From April to September, our research team calculated commercial auto insurance cost per mile by combining the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2026 cost update with 2026 insurance market reports and a weighted model of annual premiums and miles driven.
This piece breaks down insurance cost per mile as a share of trucking operating costs, by region, by operating structure, by annual premium and mileage, and against current commercial auto market conditions.
Average Trucking Operating Cost per Mile by Category: 2026
This table breaks down the cost of running a truck by category, in cents per mile, and shows where insurance ranks among them.
| Cost Category | Average Cost per Mile | Share of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Driver wages | $0.818 | 35.0% |
| Fuel | $0.480 | 20.6% |
| Truck payments or lease | $0.280 | 12.0% |
| Repair and maintenance | $0.220 | 9.4% |
| Driver benefits | $0.210 | 9.0% |
| Trailer payments or lease | $0.120 | 5.1% |
| Insurance | $0.106 | 4.5% |
| Tires | $0.050 | 2.1% |
| Tolls | $0.043 | 1.9% |
| Permits and licenses | $0.008 | 0.4% |
| All categories | $2.335 | 100.0% |
Key insights
- Driver pay and fuel make up more than half of every dollar spent, so insurance is a smaller line item than most owners expect.
- Insurance costs about as much per mile as tires, tolls, and permits combined.
- Unlike fuel or wages, insurance is shaped by the carrier’s own record, so it is one of the most controllable costs.
- A small change in insurance cost per mile adds up quickly for trucks that run high annual mileage.
Average Commercial Truck Insurance Cost per Mile by Region: 2026
This table breaks down the average insurance cost per mile nationally and in the most and least expensive regions.
| Region | Insurance Cost per Mile |
|---|---|
| National average | $0.106 |
| Northeast (highest region) | $0.12 |
| Midwest (lowest region) | $0.10 |
Key insights
- The Northeast is the most expensive region, reflecting dense traffic, higher repair costs, and a more litigious environment.
- The Midwest is the least expensive, with lower traffic density and more rural miles.
- Regional gaps look small per mile but are large per truck across a full year of driving.
- Fleets that run mixed routes pay a blended rate that depends on where their miles are concentrated.
Average Commercial Truck Insurance Cost per Mile by Operating Structure: 2026
This table breaks down estimated insurance cost per mile for three common operating structures, using typical annual premiums spread across the average annual mileage of a truck.
| Operating Structure | Typical Annual Premium | Estimated Cost per Mile |
|---|---|---|
| Leased to a carrier | $3,000 to $5,000 | $0.035 to $0.058 |
| Independent authority, established | $9,000 to $14,000 | $0.105 to $0.163 |
| Independent authority, new in first year | $12,000 to $20,000 or more | $0.140 to $0.233 or more |
Key insights
- Leasing onto a carrier shifts most of the insurance cost to the carrier, which is why the per-mile cost is so much lower.
- Established independent operators pay above the national average because they carry their own primary liability.
- New authorities pay a first-year premium because they have no loss history, and the cost typically falls as a clean record builds.
- Owner-operators who drive fewer miles than the average truck will see a higher cost per mile for the same premium.
Average Commercial Truck Insurance Cost per Mile by Annual Premium: 2026
This table breaks down what any annual premium works out to per mile driven, at three common annual mileage levels. The middle column uses the average annual mileage of a truck.
| Annual Premium | Monthly Premium | Cost per Mile at 60,000 Miles | Cost per Mile at 85,991 Miles (Average) | Cost per Mile at 110,000 Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | $250 | $0.050 | $0.035 | $0.027 |
| $4,000 | $333 | $0.067 | $0.047 | $0.036 |
| $5,000 | $417 | $0.083 | $0.058 | $0.045 |
| $6,000 | $500 | $0.100 | $0.070 | $0.055 |
| $7,000 | $583 | $0.117 | $0.081 | $0.064 |
| $8,000 | $667 | $0.133 | $0.093 | $0.073 |
| $9,000 | $750 | $0.150 | $0.105 | $0.082 |
| $10,000 | $833 | $0.167 | $0.116 | $0.091 |
| $11,000 | $917 | $0.183 | $0.128 | $0.100 |
| $12,000 | $1,000 | $0.200 | $0.140 | $0.109 |
| $13,000 | $1,083 | $0.217 | $0.151 | $0.118 |
| $14,000 | $1,167 | $0.233 | $0.163 | $0.127 |
| $15,000 | $1,250 | $0.250 | $0.174 | $0.136 |
| $16,000 | $1,333 | $0.267 | $0.186 | $0.145 |
| $17,000 | $1,417 | $0.283 | $0.198 | $0.155 |
| $18,000 | $1,500 | $0.300 | $0.209 | $0.164 |
| $19,000 | $1,583 | $0.317 | $0.221 | $0.173 |
| $20,000 | $1,667 | $0.333 | $0.233 | $0.182 |
| $21,000 | $1,750 | $0.350 | $0.244 | $0.191 |
| $22,000 | $1,833 | $0.367 | $0.256 | $0.200 |
Key insights
- Doubling annual mileage cuts the cost per mile in half without any change in premium.
- A premium that looks high for a low-mileage truck can be close to average for a team or long-haul truck.
- The national average cost per mile corresponds to a premium of roughly $9,100 at average mileage.
- Comparing quotes on a per-mile basis is the fairest way to judge premiums across different operating profiles.
Truck Writers is an independent, family-owned trucking insurance agency that shops multiple carriers to bring down your insurance cost per mile, so get a quote today.
Sources
- American Transportation Research Institute. An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update. ATRI, July 15, 2026. https://truckingresearch.org/about-atri/atri-research/operational-costs-of-trucking/
- Wolfe, Jeremy. Trucking Operational Costs Hit Record $2.336 per Mile, ATRI Reports. FleetOwner, July 22, 2026. https://www.fleetowner.com/operations/article/55392569/atri-report-breaks-down-class-8-truck-operating-costs-by-region-and-expense-category
- Abbott, Cliff. Trucking Is Getting More Expensive. ATRI Report Explains Why. The Trucker, August 2026. https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/business/trucking-is-getting-more-expensive-atri-report-explains-why
- AtoB. Owner Operator Truck Insurance Cost Statistics for 2026. AtoB, February 10, 2026 (updated March 18, 2026). https://www.atob.com/blog/owner-operator-truck-insurance-cost-statistics
- IMA Financial Group. Property & Casualty Markets in Focus Q2 2026 (citing the CIAB Q1 2026 P&C Market Survey). IMA, 2026. https://imacorp.com/insights/property-casualty-markets-in-focus-q2-2026
- Hemenway, Chad. US P/C Industry Books Best Result in a Decade but Not All Lines Enjoy Success. Insurance Journal (citing AM Best), July 14, 2026. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/07/14/877483.htm