a strong safety record may become even more valuable.

Fleets may also be more likely to invest in training, safety reviews, and coaching programs. In some cases, carriers may use safety technology not only to prevent crashes, but also to show insurers that they are taking risk seriously.

What Rising Truck Insurance Costs Mean for Drivers

ATRI’s report shows that trucking insurance is becoming more expensive, but not simply because trucks are crashing more often. The bigger issue is that claims are becoming more costly.

That pressure may reach drivers in several ways. Trucks may include more safety systems. Hiring standards may become more strict. Driver coaching may become more common. Carriers may focus more closely on crash prevention, documentation, and safety records.

For small carriers and owner-operators, the issue is also about survival and cost control. Truck insurance is one more expense rising in a market where many fleets are already dealing with high equipment costs, repair bills, and freight market pressure.

“ATRI’s report gives us invaluable visibility on the changing liability insurance landscape and how fleets are navigating it,” said Lynette Woodie, ArcBest Manager of Loss Prevention and Administration. “Good fleets don’t just react passively to rate increases each year: they take the initiative by analyzing data and working closely with their insurers to craft a holistic risk management plan that improves safety and reduces costs.”

ATRI’s findings suggest that insurance costs will remain a major issue for trucking. The fleets that manage risk well may be better positioned to control costs. For drivers, that means safety performance, technology, and clean records may carry even more weight in the years ahead.