Get Your Shift Together: How to Prep for Your Trucking Insurance Renewal
Waiting until the last minute to get your insurance docs together? Thirty days before renewal? You’re already behind.
Renewals aren’t just about shopping for the best price. They’re about showing the full story of your business. And if you show up scattered, missing paperwork, and unsure of what you even own? That story gets a whole lot more expensive.
We totally get it. Running a trucking company means a million moving parts. But your insurance renewal doesn’t have to be chaos... If you prep a few simple things in advance.
Start With the Basics (And Why They Matter)
Before you get fancy, get these locked in. Every renewal starts here:
Loss Runs
Loss runs show your claim history. Carriers want to see losses from the past 3 to 5 years. To be even more of a pain, they have to be “current dated,” which means within the last 30 days.
Pro tip: We help you request these early. Don’t wait, carriers are not fast.
Quarterly IFTA Reports
Carriers use IFTA to verify miles driven and states traveled. It backs up your operations and routing. Late or missing IFTAs, no business name on the report, or incomplete state breakdowns? Red flags.
Pro tip: Save them as soon as you file. Email them to yourself so you can search later.
Don’t Forget the MCS-150
That little FMCSA update form? It matters. More than the biannual requirement says.
Your MCS-150 shows operation type, driver and vehicle count, mileage, and commodities hauled. Insurance carriers pull it every time they quote. If it's out of date, your pricing won't match your actual risk.
If it says you're running 2 trucks but you're really running 6? That triggers questions.
Pro tip: Update it once a year. About 4 months before renewal and anytime something changes.
Updated Certificates of Insurance (COIs)
Contracts love to sneak in new insurance requirements, and no one tells us until it's go-time. If your COIs aren't updated, you’re setting yourself up for delays.
Pro tip: Keep a list of active cert holders with contact names, emails, and addresses.
3+ Trucks? Get a Spreadsheet
If you have more than a few units, make your life easier with a spreadsheet. Track:
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VIN
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Year, make, and model
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Stated or actual value
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Lienholder info
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Unit numbers
Make sure it matches what your insurer sees. Typos cost money. Missing units mess up coverage. Excel works great for this.
The Superstar Driver Tab
Yes, we want a driver tab. You should already have this info handy anyway, but if not, now’s the time:
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Name
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Date of birth
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Years of experience (YOE)
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State licensed and CDL number
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Hire date
Let’s break that down a little more:
Hire date
This tells your agent and your carrier how long a driver has been with you. That matters—a whole lot. High turnover makes underwriters nervous. Keeping drivers long term? That shows stability and strong leadership.
Years of experience
One of the biggest pricing factors. A new CDL holder and a 10-year veteran are not the same risk. If you don’t report YOE correctly, it doesn’t count and you’ll pay for it.
State and CDL number
Carriers verify license status when quoting. Wrong state or missing digits = delays or denials.
Bonus points if you also track MVR pull dates, safety scores, and endorsements. But start with the basics and do them right.
Why This All Matters
Organizing this stuff isn’t just about making your agent’s life easier. It makes your life easier. It speeds up quoting, reduces mistakes, and helps catch gaps before they cost you.
But more than that? It helps you run your company like a pro.
Having everything organized and in order helps more than insurance shopping time. It will help organize your whole business. Do this now and you’ll thank us later.
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