If you lease your truck to a motor carrier, there is a coverage gap most owner-operators do not see until a claim falls into it. Here is how it works and how to close it.
The dispatch line
When you lease on to a carrier, that carrier’s primary liability policy generally covers you only while you are under dispatch, hauling their load. The moment you are doing something else, deadheading for personal reasons, driving home, running an errand, that coverage generally does not apply. The carrier’s policy is built to cover their business, not your personal use of the truck.
Bobtail vs non-trucking liability
The two terms overlap but differ. Bobtail liability traditionally refers to operating the tractor without a trailer attached. Non-trucking liability is broader: it covers use of the truck that is not in the business of the carrier you lease to. In practice, non-trucking liability is the coverage most leased owner-operators actually need, and bobtail is sometimes used loosely to mean the same thing.
Your lease defines the line
The lease between you and the motor carrier defines when their coverage applies and when it stops, which is exactly the line your bobtail or non-trucking liability has to pick up. Reading the lease against the coverage is how you confirm there is no gap between dispatch and personal use.
What it does not do
Non-trucking liability covers your liability off dispatch; it does not cover the freight, the trailer, or your truck’s physical damage, those are separate coverages. And it is not the same as having your own authority and full primary liability, which is a different setup entirely.
If you are leased on, confirm you carry bobtail or non-trucking liability and that it matches your lease. A quick review closes a gap that can be very expensive.