What Data Underwriters Need for Trucking Insurance

Underwriters need complete, consistent, and verifiable operational data to price trucking risk quickly. In most trucking submissions, the “must-have” data falls into seven buckets:

1. Authority and identity (DOT/MC, authority status and dates)
2. Fleet details (unit count, VINs, vehicle types, garaging)
3. Operations (radius, lanes, states of operation, business model)
4. Cargo (primary and occasional cargo classes, hazmat details if applicable)
5. Drivers (driver count, experience, and required driver details)
6. Safety and compliance (inspections, OOS, CSA/SMS/BASICs indicators where applicable)
7. Loss and crash history (loss runs, prior carrier, frequency and severity trends)

If any of these are missing, underwriting typically comes back with questions, which slows down turnaround and increases the chance the risk gets deprioritized.

Tip: FMCSA data and safety program details are commonly referenced in commercial auto underwriting submissions, and FMCSA’s CSA/SMS program is a central source of safety compliance and performance information.

Why underwriters ask for so much information

Trucking is not one risk. It’s a combination of variables (equipment, routes, cargo, driver profile, and safety behavior) that can change quickly.

Underwriters are trying to answer two questions:

• Does this risk fit appetite? (cargo, radius, safety profile, experience)
• If yes, what is the price and structure? (limits, deductibles, loss history, exposure)

That’s why accurate identification and filings matter too. FMCSA notes that insurance requirements vary by entity type, operating authority, cargo, and vehicle type, and filings must match exactly to avoid delays.

Trucking insurance underwriting data checklist

1) Carrier identity and authority (the first gate)

Underwriters typically want:

• DOT number and MC number
• Legal name and DBA (must match filings) 
• Authority status (active/inactive/revoked/reinstated)
• Authority dates (new venture vs reinstated vs established)
• States of operation

Why it matters: authority details and mismatched identity info are common reasons submissions stall.

2) Fleet and equipment (exposure by the unit)

Underwriters typically want:

• Total power units
• VINs (often required)
• Vehicle types (tractor, straight truck, box truck, hotshot, etc.)
• Model year and value / stated value (as required)
• Garaging location(s)
• Radius of operation and typical lanes

Why it matters: fleet composition and radius heavily influence exposure and eligibility.

3) Operations (how the business actually runs)

Underwriters typically want:

• Years in business (especially important for new ventures)
• Owner-operator vs fleet
• Driver count
• Leased owner-operators (if applicable)
• Growth or operational changes (new states, new equipment, new contracts)

Why it matters: rapid growth, new lanes, and structural changes can materially change risk.

4) Cargo (fastest way to get declined)

Underwriters typically want:

• Primary cargo class
• Secondary/occasional cargo and % split
• Hazmat details (if applicable)
• Any excluded cargo categories for the market you are approaching

Why it matters: cargo class is often the quickest appetite decision, and misclassification creates re-underwriting later.

5) Driver information (who is behind the wheel)

Underwriters commonly request:

• Driver count
• Years of experience / CDL status
• Driver details as required (license, dates, etc.)
• Hiring and training requirements

Why it matters: driver quality and controls (training) help underwriters understand frequency risk.

6) Safety and compliance (the “behavior data”)

Underwriters commonly review:

• FMCSA inspection counts and trends
• Out-of-service (OOS) indicators
• Safety rating (if available)
• CSA/SMS context, including BASIC categories (where applicable) 

Why it matters: safety patterns often predict future losses more than a polished narrative.

Accuracy note: If FMCSA data is incomplete or incorrect, DataQs is the FMCSA system used to request and track data reviews. 

7) Crash and loss history (pricing starts here)

Underwriters typically want:

• Loss runs (often 3–5 years, depending on the account)
• Prior carrier and term dates
• Crash history summary (frequency + recency)
• Any corrective actions after losses (training, maintenance changes)

Why it matters: one severe loss can outweigh years of operation, and trends matter.

The real reason trucking insurance submissions hookup

Most agents don’t lose time because they don’t understand what underwriters need.

They lose time because the required data lives everywhere.

FMCSA and SAFER lookups.
Carrier portals.
Spreadsheets.
PDF applications.
Email threads with missing attachments.

When data is fragmented, submissions break down. And when submissions break down, underwriters come back with questions.

That leads to:

• Missing VINs
• Inconsistent unit counts
• Cargo details that don’t match the narrative
• Authority mismatches
• Follow-up requests that reset the clock

At that point, even good risks can get deprioritized.

How Carrier IQ Quote Applications fixes this

Carrier IQ Quote Applications is built to help agents submit underwriting-ready trucking insurance applications without chasing data across systems.

Instead of rebuilding every submission manually, Quote Applications allows you to:

• Pull core carrier authority, fleet, safety, and operational data into one workflow
• Reduce re-keying and inconsistencies that cause underwriting delays
• Submit cleaner, more complete applications that generate fewer follow-ups
• Standardize submissions across carriers and markets

Important clarification: Quote Applications does not replace underwriting decisions.
Underwriters still determine pricing and terms.

What it does is eliminate friction before underwriting ever sees the file. The result is faster turnaround, fewer questions, and a better chance of being quoted first.

The “minimum viable submission” underwriters need

If you’re short on time, this is the smallest set of information that prevents most back-and-forth:

• DOT/MC number + legal name/DBA
• Authority status and effective dates
• Unit count + VIN list
• Vehicle types, radius, and states of operation
• Primary cargo and any hazmat exposure
• Prior carrier + loss runs
• Inspection and OOS snapshot with any notable safety issues

Miss one of these, and the submission usually stalls.

Download the trucking insurance underwriting data checklist

To make this easier, we put everything underwriters typically ask for into a single, practical checklist you can use on every submission.

Use it to:

• Standardize what your team sends
• Catch missing data before underwriting does
• Reduce follow-ups and delays
• Submit with more confidence

👉 Download the Trucking Insurance Underwriting Data Checklist

If you want faster trucking insurance quotes, the answer isn’t chasing underwriters. It’s sending them cleaner data the first time. Quote Applications helps you do exactly that.

Learn more today at https://carrieriq.io/quote-applications.

About the Author

Scott Schubert
CEO & Co-Founder, Carrier IQ

Scott is a serial entrepreneur and technologist who builds software that makes business workflows faster, smarter, and more effective. After hearing countless frustrations from independent agents trying to grow their trucking book, he co-founded Carrier IQ to solve one specific problem: the time suck and uncertainty of finding quality commercial trucking insurance leads. Today, Carrier IQ helps agencies across the country quote faster and close more deals with real-time motor carrier data.