Two public questions come up every week: how many new trucking companies are opening, and what they're paying for insurance. This report answers both with real data. You're welcome to cite it with a link to this page.
New for-hire carriers by state
FMCSA's public census shows 127,053 for-hire carriers added from November 2025 to October 2026, compared with 120,065 in the 12 months before, an increase of 5.8%. The top 10 states:
| State | New for-hire carriers |
|---|---|
| Texas | 17,794 |
| California | 13,848 |
| Florida | 12,307 |
| Georgia | 6,296 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,384 |
| Illinois | 5,036 |
| Ohio | 5,027 |
| North Carolina | 4,411 |
| New Jersey | 4,188 |
| New York | 3,541 |
Recent months keep growing because the census posts late, so the true 12-month count is likely a little higher. Being added to the census doesn't mean a carrier is running: many don't finish their filings or insurance.
What those carriers pay
From the 151 trucking policies Protec sold from January to November 2026, commercial auto liability per truck per year, before taxes and fees:
| Truck | Lower end | Middle | Higher end | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van / Sprinter | $7,400 | $9,000 | $11,400 | 10 |
| Box truck | $9,400 | $11,700 | $16,400 | 6 |
| Dump truck | $11,300 | $13,700 | $15,300 | 20 |
| Hot shot | $11,300 | $13,700 | $17,300 | 14 |
| Reefer | $14,100 | $14,500 | $15,700 | 8 |
| Dry van | $11,300 | $14,600 | $16,000 | 14 |
| Flatbed | $14,100 | $16,000 | $20,200 | 18 |
Half of the policies fell between the lower and higher figures. Other coverages, per policy: physical damage had a middle of $2,600, motor truck cargo $1,200 and non-trucking liability $800.
What this means if you're starting out
- Budget for liability first. It is by far the largest part of the bill.
- Truck type changes the price, but not as much as people expect. Reefer, dry van, hot shot and dump all sit in a similar middle range here. Drivers, record and time in business also matter.
- Get your filings right. Use our checklist and check your USDOT.
How we built this
Carrier counts come from FMCSA's Company Census File on data.transportation.gov, filtered to US carriers classified as authorized for hire, by the date they were added, pulled November 3, 2026. Costs come from Protec's own sales records, new business and renewals, with liability divided by the insured's listed trucks. No client is identifiable, and truck types with fewer than 6 policies are left out. The cost sample is mostly small Texas carriers, so it doesn't represent the whole US market. It isn't a quote.