Hunter NelsonOwner of Nelson Insurance Agency

Understand Trucking Deductibles Avoid Costly Surprises #truckinginsurance #trucking

12 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief video, Hunter Nelson explains how trucking insurance deductibles are determined and why they can be higher than owners expect. He distinguishes between combined deductibles (a single deductible covering all covered items) and per‑unit deductibles (separate deductibles for each insured component such as the truck, trailer, and cargo). Using a concrete example, he shows that three $2,500 per‑unit deductibles can total $7,500, meaning a claim that appears to exceed a $2,500 out‑of‑pocket cost may actually require a much larger payment. The key takeaway is that carriers should be aware of the total deductible exposure across all insured units to avoid costly surprises.

Chapters

How you guys kind of determine deductibles. Obviously you guys have deductibles there. Um, one big thing is there's a difference between deductibles depending on the insurance company. Some have what's called a combined deductible and some just have a normal deductible or a per unit deductible. And so if you guys have a truck, a trailer, and you're hauling cargo, which most of you guys are, excuse me, you guys could have $2,500 deductibles and pay out a deductible for the truck, the trailer, and the cargo. Gives a total loss between all 3, and now you have a $7,500 deductible. That is something to keep in mind because if you got $5K or $2,500 deductibles, might be a lot more than you guys are expecting than just the $2,500 out of pocket.