Bobtail Insurance Cost in Mississippi (2026) | Get Business Coverage

How much does bobtail insurance cost in Mississippi? (2026)

Reviewed by Jason Wootton — licensed P&C Insurance Agent (NPN 7694718) Verify ↗
Edited by Justin Marks · Updated March 2025 · Disclosures ↓

Bobtail insurance pricing in Mississippi is shaped by the same state-specific bureau loss-cost filings that govern every commercial policy issued in Mississippi. Below: the most-recent Mississippi filings affecting bobtail operations, cited to their SERFF tracking numbers — primary-source, government-held pricing records. Read the full national context on the Bobtail cost guide.

Recent rate-filing activity — 1 state filings across 1 commercial line

Commercial carriers can't charge whatever they want — each state's Department of Insurance must approve loss-cost filings before they take effect. These are primary-source, government-held records available on SERFF Filing Access. Cited below: the most-recent active filings affecting bobtail operations, with the real SERFF tracking number for each.

Line State Overall change Effective SERFF tracking
WC MS Overall -4.6% voluntary loss cost; -6.7% assigned risk market Mar 1, 2025 NCCI-134280820

Source: SERFF Filing Access (filingaccess.serff.com) — the official public-records interface for state Department of Insurance filings. Loss-cost changes shown are the overall bureau-wide change in each state; the actual impact on your quote depends on your class code, payroll, experience modifier, and carrier-specific loss-cost multiplier (LCM). Get a quote for your exact numbers.

Scope note: the filings tabulated above reflect NCCI class 9586 (Barber/Beauty Services) as an illustrative example of WC filing structure. This operation's actual WC class is NCCI 7228 (Trucking — Mail, Parcel and Package Delivery) — long-haul / interstate / parcel-and-package trucking typically maps to 7228; short-haul local operations may instead classify under 7219 (Trucking — Local Hauling NOC); long-haul interstate may also use 7230 (Trucking — Long Haul) depending on operating radius. Trucking + commercial-auto loss costs are jointly bureau-filed (ISO + NCCI); the per-state ranges shown reflect cross-class WC mechanics rather than 7228 rates specifically. Confirm your specific class-code mapping at quote with your underwriter.

National context — Bobtail insurance overview

Bobtail insurance covers an owner-operator's semi-truck when it's being driven without a trailer attached — most commonly between loads when leased to a motor carrier. It's narrow, specialized, and often confused with the related Non-Trucking Liability (NTL) coverage, which fills the gap when you're driving the truck off-duty (personal errands, weekend trips). Most leased owner-operators carry BOTH bobtail + NTL together — the motor carrier's primary liability covers you only when you're under dispatch with a trailer.

Pricing is tight and predictable: typically $300-$800/year for bobtail alone, and $400-$1,200/year when bundled with NTL (III commercial-truck-insurance benchmark 2024). Every number on this page traces to a named external publication. Use the calculator below for your range, then get a real quote in 5 minutes.

National benchmark figures

Published cost ranges for Bobtail insurance — useful as a national baseline against which the Mississippi filings above signal local direction.

Bobtail (deadhead) liability
$300–$800 / yr
Per-truck for a leased owner-operator with clean MVR. III commercial-insurance basics
Non-Trucking Liability (NTL)
$100–$400 / yr
Add-on for off-dispatch driving. III commercial-insurance basics
Bobtail + NTL bundled
$400–$1,200 / yr
Most leased owner-operators carry both. III commercial-insurance basics
Workers Comp (long-haul trucking)
$4–$10 / $100 payroll
NCCI Class Code 7228. NCCI Atlas
Physical Damage (Collision + Comprehensive)
$1,500–$3,500 / yr
On a $50K-$120K tractor. III commercial-insurance basics
Commercial-lines net combined ratio (industry)
97.1%
2024 industry-wide combined ratio (lower is better). III Commercial Lines facts

Industry-typical market ranges (national)

Sourced from III, NCCI, ISO, NAIC, BLS, FMCSA, FDA, NRA — government and bureau publications, not from our quote form

Market ranges from published industry sources:

  • Bobtail (deadhead) liability alone: typically $300-$800/year per truck for a leased owner-operator with a clean MVR (III commercial-insurance basics)
  • Non-Trucking Liability (NTL) endorsement (when bundled with Bobtail): typically adds $100-$400/year (III commercial-truck-insurance benchmark data, 2024)
  • Workers Comp for owner-operators with employees: typically $4-$10/$100 of payroll for NCCI Class Code 7228 (Long-Distance Trucking)
  • Physical Damage (Collision + Comprehensive on the tractor): typically $1,500-$3,500/year — separate from Bobtail liability
  • MCS-90 endorsement (federal financial-responsibility filing): no premium charge, but required for interstate motor carriers under 49 CFR §387.

State variation is moderate — high-litigation states (CA, FL, LA, NY, NJ) typically run 15-25% above national baseline; Midwest + Plains states run below.

For Mississippi-specific direction, see the filed-rate table above.

Industry context — what published research says about Bobtail coverage

  • Bobtail vs HNOA: bobtail liability applies to a commercial truck operating without a trailer; Hired & Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) applies to non-owned vehicles used for business. Different products, often confused. IRMI Glossary.
  • Bobtail vs NTL coverage gap: bobtail covers driving without a trailer; NTL covers driving when not under dispatch (off-duty use). The motor carrier's primary liability covers neither — that's why leased owner-operators need both. III commercial-insurance basics.
  • FMCSA filing requirements: commercial trucks crossing state lines must carry $750K minimum primary liability ($1M for hazmat). MCS-90 endorsement is the FMCSA-required financial-responsibility certification. FMCSA.
  • Lease arrangement matters: most motor carriers (e.g., Schneider, Werner, Knight-Swift) require leased owner-operators to carry bobtail + NTL as a condition of lease. Check your lease for specific limit requirements (usually $1M CSL). IRMI.
  • Workers Compensation thresholds: owner-operators with employees need WC from the first non-owner employee in 49 states. Texas is opt-in. Class 7228 (long-haul trucking) is one of the highest WC rate classes in the country. NAIC Workers Comp topic.

How to lower your bobtail insurance cost

General levers that apply nationally — Mississippi operators may also have state-specific levers (e.g. non-subscriber WC, multi-jurisdiction permit consolidation).

Bundle Bobtail + NTL with the same carrier
Quoting both with one carrier nets a typical 10-15% bundle credit vs unbundled. Most leased owner-operators need both anyway.
Maintain a clean MVR
Three years of clean driving (no at-fault accidents, no DUI, no major violations) typically earns the lowest bobtail rate. One violation can erase the discount for 36 months.
Complete carrier-approved safety training
Many motor carriers (Schneider, Werner, etc.) offer safety-training programs that flow through to insurance discounts. Ask your motor carrier safety dept for the list. FMCSA Large Truck Crash Facts.
Raise your physical-damage deductible
Going from $1K to $2,500 collision deductible typically saves 10-20%. Make sure you can self-fund. III commercial-insurance basics.
Consider lease-specific carrier programs
If you're leased to a major carrier, their preferred-insurer program may offer rates 5-15% below open-market. Ask your motor carrier safety dept.
Don't carry duplicate coverage
If your motor carrier's primary liability covers you under dispatch, you only need Bobtail (without trailer) + NTL (off-duty). Avoid paying twice for the same exposure. IRMI Glossary.
Annual renewal MVR review
Ask your agent to re-quote at every renewal — clean 3-year MVRs unlock progressively lower rates. III commercial-insurance basics.

Get your actual Mississippi quote in 5 minutes

The data above is regulator-filed direction. Your actual Mississippi quote depends on class code, payroll, experience modifier, and the LCM each carrier files.

Get a free Mississippi quote → 📞 Call 1-833-505-2594

More Mississippi rate-filing detail

Get a real Mississippi quote for bobtail

The data above shows the regulator-filed direction for Mississippi. For your actual quote — based on payroll, experience modifier, and the LCM each carrier files — request a free quote in under 90 seconds.

Get a free Mississippi quote →

Related guides

Sources cited (national context above)

  1. Bobtail insurance for truck drivers — Insurance Information Institute (III), 2024
  2. Trucking insurance cost + coverage guide — Insurance Information Institute (III), 2024
  3. Insurance filing requirements (49 CFR 387) — MCS-90 — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 2024
  4. Non-Trucking Liability + Bobtail glossary entries — International Risk Management Institute (IRMI), 2024
  5. NCCI Scopes Manual Class Code 7228 — Long-distance trucking — National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), 2024
📘 Educational, not advice. This state-specific cost page is general educational content reviewed by Jason Wootton, our licensed P&C Insurance Agent (NPN 7694718). Bureau-filed loss-cost changes do not directly equal carrier rate changes — your final quote depends on class code, payroll, experience modifier, schedule credits/debits, and the carrier's LCM. For actual numbers, get a real quote.
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