Hunter NelsonOwner of Nelson Insurance Agency

Truck Insurance Hauling 'General Freight' Risks Your Cargo #truckinginsurance #truckingindustry

29 Jul 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:55

In this monologue, Hunter Nelson warns truck operators about the danger of labeling specialized or oversized loads—such as an $80,000 bulldozer—as "general freight" on their insurance policies. He explains that while the premium difference between general freight and oversized cargo is modest (about $300 per truck per year), misclassification can leave high‑value equipment completely uncovered, resulting in massive out‑of‑pocket losses when a claim occurs. Nelson stresses that insurers, the specific cargo, the policy language, and the routes taken must all be consistent so that a claim will be honored. He urges carriers to provide clear examples and ensure their coverage matches the actual goods they haul.

Chapters

and you tell me that all this stuff I haul is actually covered. And one thing I want to point out is a lot of people think that they say, I haul more than just general freight, it's going to automatically increase you guys' insurance premium. If you say you haul general freight, and I've had some people get confused and think that bulldozers are going to fall under general freight, it might affect your rates, but it's going to be very minor. It might be $1,000 a truck per year versus $1,300 for hauling oversized versus, versus general freight. So you might have saved yourself $300, but when you go haul the bulldozer worth $80,000 and it's no— there's no coverage on it because you told them you're hauling general freight, $300 a year makes complete sense to save yourself $80,000 on the time of a claim. You guys need to give examples because what the insurance company is, where you're hauling, what the policy says, and what you're actually hauling all need to line up so that way, um, when claims time happens, you guys can actually get that check.