Truck Insurance, matched properly
Truck insurance for owner drivers and fleets: what it covers, CTP by state, published cost estimates, common exclusions, and one licensed or authorised broker to arrange it.
- No obligation
- Licensed or authorised brokers
Get a quote from a licensed or authorised broker in a few simple steps
Tell us about your business and the cover you’re after.
Step 1 of 3What is Truck Insurance?
Truck insurance, also called commercial truck or heavy vehicle insurance, is a type of commercial motor insurance for trucks and trailers used in a business. It generally covers damage to your own truck, and your liability for damage to other people’s vehicles and property. It generally doesn’t cover injuries to people: that’s CTP, which you need to register the truck.
Who commonly considers it.
- Owner Drivers Single truck operators running a prime mover, rigid truck or tipper
- Transport & Logistics Fleets Logistics companies with large heavy vehicle portfolios
- Heavy Haulage Specialists Oversized load transport and specialised machinery
- Local & Interstate Couriers Final-mile delivery networks and regional carriers
Comprehensive insurance and other levels of truck cover.
Most insurers offer three levels of cover. What each includes depends on the policy.
- Comprehensive Damage to your truck from accidents, fire and theft, plus your liability for damage to other people’s vehicles and property. One insurer covers that liability up to $50 million, or $2.5 million while carrying dangerous goods1. Another covers up to $30 million2.
- Third party, fire and theft Your liability for other people’s property, plus fire and theft of your truck. Some policies add damage caused by an uninsured driver, up to a limit such as $5,000 or $10,0002.
- Third party property Your liability for damage to other people’s vehicles and property only. Nothing for your own truck1, 2.
Extras some policies include.
Examples from one insurer’s published policy. Extras vary between insurers and policies.
A new truck
If a truck under 3 years old is written off, up to 120% of the sum insured, for sums insured up to $2 million1.
A hire vehicle after theft
For up to 30 days, and up to $12,5001.
Accommodation
Up to $2,500 if an accident more than 100 km from base leaves the truck unsafe to drive1.
Trailers you don’t own
Covered automatically, up to $100,0001.
Cargo insurance and other cover that’s usually separate.
Truck insurance doesn’t usually reach these, so they’re arranged separately or as part of a transport insurance package.
- CTP Injuries to people in a crash. It’s compulsory to register a truck, and how you buy it varies by state. See CTP in each state.
- Carriers cargo Customers’ freight you’re carrying1.
- Goods in transit Your own goods on the road, for events such as collision, overturning, fire and theft3.
- Marine cargo Goods moving by sea or air as well as road, including imports and exports. Goods in transit is mostly for road transport within Australia, though some policies add rail, air or coastal shipping4. See marine cargo vs goods in transit.
- Public liability Injury or damage your business causes that motor cover doesn’t reach, such as while a truck-mounted crane or tipper is working. One insurer’s motor policy excludes this “tool of trade” liability1.
- Downtime A weekly benefit while your truck is off the road after an accepted claim. One insurer’s version doesn’t apply after theft1.
- Personal accident and workers’ compensation Personal accident can pay an income if you’re injured and can’t drive. Workers’ compensation covers employees, and is compulsory for most employers5, 28.
How much does truck insurance cost?
No insurer, regulator or industry body publishes an average. These are other brokers’ published estimates per year: a guide to the range, not a quote.
Fleet insurance is commonly priced at 1% to 4% of vehicle value (All Trucks Insurance, June 2026)6. Broker Marsh reported premium rises through 2025, without publishing a percentage9. Replacement costs are one reason: in August 2024, NTI reported that replacing a year-old truck written off in a rollover cost 30% more than it would have a year earlier10.
What affects the price, including for fleet insurance.
What insurers commonly look at when they price truck insurance.
The truck
Its type, weight (GVM), age and value.
How it’s used
What you carry, especially dangerous goods, and how far you travel from base.
Drivers
Their licences, experience and driving history.
Claims history
Past claims on your trucks and business.
Excess and cover
The excess and the level of cover you choose.
Garaging and safety
Where trucks are kept overnight, and safety measures such as telematics9.
Common exclusions.
Every policy lists its exclusions in its product disclosure statement (PDS). These are from one insurer’s truck insurance policy, as an example.
- Drugs or alcohol Accidents while the driver is affected, or after they refuse a test1.
- Overloading Going over legal mass or dimensions, unless it didn’t contribute to the accident or you took reasonable precautions1.
- Unroadworthy trucks Unless the defect couldn’t readily have been detected1.
- Unlicensed drivers If you knew, or ought to have known1.
- Wear and tear Including mechanical breakdown and corrosion1.
- Unregistered trucks Liability while the truck is unregistered1.
- Driver experience For example, 4 years’ experience to drive an articulated truck with dangerous goods or refrigerated loads Australia-wide, and two-up drivers aged 23 or over1.
- Underinsurance Proportionally less is paid if the truck is insured for under 80% of its market value1.
Insurers can also reduce or refuse a claim when information given to them was wrong or left out2, 5.
Heavy vehicle rules in Australia.
The national rules that sit alongside your insurance.
- Heavy vehicle A vehicle over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass (GVM)11.
- Where the HVNL applies The Heavy Vehicle National Law applies in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Trucks from WA and the NT must comply when they cross into those states11.
- Chain of responsibility Businesses that control or influence transport, such as operators, schedulers, loaders and consignors, must ensure the safety of their transport activities so far as is reasonably practicable12.
- New accreditation An amended HVNL started on 1 August 2026. It brings in a new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme, with a general safety tier and an alternative compliance tier. Existing NHVAS accreditation can run alongside for up to three years11, 13.
- Your policy Policies can exclude operating outside the law1. A broker can explain how a policy treats breaches of fatigue or load rules.
CTP in each state and territory of Australia.
CTP is needed to register a vehicle anywhere in Australia. It covers injuries to people, not damage to vehicles or property.
- NSW You must buy a Green Slip before you register. Insurers set the price, and SIRA regulates the scheme14.
- Queensland Choose Suncorp, Allianz or QBE. MAIC sets the price range, and trucks are priced as a separate class15, 29.
- South Australia Choose AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE or Youi each time you renew. Every insurer provides an identical policy16.
- ACT Motor Accident Injuries (MAI) insurance from AAMI, APIA, GIO or NRMA. The scheme started on 1 February 2020 and pays no-fault benefits for up to 5 years17, 30.
- Victoria The TAC charge is part of your registration fees. It covers the owner’s and driver’s liability if the vehicle causes death or injury18.
- Tasmania MAIB is the only provider, and the scheme is no-fault19, 31.
- Western Australia Motor injury insurance comes with WA registration, and covers injuries to others in a crash anywhere in Australia20.
- Northern Territory A Motor Accidents Compensation scheme contribution is paid at registration. The scheme is no-fault, and TIO handles claims21.
What can go wrong.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) decides disputes between businesses and insurers. These published decisions show how the details of a policy decide a claim.
- Driver experience A 24-year-old had held a combination licence for a month, and the policy required more than 2 years. The broker hadn’t pointed out the exclusion, so AFCA ordered the broker to pay what the claim would likely have paid, up to AFCA’s $316,000 limit for broker complaints. Reported March 202622.
- An overheated engine A prime mover was driven up to 44 km after the driver saw the temperature gauge at 120 degrees, and the insurer cited its mechanical breakdown exclusion. AFCA found the driver’s negligence counted as accidental damage and awarded $39,500. Reported April 202524.
- History and radius After a theft, the insurer found the application overstated the business’s insurance history, and declared a radius under 600 km for a truck that ran to Victoria and Sydney. AFCA upheld the decline. Reported April 202523.
From NTI’s analysis of 2024 claims with Monash University, published October 202525:
Up 98.9%
Theft claims rose 98.9% on 2023. NTI recorded 1,767 major claims over $50,000 in 2024, across the trucks it insures.
17.9%
Of crashes were caused by inattention. Fatigue was the leading cause of death for truck occupants.
85.7%
Of fatal crashes between a truck and a car, the truck wasn’t at fault.
Common questions.
Is truck insurance compulsory?
For registration, only CTP, which covers injuries to people. How you buy it varies by state. Cover for your own truck and for damage to other people’s property isn’t required by law, but lenders and contracts can require it.
Which type of truck insurance do I need?
The law only requires CTP, but lenders and contracts can require more. Most insurers offer three levels: comprehensive; third party, fire and theft; and third party property, which covers only damage to other people’s vehicles and property. A broker can talk it through.
How much does truck insurance cost for an owner-driver?
There’s no official average. Published broker estimates range from $5,000 to $10,000 a year for an older prime mover worth about $90,000, and $10,000 to $20,000 for a rig worth about $300,000. The truck, how it’s used, the drivers and claims history all change the price.
Does CTP cover damage to my truck?
No. CTP covers injuries to people. Damage to your truck, and to other people’s vehicles and property, needs motor cover.
Is truck insurance different in NSW and Queensland?
Cover for your own truck, and for damage to other people’s property, works the same way in both, but CTP is bought differently. In NSW you buy a Green Slip from an insurer, which sets the price, and SIRA regulates the scheme. In Queensland you choose a licensed CTP insurer, and MAIC sets the price range.
Is my load covered?
Not by motor cover alone. Customers’ freight is usually covered by carriers cargo insurance, and your own goods by goods in transit insurance.
What’s the difference between agreed value and market value?
Agreed value is a fixed amount you and your insurer set. Market value is what the truck would have sold for just before the loss.
What counts as a heavy vehicle?
A vehicle over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass (GVM), under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.
Does truck insurance cover prime movers and tipper trucks?
Yes, truck policies can cover both. Published broker estimates range from $2,000 to $7,000 or more a year for tippers, and $5,000 to $15,000 or more for a prime mover and trailer. Injury or damage caused while a tipper or truck-mounted crane is working may need public liability, as one insurer’s motor policy excludes it.
Are trailers I don’t own covered?
Some policies cover them automatically up to a limit, such as $100,000 under one insurer’s policy, and some cover only your liability.
Is lost income covered while my truck is off the road?
Not by standard motor cover. Downtime or loss-of-use cover can pay a weekly benefit after an accepted claim.
Is mechanical breakdown covered?
Generally not. Damage from an accident can be, and in one case AFCA found that a driver’s negligence counted as accidental damage to the engine.
Are young or newly licensed drivers covered?
It depends on the policy. Some set minimum ages or years of experience for certain trucks and loads, and a claim can be declined if a driver doesn’t meet them.
Are truck insurance premiums tax-deductible?
The ATO lists insurance premiums among the vehicle costs a business can claim, minus any private-use share. If you use the cents per kilometre method, the rate already includes insurance. An accountant can explain how that applies to you.
Can I get a truck insurance quote through COVRA?
Yes, from the broker. COVRA passes your enquiry to one licensed or authorised broker, who can get quotes from insurers for you. COVRA doesn’t quote or sell insurance itself.
Still have a question? A broker can talk it through with you.
Get a quote from a brokerWhy businesses use Covra.
One enquiry, one broker.
Not sure what cover you need
Talk it through with a licensed or authorised insurance broker, who can look at your business and your options.
Don’t want lots of calls
COVRA sends your contact details to one broker, not several.
No obligation
You don’t have to take out a policy.
Need it sorted properly
Truck Insurance can be complex; discuss your insurance needs with a licensed or authorised broker.
Approved brokers on COVRA.
Licence and covers checked
Before a brokerage can receive enquiries, we check on ASIC’s professional register that it holds, or acts under, an Australian Financial Services Licence that covers general insurance, and check its website for the covers it offers.
One broker only
Your name and contact details go to the one broker who receives your enquiry.
Advice comes from the broker
COVRA doesn’t give advice. The broker can advise you within the scope of their licence or authorisation.
Brokers pay, you don’t
COVRA is free for businesses. Brokers pay COVRA to receive enquiries. There’s no obligation to take out a policy.
COVRA is a referral service only. It doesn’t recommend or compare brokers, and approving a broker isn’t a recommendation.
How it works.
Tell us about your business
Answer a few questions about your business and the cover you’re asking about.
We pass it to one broker
We check your enquiry, then pass it to one approved, licensed or authorised broker who offers a cover you’re asking about.
The broker gets in touch
The broker who receives your enquiry contacts you to talk through your needs and options.
Guides on Truck Insurance.
Plain-English answers, with sources, to the questions businesses ask about this cover.
Related cover.
Other cover often considered alongside Truck Insurance.
Sources.
- Transport Pack Product Disclosure Statement (NTI454), NTI, 23 April 2026
- Commercial Vehicle Insurance, Allianz
- Goods in Transit Insurance, BizCover
- Marine Cargo vs Goods in Transit Insurance, upcover, 23 July 2026
- Heavy vehicle and truck insurance, Marsh
- How much does truck insurance cost in Australia?, All Trucks Insurance, 22 June 2026
- Truck Insurance, Shielded Insurance, 2026
- How much does commercial motor insurance cost in Australia?, Morgan Insurance Brokers, 20 November 2025
- Transport insurance market trends 2025, Marsh, 2025
- Transport operators beset by growing pains, NTI, 15 August 2024
- Heavy Vehicle National Law and Regulations, NHVR
- Chain of Responsibility, NHVR
- Changes to accreditation, NHVR, 2026
- Green Slips, SIRA (NSW)
- CTP insurers, Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld), 19 May 2026
- CTP insurers, CTP Insurance Regulator (SA)
- Learn about your MAI insurance policy, ACT Motor Accident Injuries Commission
- Transport Accident Charge, TAC (Vic)
- What is the MAIB?, MAIB (Tas)
- Motor Injury Insurance, Insurance Commission of WA
- Motor Accidents Compensation scheme, TIO (NT)
- Broker made to pay as insurer dumps truck claim, insuranceNEWS, 26 March 2026
- AFCA delivers history lesson after truckie’s claim breaks down, insuranceNEWS, 10 April 2025
- AFCA orders accidental damage payout after driver ‘cooks engine’, insuranceNEWS, 17 April 2025
- NTARC Major Incident Investigation Report 2025, NTI, Monash University Accident Research Centre and NRSPP, October 2025
- Car insurance: agreed value vs market value, Insurance Council of Australia, 1 April 2026
- Deductions for motor vehicle expenses, ATO, 27 May 2026
- Types of business insurance, business.gov.au, 8 November 2024
- CTP insurance pricing explained, Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld), 20 May 2026
- Your MAI insurance, ACT Motor Accident Injuries Commission
- Annual Report 2024–25, MAIB (Tas), 2025
