Insuring a food truck is a complicated business. Not only do you need to work with a company that knows the industry’s quirks, but you also want one that can identify and cover your particular risks. That can mean going to a brokerage that specializes in food truck insurance, working with a carrier with years of experience, or going to a company that can find the ideal provider for you. All of these are represented in our five best food truck insurance companies.
- Commercialinsurance.NET: Overall best food truck insurance company for affordable policies
- Food Liability Insurance Program: Best for same-day coverage
- Progressive Commercial: Best for commercial auto insurance discounts
- Hiscox: Best for general liability insurance
- Insureon: Best for comparison shopping
What Food Truck Insurance Is
Food truck insurance is a group of policies that cover a variety of risks that come with owning and operating a mobile food service. These include things like customer and employee injuries or damage to your food truck. Depending on your operations, you may need:
- Commercial auto
- General liability
- Commercial property
- Workers’ compensation
Commercialinsurance.net: Best Overall Food Truck Insurance Company
Commercialinsurance.net is our overall best food truck insurance company for its speed and affordability. As an online referral service, Commercialinsurance.net partners with over 200 top insurance carriers, brokers, and agencies to find the right policies at the right price for food truck owners. Most people can have policies in hand within 30 minutes of submitting their information. Plus, because Commercialinsurance.net works with so many people, the quotes food trucks get are often the lowest premiums carriers can offer.
Commercialinsurance.net Strengths | Commercialinsurance.net Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Quotes are usually carriers’ best offers | Financial strength and claims processing vary by carrier |
Connects you to the best company for your risk | Cost information only available after applying |
Can find companies for high-risk operations | No chance to compare quotes |
Representative walks you through your quote |
Coverage
As an insurance referral service, Commercialinsurance.net does not write or sell any policies. Instead, it connects you with the carriers, brokerages, or agencies that can. Once you submit a brief form, a Commercialinsurance.net agent connects you to the company that can offer the right coverage and a fair price.
Costs
Perhaps the biggest selling point for Commercialinsurance.net is its ability to get an insurer’s lowest possible premium for your specific risk. This doesn’t necessarily happen for every applicant. However, because the company brings a significant number of business owners to its partners, many carriers can offer their best premiums.
Food Liability Insurance Program: Best for Same-day Coverage
The Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) is a specialty broker that caters to those who prepare and serve food. To meet the needs of these small business owners, FLIP has partnered with Great American Insurance Group, which underwrites the policies and offers an A+ Superior rating for financial strength. For catering companies, farmers markets vendors, private chefs, and concessions contractors, FLIP can underwrite the risk quickly and, in most cases, provide coverage on the same day.
FLIP Strengths | FLIP Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Policy immediately in effect once paid for | Limited coverage options |
Inland marine included in property coverage | No online policy management |
Unlimited free additional insured endorsements |
Coverage
FLIP is an insurance program, which essentially means the company has put together coverage for a group of similar businesses that may struggle to get insured on their own. Its main product is the liability program that provides coverage of:
- $2 million aggregate and $1 million for general liability
- $2 million for product-completed operations
- $1 million for personal and advertising injury
- $300,000 for property rented to you
- $5,000 one item and $10,000 aggregate for business property
The business property limit includes inland marine coverage. This pays for damage to your business-owned items when they are away from the address listed on your property policy.
Costs
One of the best things about FLIP is that it’s very forthcoming with premium information. Mobile food truck owners with annual sales below $50,000 pay $299 per year for the basic general liability policy. Businesses with sales greater than $50,00 pay $399 per year. Tacking on $10,000 in business property coverage increases your annual premium by $179.
Food truck operators who sign contracts for festivals, farmers markets, and corporate events should note that FLIP does not charge extra for additional insured endorsements.
Progressive Commercial: Best for Commercial Auto Discounts
Progressive Commercial is known nationally as a reliable auto insurance provider, and this gives them an edge in providing coverage to businesses on the road, including food trucks, ice cream trucks, and lunch trucks. Moreover, food truck owners who choose Progressive Commercial can take advantage of its eight commercial auto discounts.
Progressives Commercial Strengths | Progressives Commercial Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Eight commercial auto discounts | Most other policies outsourced to an online broker |
Quotes and purchasing available online | No online claims filing for commercial customers |
24/7 claims handling | |
Seasonal rate adjustment available | |
A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best |
Coverage
Auto insurance is Progressive Commercial’s bread and butter. The company is number one in commercial auto policies in terms of direct premium written, but it doesn’t write many of the other coverages food trucks need, such as general liability and workers’ compensation. Instead, it offers the Progressive Advantage® Business Program to offer the other policies from selected carriers.
Costs
Progressive Commercial claims the average policyholder pays $184 per month, or $2,208 per year, for commercial auto. Chances are coverage for a food truck would be higher than that average if only for the amount of time on the road and the size of the vehicle. That said, Progressive offers eight discounts, including ones for:
- Business experience
- Continuous coverage
- Paying in full
- Bundling policies
Finally, food truck owners who see less business when winter rolls around can have their premiums adjusted to reflect their reduced risk.
Hiscox: Best for General Liability Insurance
Hiscox is a small business insurer that specializes in covering microbusinesses of fewer than 10 people. For food trucks, that translates into a robust general liability policy with coverage limit options of $300,000 to $2 million, with the lower end starting at $350 per year. Food truck owners whose home address is their business address can also get up to 5% off their premium.
Hiscox Strengths | Hiscox Weaknesses |
|---|---|
General liability coverage of $300,000 to $2 million | General liability not available in Alaska |
Discount for home-based businesses | Additional policies outsourced to a broker |
Online quotes, policy management, and claims filing | |
An (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best |
Coverage
Hiscox’s general liability product stands out because of its broad coverage amounts. Few carriers are willing to offer limits as low as $300,000 on a general liability policy, so Hiscox’s ability to means a one-person food truck can start with and stick with Hiscox as the business grows.
Hiscox can offer general liability to a wide range of food truck operations, including:
- Barbecue trucks
- Ice cream trucks
- Food trailers
- Hot dog carts
- Mobile kitchens
- Mobile concessionaires
Unfortunately, food truck operators who get their general liability with Hiscox may have to go elsewhere for other key policies. Hiscox outsources commercial auto, umbrella liability, and workers’ compensation to an online brokerage.
Costs
Hiscox is one of the only insurers that lets business owners know its minimum premium, which is $350 per year for general liability. While few food truck owners see quotes that low, many will see them in the $380 to $650 range for $300,000 in both aggregate and per occurrence limits. Adding $5,000 in coverage for your business property and equipment only adds about $90 to your yearly premium.
Insureon: Best for Comparing Quotes
Insureon is a small business insurance broker that partners with several top-rated carriers to cover the specific risks of food trucks and other foodservice businesses. These partnerships, coupled with Insureon’s proprietary technology, mean food truck operators can get quotes from more than one carrier through a single application. Insureon recently simplified this application, making it an excellent option for business owners who want to comparison shop.
Insurance My Food Strengths | Insurance My Food Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Multiple quotes from A-rated carriers | Price only available after applying |
Simple online application | Financial strength and claims processing vary by carrier |
Online policy management | May charge a brokers fee |
Licensed in all 50 states | |
Customer service available through chat, email, or phone |
Coverage
As a brokerage, Insureon does not develop the policies it sells. It acts as an intermediary between business owners and insurance carriers. Insureon works with some of the highest-rated carriers in the industry, including Travelers, Liberty Mutual, and Chubb.
One of the advantages of working with a broker like Insureon is that you can compare offers from multiple carriers. This not only helps you find the right food truck insurance for your business, but it also gives you the freedom to pick and choose policies from different carriers. An Insureon agent can help you find the best coverage and make sure you don’t have any gaps.
Costs
Like most insurance brokers, Insureon does not list premium information on its website. However, it provides more detailed cost estimates, including the median annual premium for:
- General liability: $560
- Commercial auto: $1,620
- Workers’ compensation: $1,270
- Business owner’s policy (BOP): $1,260
How We Evaluated the Best Food Truck Insurance Companies
Our first concern when evaluating food truck insurance companies was whether or not they had the policies that food trucks need. Not every carrier has an appetite for insuring food trucks, which means owners often have to do a lot of searching to get the coverage they need. The next concern was price. Food trucks are expensive to insure, so we looked for affordable policies while still providing the necessary coverage. Lastly, we wanted to find insurance companies that make insurance easier, so we looked for companies that offer online applications and policy management options.
Bottom Line
Finding the right insurance policies starts with finding the right insurance companies. However, that can be easier said than done for food truck owners. Probably the best rule of thumb is to remember that insurance is not a one-size-fits-all purchase. Evaluate your needs and then start looking for the right insurance company for your business.
