Two trucks. Same make, same coverage. One ran 4,000 miles last month. The other ran 900 miles— the driver was between contracts, and the truck sat in the yard for two weeks. They paid the same premium.
If you’re the 900-mile truck, that should bother you. You paid full price to insure a parking spot. And for seasonal haulers, part-time owner operators, and anyone riding out a slow freight market, that’s not a one-month problem — it’s baked into how traditional trucking insurance is priced.
There’s a program built to fix exactly this and we have access to it. Here’s how pay-per-mile trucking insurance works.
The problem with flat-rate premiums
Traditional commercial trucking insurance prices your policy as if you’re running hard every month, all year. For full-time, high-mileage operations, that math is fine. But a lot of trucking doesn’t look like that.
Some produce haulers only run heavy four months a year. Some owner-operators keep a day job. There are regional guys who have huge mileage swings from month to month. Some operations park a truck rather than running cheap freight. Every one of those trucks is paying full-time premium for part-time miles — during coverage windows that they never use.
How pay-per-mile trucking insurance works
The concept is exactly what the name says: your premium is calculated on the miles you actually drive each month. Your ELD reports the mileage automatically, and your monthly bill reflects your actual driving.
The structure:
You start the policy with a 15% deposit. That’s the up-front cost.
You’re billed monthly based on actual miles driven. Roll 4,000 miles, pay for 4,000 miles. Roll 900, pay for 900 miles.
No monthly minimum premium. If the truck sits, you’re not paying mileage charges while it sits.
No installment fees and no interest.
No monthly paperwork on your end. The ELD does the reporting.
This isn’t a stripped-down policy — it’s real coverage for your operation with different billing math.
“So they track my ELD data?”
Yes — and it’s worth being direct about, because this is the number one question we get.
The program reads your ELD data to count your miles. That’s the mechanism that makes the billing work. It isn’t surveillance; it’s a mileage counter. And here’s the context that matters: your ELD is already reporting to the FMCSA every day — that’s federal law.
Right now, that data does nothing for your wallet. With this program the data collected can actually help SAVE you dollars.
Who qualifies
Eligibility comes down to two things:
1. An active DOT number
2. A compatible ELD device
The program is currently available in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.
Currently the program does EXCLUDE: Box Trucks, Log Trucks, and Tow Trucks. The best thing to do is to call and discuss your eligibility. We can tell you very quickly if there are any issues that would keep you from the program.
Who actually saves — and who doesn’t
Here’s the honest version, because a program like this isn’t right for everyone.
If you’re running high miles every single month, year-round, a traditional policy may still price out better — and if it does, that’s what we’ll tell you. We’re an independent agency; we work for you, not a carrier.
But if any of these operations sound like your business, the math is worth running:
Your work is seasonal, and the truck sits in the off-season
You’re a part-time owner-operator
Your monthly miles swing significantly
You’re parking a truck through the slow freight market instead of running cheap loads
Find out what your miles are worth
The comparison takes one conversation. Tell us your rough monthly mileage and what you’re paying now, and we’ll run the numbers side by side — pay-per-mile against your current premium — and show you exactly what your operation would look like on the program. Then you decide.
Call (850) 389-2001 or visit barbeejackson.com. Barbee Jackson Insurance is an independent agency insuring trucking operations nationwide — your goals, our strategies.
Frequently asked questions
What is pay-per-mile trucking insurance? It’s commercial trucking coverage where your monthly premium is based on the miles you actually drive, reported automatically by your ELD, instead of a flat rate that assumes full-time mileage.
Is there a monthly minimum premium? No. In this program, there’s no monthly minimum — if the truck sits, you aren’t paying mileage charges while it sits.
How much does it cost to start? The policy starts with a 15% deposit. After that, billing is monthly based on actual miles, with no installment fees or interest.
What do I need to qualify? An active DOT number and a compatible ELD device. The program is currently offered in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.
Currently the program does EXCLUDE: Box Trucks, Log Trucks, and Tow Trucks. The best thing to do is to call and discuss your eligibility. We can tell you very quickly if there are any issues that would keep you from the program.
Does the insurance company track my truck? The program reads your ELD mileage data — that’s how your bill is calculated. Your ELD already reports to the FMCSA daily under federal law; this program uses that same data to lower your bill in low-mileage months.
Is pay-per-mile cheaper than regular trucking insurance? It depends on your miles. Low-mileage, seasonal, and part-time operations tend to benefit most. High-mileage year-round operations may do better on a traditional policy — we’ll run both numbers and show you the comparison.