Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
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813-302-7151
813-302-7151
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We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
What a flatbed hauls changes the policy
Flatbeds do some of the hardest work on Florida roads. A roofing supplier drops pallets of shingles at homes in Wesley Chapel. A block company runs rebar and concrete block to job sites in Pasco. A landscaper hauls sod and pavers. An equipment dealer delivers a skid steer to a farm in Plant City. Each of these trucks is a flatbed, and each needs a different policy.
The big questions are simple: whose load is on the deck, how it is tied down, how heavy the truck is, and how far it goes.
Business use and who drives
Almost every flatbed is a business truck. Even a flatbed pickup that the owner also drives on weekends belongs on a commercial policy if it hauls for the business most days. Personal auto policies often exclude trucks used mainly for business.
Drivers matter even more on a flatbed than on a pickup. Loading, strapping and backing into a job site take skill. Carriers look at each driver’s record and how long they have driven a truck this size. A single truck rated 26,001 pounds or more needs a driver with a Class B commercial driver license. A combination of 26,001 pounds or more pulling a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds needs a Class A (FMCSA license classes). List every driver, including the one who only covers vacations.
Your equipment or someone else’s load
This is the question that shapes a flatbed policy the most.
- Your own equipment and materials. A contractor hauling its own mini excavator or its own lumber. Damage to that equipment is usually handled by a contractor’s equipment or inland marine policy, not the auto policy.
- Goods you sold. A supply company delivering block to a customer. The goods may still belong to you until delivery. Ask us how your sales terms affect what needs coverage.
- Hauling for others, for pay. This is for-hire trucking. Motor truck cargo coverage pays for damage to the freight you carry, subject to its limits and exclusions. Shippers and brokers usually ask for it in writing.
Auto liability is still the core. If a load comes loose and hits another car, the injury and damage claim usually runs through the auto policy. Damage to the load itself is the separate question above.
Load securement and Florida law
Florida’s load law is short and strict. Under Florida Statutes s. 316.520, a vehicle may not be driven unless it is built or loaded so nothing drops, shifts, leaks, blows or escapes. Owners and drivers hauling dirt, sand, gravel, trash or any object that could fall must cover and secure the load with a close-fitting tarp or a securing device that meets the federal cargo rule (49 C.F.R. 393.100). A violation is usually a noncriminal traffic ticket. A willful violation that causes serious injury or death is a misdemeanor.
For insurance, securement matters twice. Carriers ask how drivers strap, chain and check loads, and a falling load that hurts someone is one of the most expensive flatbed claims. Write down your securement steps and train new drivers on them.
Weight, radius and trailers
Many flatbeds are heavy enough to fall under Florida Statutes s. 627.7415, which sets higher liability minimums by gross vehicle weight:
- 26,000 to under 35,000 pounds: $50,000 per occurrence
- 35,000 to under 44,000 pounds: $100,000 per occurrence
- 44,000 pounds or more: $300,000 per occurrence
These are state minimums. Suppliers, general contractors and brokers usually ask for much more. Lighter flatbeds usually fall under Florida’s basic requirements instead.
If you haul across state lines with a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more, you need a USDOT number, and the FMCSA lists Florida among the states that also require one for some intrastate commercial vehicles (FMCSA: Do I need a USDOT number?). For-hire carriers with interstate authority must file proof of insurance: $750,000 for most general freight in trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more (FMCSA insurance filing requirements).
A flatbed that runs Tampa to Ocala every day is priced differently from one that stays in Pasco. If you pull a gooseneck or a lowboy, list it with its VIN and value. A trailer you borrow or rent can need its own coverage too.
What it costs
Our price guide does not have a flatbed range of its own, so here are the closest matches. These are annual whole-policy prices from real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses:
- Trucking and hauling businesses: $2,500 to $65,000 a year
- Contractors and trades: $900 to $38,000 a year
Your real price depends on your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims. See the full breakdown in our Florida commercial insurance price guide.
Three flatbed claims and how they usually play out
A strap breaks on US-301. A bundle of lumber slides off and hits the car behind you. The other driver’s injuries and car damage usually go to your auto liability. The lumber itself is a cargo or equipment question. You may also get a ticket under the load law.
A machine damaged while unloading. A skid steer tips off the ramps at a customer’s site. If it is your machine, that is usually a contractor’s equipment claim, if you carry that coverage. If it is a customer’s machine you were paid to haul, it is a motor truck cargo claim, if you carry that.
A turn too tight at a job site. The deck clips a customer’s gate and mailbox. Property damage liability pays for the gate. Collision pays for your truck, minus the deductible, if you carry it.
What we need for a quote
- VIN, year, make, model and weight rating for each truck and trailer
- Driver list with license numbers and years driving this size truck
- What you haul, whose it is, and its usual and highest value per load
- Your normal radius and any trips out of state
- How loads are secured and who trains drivers
- Current declarations page, loss runs and any contract or broker requirements
See our quote checklist, and the trucking insurance guide if you haul for others. Call or text 813-302-7151. The insurer decides eligibility and price after underwriting.
Flatbed truck questions
Does my auto policy cover the load on my flatbed?
Usually not. The auto policy covers the truck and your liability to others. The load needs motor truck cargo coverage for freight you haul for others, or an equipment or inland marine policy for your own machines and materials.
What is the difference between motor truck cargo and inland marine?
Cargo coverage is for goods you carry for someone else. Inland marine, often called contractor’s equipment coverage, is for your own tools, machines and materials. Some businesses need both.
Do I need a USDOT number for my flatbed?
If you cross state lines with a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more, federal rules say yes. The FMCSA also lists Florida among the states that require some intrastate carriers to have one. Check your own case with the FMCSA before you start hauling.
Does a flatbed load need a tarp in Florida?
If it hauls loose material like dirt, sand, gravel or trash, or anything that could fall or blow off, the load must be covered or secured under s. 316.520. Strapped freight must be tied down so it cannot shift or fall.
Will a broker accept state minimum limits?
Usually not. Brokers and shippers set their own limits in the contract, and they are often far above the state minimums. Send us the contract before you sign so the quote matches it.
Can I add a trailer I just bought?
Yes. Call us before it goes on the road with the VIN, value and weight rating. Most carriers want new trailers reported right away.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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Get coverage built around your flatbed truck, drivers, cargo, and daily operations.
Call 813-302-7151 or email Rguzman@CoveredByGuzman.com to discuss the business, vehicles, drivers, and requested coverage. Coverage, eligibility, pricing, terms, and effective dates are subject to carrier underwriting and the issued policy.
