Non-Trucking Liability (NTL)

Non-trucking liability insurance, also called NTL or deadhead insurance, provides liability coverage when you are using your commercial vehicle for personal purposes and are not under dispatch from a motor carrier. If you are an owner-operator leased to a carrier, the carrier's insurance only covers you while you are working under their dispatch. NTL covers everything else.

Common scenarios where NTL applies include driving home after completing a delivery, running personal errands in your truck, driving to a mechanic for maintenance, or any time you are using the truck and not hauling a load for your carrier. Without NTL, an accident during these times leaves you personally responsible for all damages and injuries.

NTL is one of the most affordable trucking coverages, typically costing a few hundred dollars per year. Despite the low cost, going without it is a significant financial risk. A single accident while not on dispatch could result in a lawsuit that threatens your personal assets and your business. Every owner-operator leased to a carrier should carry NTL as part of their insurance package.

Not the Same as Bobtail Insurance

Non-trucking liability turns on purpose: personal use when you are not under dispatch. Bobtail turns on equipment: driving the tractor without a trailer. See Non-Trucking Liability and Bobtail Insurance side by side.

Example

On a Sunday you drive your leased-on tractor to a family event and back into a parked car. You are not under dispatch, so the motor carrier's policy is usually not the one that answers for it; your non-trucking liability should respond, subject to its terms.