Port Houston's 2024 annual report ranks it first in the U.S. for steel and reports about 4.5 million short tons of steel through its breakbulk terminals. For a Texas flatbed, that means plate, pipe and coil leaving the Ship Channel on open decks. Steel is the exact place to read your cargo form closely. Ask whether coils or pipe carry a limit, a higher deductible or an exclusion, and whether the policy's securement terms match how you chain the load under 49 CFR Part 393. Oversize moves add a Texas permit question as well. A Houston-to-Permian pipe run may stay intrastate on paper, but imported steel can still count as interstate, so have the federal filing conversation early.
Flatbeds and step decks haul open-deck freight: steel, lumber, pipe, machinery and building materials. The driver secures every load under the federal cargo securement rules in 49 CFR Part 393, and weather reaches the freight directly. Loading and tarping also put drivers at height, which is why injury coverage deserves as much attention as the truck.
What it costs
Across 18 policies Protec sold in 2026, commercial auto liability for this type of truck ran about $14,100 to $20,200 per truck per year, with a middle of $16,000. That's before taxes and fees, mostly from new and small Texas carriers, so your state and record can move it. It isn't a quote.
Filings in Texas
Staying inside Texas? Your state authority is the TxDMV number, a certificate of registration from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division. You need it when a vehicle or combination exceeds 26,000 pounds by gross weight, registered weight or weight rating. You also need it to haul household goods for pay at any weight, or to haul placarded hazmat. Get your USDOT number first, then apply through TxDMV.
Minimum liability: $500,000 for private or for-hire carriers over 26,000 pounds. Household goods movers under 26,000 pounds need $300,000 plus cargo coverage. Placarded hazmat needs $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 depending on the material.
Who files: your insurance company files the Form E electronically with TxDMV. Forms H and I prove household goods cargo coverage, and Form K reports a cancellation.
If you cross state lines, the federal rules apply. A for-hire carrier of general freight in interstate commerce with vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more needs at least $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9. The policy carries the MCS-90 endorsement, and your insurance company, not you, files the BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA. Hazmat limits run higher.
Coverages to ask about
- Primary auto liability
- Motor truck cargo, checked against the commodities you haul
- Physical damage on the tractor and trailer
- Occupational accident or workers' compensation
- General liability, when a shipper requires it
- Non-trucking liability, for leased owner-operators
What underwriters look at
- Commodities, especially steel coils, machinery and oversize loads
- Securement experience and driver training
- Any oversize or overweight permit work
- Radius and states of operation
- Cargo limits and any policy exclusions
- Driver records and loss runs
Other trucks in Texas
- Dump truck insurance in Texas
- Dry van insurance in Texas
- Hot shot insurance in Texas
- Box truck insurance in Texas
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Protec Consulting Group is a licensed insurance agency in Texas.
Sources: TxDMV, TxDMV Number requirements · TxDMV, Tips for Compliant Operations as a Texas Intrastate Motor Carrier · 43 Tex. Admin. Code 218.16 (Cornell LII) · 49 CFR 387.9, schedule of limits (Cornell LII) · 49 CFR 390.5, definition of interstate commerce (Cornell LII) · FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements · USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Sand and Gravel (Construction) · Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border Crossing Data Annual Release 2025 · Port Houston, Port Statistics · Port Houston, 2024 Annual Report · Railroad Commission of Texas, Permian Basin release · 43 Tex. Admin. Code 219.11, oversize and overweight permits (Cornell LII) · TxDOT, aggregate supply contract plans, Harrison County (legal-load and delivery notes). Reviewed: 2026-11-03.