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Memphis, TN
Dragon Insurance is an independent agency licensed in Tennessee, placing primary liability, cargo, physical damage, and non-trucking liability for owner-operators and small fleets running out of Memphis and Shelby County. We compare Progressive, GEICO, and Trinity Underwriters, plus specialty and excess and surplus markets for new authority and harder-to-place risk. Call and we start same day for most standard risk.
Call for a quote on the spot. Online requests answered within 1 hour on business days.


Quick Answer
Memphis is where road, rail, river, and air freight actually meet: I-40, I-55, I-69, and I-240 intersect at the city, FedEx's SuperHub anchors the second-busiest cargo airport in the world by freight volume, and Memphis is one of only four U.S. cities served by five Class I railroads. Trucks leaving Memphis reach roughly 35 percent of the U.S. population overnight and 68 percent within two days. That density is an advantage for freight volume and a real underwriting factor, not a footnote, for cargo exposure, radius, and claim frequency.
Most Memphis-area owner-operators do not lose money because they picked the wrong insurance company. They lose it to a filing that sat unsubmitted, a renewal that jumped after one claim with no second option ready, or a policy written for the wrong authority type. Dragon places the coverage against your actual operation, new authority included, rather than declining what does not fit a generic template.
We are licensed in Tennessee and serve owner-operators and small fleets across Memphis and Shelby County, entirely by phone and online, with no office visit required.
Need the state-by-state filing rules laid out in full? Read our trucking insurance requirements by state guide.
New authority, placed correctly
MC authority under a year old has no loss history to price against, which shuts many trucking markets. We place new Memphis authority through markets that specifically write this segment.
Drayage and intermodal exposure understood
Short-haul, high-frequency moves between the port, rail yards, and MEM airport price differently than long-haul interstate freight. We quote for the operation you actually run.
Interstate and intrastate authority, sorted correctly
Interstate carriers follow FMCSA minimums. Intrastate-only Tennessee authority follows TDOT Motor Carrier Division minimums and a state Form E filing. We confirm which one actually applies before quoting.
80+ five-star reviews
Real clients across Tennessee and the six other states we serve who called back after their first renewal.
Ready to compare trucking insurance quotes for your Memphis operation?
See the full commercial trucking coverage breakdown on our main commercial trucking page.
Which insurance minimum actually applies to your Memphis-based truck depends on whether your freight crosses state lines. Given the city's position on four interstates, most Memphis trucking operates under federal interstate authority, but confirm this before assuming either rule covers you.
| Authority type | Regulator | Primary liability minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate (MC authority, crosses state lines) | FMCSA | $750,000 general freight; higher for hazmat |
| Intrastate, 10,001 lbs or less | TDOT Motor Carrier Division | $300,000 |
| Intrastate, over 10,001 lbs, non-hazmat | TDOT Motor Carrier Division | $750,000 |
These are legal minimums, not coverage recommendations. Intrastate-only carriers need a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the TDOT Motor Carrier Division and file a Form E with the Tennessee Department of Safety. Neither minimum includes cargo or physical damage coverage, which almost every lender and shipper requires separately. Call us to confirm which authority type applies to your operation.
Dragon Insurance places trucking coverage for owner-operators and small fleets across Memphis and Shelby County, including operations running out of the airport-adjacent distribution district, the Presidents Island and river-port industrial corridor, and the I-40/I-55/I-69 interchange freight zone.
See our Memphis, TN location page for our full range of coverage, or read the trucking requirements by state guide for how Tennessee compares to the other states we serve.
Questions Memphis-area owner-operators and fleet owners ask us most often.
It depends on your authority type. Interstate carriers (crossing state lines, which most Memphis-based freight does given the city's position on I-40, I-55, I-69, and I-240) need FMCSA-compliant primary liability, typically $750,000 for general freight and higher for hazmat. Intrastate-only carriers operating entirely within Tennessee need a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the TDOT Motor Carrier Division and file a Form E with the Tennessee Department of Safety, with state minimums of $300,000 for vehicles 10,001 lbs or less and $750,000 above that for non-hazardous freight. Most trucks also need cargo insurance and physical damage coverage, which neither FMCSA nor the state minimum requires but which every lender and most shippers do.
Our primary trucking markets are Progressive, GEICO, and Trinity Underwriters, plus additional specialty and excess and surplus markets through master brokerage relationships for harder-to-place risk, new authority, or specialty equipment. There is no single best carrier for every truck out of Memphis; the right fit depends on your authority age, radius, cargo, and CSA record.
Premiums can start around $200 a month for a clean-record truck with established authority, but the range runs into the thousands depending on your equipment, cargo, radius, authority age, and driving history. A single truck hauling general freight prices very differently than a reefer unit running produce out of the Memphis distribution corridor or a new authority still building loss history. Call for a quote specific to your operation rather than relying on a generic number.
Yes, though it takes the right market. New authority under a year old has no loss history to price against, which shuts the door at many trucking insurers regardless of how clean your driving record actually is. We place new-authority Memphis operators through markets that specifically write this segment rather than sending you a decline and calling it done.
Yes. Memphis's freight economy runs heavily on drayage and intermodal moves between the Mississippi River port, five Class I rail yards, and Memphis International Airport's FedEx SuperHub. We quote primary liability, cargo, and non-trucking liability for operators running these short-haul, high-frequency routes, which price differently than long-haul interstate freight.
Non-trucking liability covers your truck when you are using it for personal reasons or deadheading without a load, outside the scope of your motor carrier's dispatch, when your primary liability policy typically does not apply. Leased owner-operators running under someone else's authority need this coverage specifically, since the carrier's policy generally only covers you while under dispatch.
If you hold interstate authority (an MC number) and never operate purely intrastate, Tennessee generally defers to your FMCSA filing rather than layering on a separate state minimum. The Tennessee-specific $300,000 and $750,000 minimums apply to carriers with intrastate-only authority through the TDOT Motor Carrier Division. Confirm which authority type actually applies to your operation before assuming either rule covers you.
Call 717-229-5115 and we start the same day for most standard risk. New authority, hazmat, or specialty equipment can take longer since it routes through a market that underwrites that segment specifically. Have your MC/DOT number, equipment list, radius of operation, and loss runs if you have prior coverage ready; that is what lets us quote accurately on the first call.
Sources
Memphis, TN
Dragon Insurance compares Progressive, GEICO, and Trinity Underwriters, plus specialty markets, for owner-operators and small fleets across Memphis and Shelby County. New authority and specialty equipment welcome.
80+ five-star reviews ยท Independent agency, licensed in Tennessee
Blog
More guidance for Tennessee owner-operators and small fleets.
June 9, 2026
Commercial Trucking Insurance Requirements by State 2026
FMCSA requires $750,000 minimum liability for general freight, $1,000,000 for oil transport, and $5,000,000 for hazmat. Dragon helps owner-operators meet federal and state filing requirements in PA, TX, VA, MD, OH, TN, and KY.
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July 13, 2026
Owner-Operator Truck Insurance: The Complete Coverage Guide
Owner-operator truck insurance depends on one question first: are you leased to a motor carrier, or running under your own FMCSA authority? Dragon is appointed with Progressive, GEICO, and Trinity Underwriters to build the correct stack, primary liability, cargo, physical damage, NTL, and occupational accident, for either setup.
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June 9, 2026
What Is Non-Trucking Liability Insurance? Guide for Owner-Operators
Non-trucking liability (NTL) insurance protects owner-operators when they use their truck for personal, non-business purposes between loads. It is not the same as bobtail insurance. Dragon is appointed with Progressive, GEICO, and Trinity Underwriters for NTL coverage.
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