The cost of liability insurance premiums for motor carriers continues to outpace consumer inflation, even as the heavy-duty truck-involved crash rate has declined, according to new research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

ATRI’s new report found that between 2021 and 2024, liability insurance premium costs rose by 18.6% to 10.2 cents per mile – outpacing consumer inflation by 5.4 percentage points. Over this same period, truck-involved crash rates fell by 2.6%.

A sharp rise in crash claims expenses has fueled the rise in insurance costs, with ATRI’s survey finding per-mile liability losses rose by an average of 33.1%.

“Rising insurance costs, particularly in the area of commercial auto liability, generate adverse financial pressures on trucking companies, which are already struggling to survive a historic freight recession,” ATRI said. 

Premiums for excess coverage rose at an even higher rate, highlighting the role of rampant litigation in inflating claims costs.

“Despite these challenges, motor carriers continue to seek improvements in safety and risk management, from enhanced driver coaching and safety technology adoption to better tailored coverage and more responsibly retained risk,” ATRI said.

ATRI’s full report includes benchmarks for fleets to evaluate trends and assess their own risk management approach, such as coverage limits, percent of revenue spent on insurance, and deductible or self-insurance levels by fleet size.