Garbage truck insurance
A business running garbage or roll-off trucks needs a quote that names each truck's body and attached equipment, the waste carried, the route radius and any contract's limits. ISO's CA 00 01 11 20 business auto form excludes injury from a mechanical device not attached to the truck, lists waste among pollutants and excludes discharge of pollutants in property being transported. The Massachusetts CAR manual, effective March 1, 2026, has a Waste Disposal class for automobiles carrying waste for disposal or resale. The Salt Lake County Health Department lists insurance for the type of waste among its waste hauler permit steps.
Is garbage truck insurance rated differently from dump truck insurance?
The Massachusetts CAR manual, one published commercial auto rating manual, puts waste hauling in a Waste Disposal class separate from dump trucks. The Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers manual, effective March 1, 2026, lists "Waste Disposal – Automobiles transporting salvage and waste material for disposal or resale" as one of ten secondary classes and "Dump and Transit Mix Trucks and Trailers" as a different one; it does not name garbage, roll-off, septic or vacuum trucks.
The Massachusetts CAR manual says a truck with more than one use takes the class with the highest use factor "unless 80% or more of the use is in a single lower rated activity," and Commercial Use is one of its three business use classes, for hauling property other than service or retail. CAR is the Massachusetts residual market, and its manual is cited here as a published example, not as the rule a Utah insurer follows.
Does commercial auto insurance cover a rear loader, roll-off or vacuum truck's equipment?
ISO's business auto form CA 00 01 11 20 keeps its mechanical-device exclusion off equipment attached to a garbage truck, but excludes injury from operating a pump. Section V.B defines an auto as "A land motor vehicle, "trailer" or semitrailer designed for travel on public roads," and exclusion II.B.8 removes injury or damage "resulting from the movement of property by a mechanical device (other than a hand truck) unless the device is attached to the covered "auto"."
Trucks with permanently attached street-cleaning equipment or pumps are autos on CA 00 01 11 20, which names neither vacuum nor septic trucks. Paragraph V.K.6 says self-propelled vehicles with listed kinds of permanently attached equipment "are not "mobile equipment" but will be considered "autos"," naming street cleaning in 6.a and "Air compressors, pumps and generators" in 6.c. Exclusion II.B.9 then removes injury or damage "arising out of the operation of: a. Any equipment listed in Paragraphs 6.b. and 6.c.," which reaches a pump and not street-cleaning equipment. Ask how the general liability policy answers for running the pump.
Handling a can or bin away from the truck sits outside CA 00 01 11 20's auto liability: exclusion II.B.7 removes injury from handling property "Before it is moved from the place where it is accepted by the "insured" for movement into or onto the covered "auto"."
| Equipment | What the form says | Auto liability |
|---|---|---|
| Loader arm, cart tipper or roll-off hoist mounted on the truck | II.B.8 excludes mechanical devices unless attached to the covered auto | Not removed by II.B.8 |
| Skid steer or loader not attached to the truck | II.B.8, the same exclusion | Removed |
| Street-cleaning equipment | V.K.6.a makes the vehicle an auto; II.B.9 does not list 6.a | Not removed by II.B.9 |
| Pump | V.K.6.c makes the vehicle an auto; II.B.9 excludes operating it | Removed |
Does commercial auto cover a spill from a garbage truck?
ISO's CA 00 01 11 20 lists waste, including recyclables, among pollutants, and its pollution exclusion reaches pollutants in property the truck is transporting. Section V.L defines pollutants to include "chemicals and waste. Waste includes materials to be recycled, reconditioned or reclaimed," and exclusion II.B.11.a removes injury and damage arising out of the discharge of pollutants contained in property "Being transported or towed by, handled or handled for movement into, onto or from the covered "auto"" or being "stored, disposed of, treated or processed in or upon" it. The exclusion carves back the truck's own fuels, lubricants and fluids "needed for or result from the normal electrical, hydraulic or mechanical functioning" of the auto when they escape from a part built to hold them.
ISO endorsement CA 99 48 10 13 narrows the transported-pollutant exclusion for a business auto policy. With CA 99 48 attached, "Paragraph a. of the Pollution Exclusion applies only to liability assumed under a contract or agreement," and its paragraph A.2 lifts the care, custody or control exclusion for that coverage. Ask whether the policy quoted carries CA 99 48.
What insurance does a waste hauler need in Utah?
A Utah waste hauler's insurance floor comes from the state's auto minimums, UDOT's motor carrier rule, the permitting county, and any hauling contract.
Utah Code 31A-22-304 sets $30,000 per person, $65,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage on every motor vehicle liability policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. UDOT rule R909-1-4 sets $750,000 for an intrastate private motor carrier, one that "is not a for-hire motor carrier," and $1,000,000 with an MCS-90 endorsement for carriers of hazardous waste, and as of October 12, 2026 it states no intrastate for-hire figure for non-hazardous loads. Utah Code 72-9-102(3) draws the intrastate commercial vehicle line at 26,001 lb GVWR or GCWR with a driver 18 or older.
Salt Lake County's health department lists insurance for the type of waste among its waste hauler permit steps, without a dollar figure. Its waste hauler page reads "Obtain the correct insurance for the type of waste you are hauling," alongside a written safety plan, an annual fee, an inspection and a placard on each truck. Salt Lake City's chapter 5.82, Waste Disposal Contractors, is repealed: the 2026 S-21 edition prints "Rep. by Ord. 37-99 § 1, 1999".
ISO's CA 00 01 11 20 counts a promise to indemnify a city for municipal work as an insured contract, so a hauling contract's indemnity clause bears on the auto policy. Its definition takes in an agreement "(including an indemnification of a municipality in connection with work performed for a municipality)" under which the business assumes another party's tort liability.
What should a garbage truck insurance quote describe?
Six details on a garbage truck quote bear on a provision of ISO's CA 00 01 11 20, a county permit, a contract or the CAR manual's rating rules.
| Detail | Provision it bears on |
|---|---|
| Body: rear, front or side loader, or roll-off | CA 00 01 11 20 II.B.8 turns on whether the lifting device is attached to the truck |
| Attached pump or street-cleaning equipment | CA 00 01 11 20 V.K.6 makes the truck an auto; II.B.9 excludes operating a pump |
| Waste type: solid, recyclables, liquid, medical or hazardous | CA 00 01 11 20 V.L lists waste among pollutants; Salt Lake County's permit asks for insurance for the type of waste |
| Radius and service area | In CAR's manual, the Local class is a truck "not operated beyond a radius of 50 miles" from where it is principally garaged |
| Other work the trucks do | In CAR's manual, mixed use takes the highest class unless 80% or more is one lower-rated activity |
| Municipal or customer contract | CA 00 01 11 20 V.H.5 counts indemnifying a municipality for municipal work as an insured contract |
What do you send for a garbage truck quote, and what happens next?
Redoubt starts on a garbage or roll-off truck from the list below, sent by text or email. The first reply is a conversation about what the policy needs to carry and what to send back.
- Each truck's body (rear, front or side loader, or roll-off), year, make, model and value
- How far the trucks go, local radius or long distance, and the service area
- Every driver: name, date of birth, licence number and class
- USDOT number, and the MC or docket number if there is one, with the vehicle and driver counts on FMCSA's record
- The last three years of loss runs, if the business has them
- Any municipal or customer contract that sets insurance limits
- What the trucks haul, and the date coverage has to start
Sources: 23
Does a septic or vacuum truck count as a garbage truck for insurance?
The CAR manual's Waste Disposal class covers automobiles transporting waste material for disposal or resale and does not name septic or vacuum trucks. ISO's CA 00 01 11 20 makes a truck with a permanently attached pump an auto under V.K.6.c, and exclusion II.B.9 removes injury from operating the pump.
Does Salt Lake County set a dollar limit for waste hauler insurance?
No dollar figure appears on the Salt Lake County Health Department's waste hauler page as read on October 12, 2026; the page asks for "the correct insurance for the type of waste you are hauling."
Where these answers come from
Each entry carries the exact words of the source so you can check it yourself. Forms, rules and carrier pages change; read the current version before acting.
- 1. Massachusetts CAR Commercial Automobile Insurance Manual, Section III, Rule 52.C secondary classes
“5. Waste Disposal – Automobiles transporting salvage and waste material for disposal or resale. 6. Farmers – Automobiles owned by a farmer, used in connection with the operation of his own farm occasionally used to haul commodities for other farmers. 7. Dump and Transit Mix Trucks and Trailers”
commauto.com, accessed October 12, 2026. Page 6 of 21, one of ten secondary classifications. Primary for CAR's own rules only; a Utah insurer rates from its own manual. - 2. Massachusetts CAR Commercial Automobile Insurance Manual, Section III, Rule 52 business use classes
“Retail Use – automobiles used to pick up property from, or deliver property to individual households. c. Commercial Use – automobiles used for transporting property other than those automobiles defined as service or retail.”
commauto.com, accessed October 12, 2026. Page 5 of 21, 3.b and 3.c. Primary for CAR's own rules only; a Utah insurer rates from its own manual. - 3. Massachusetts CAR Commercial Automobile Insurance Manual, Section III, business use class with more than one use
“If a truck, tractor, or trailer has more than one use, use the classification with the highest use factor for BI and PD from the Primary Classifications Rating Factors and Statistical Codes table in the Rate Section unless 80% or more of the use is in a single lower rated activity.”
commauto.com, accessed October 12, 2026. Page 4 of 21, 3. Primary for CAR's own rules only; a Utah insurer rates from its own manual. - 4. Massachusetts CAR Commercial Automobile Insurance Manual, Section III, radius class
“Local – up to 50 miles – the automobile is not operated beyond a radius of 50 miles from the street address where such automobile is principally garaged.”
commauto.com, accessed October 12, 2026. Page 5 of 21, 4.a; intermediate is 51 to 200 miles, long distance over 200. Primary for CAR's own rules only; a Utah insurer rates from its own manual. - 5. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Business Auto Coverage Form, Section V.B, definition of auto
“"Auto" means: 1. A land motor vehicle, "trailer" or semitrailer designed for travel on public roads; or 2. Any other land vehicle that is subject to a compulsory or financial responsibility law or other motor vehicle insurance law where it is licensed or principally garaged.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. The definition ends: "However, \"auto\" does not include \"mobile equipment\"." No paragraph of the form names refuse or roll-off bodies. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 6. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section II.B.8, Movement Of Property By Mechanical Device exclusion
“"Bodily injury" or "property damage" resulting from the movement of property by a mechanical device (other than a hand truck) unless the device is attached to the covered "auto".”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 7. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section II.B.7, Handling Of Property exclusion
“"Bodily injury" or "property damage" resulting from the handling of property: a. Before it is moved from the place where it is accepted by the "insured" for movement into or onto the covered "auto"; or”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. Paragraph b. excludes handling after the property is moved from the covered auto to where the insured finally delivers it. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 8. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section V.K.6, vehicles with permanently attached equipment considered autos
“However, self-propelled vehicles with the following types of permanently attached equipment are not "mobile equipment" but will be considered "autos": a. Equipment designed primarily for: (1) Snow removal; (2) Road maintenance, but not construction or resurfacing; or (3) Street cleaning;”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. The quote runs across a column break in the PDF text layer. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 9. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section V.K.6.c, pumps and similar attached equipment
“c. Air compressors, pumps and generators, including spraying, welding, building cleaning, geophysical exploration, lighting or well-servicing equipment.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. 6.b is cherry pickers and similar devices used to raise or lower workers. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 10. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section II.B.9, Operations exclusion
“"Bodily injury" or "property damage" arising out of the operation of: a. Any equipment listed in Paragraphs 6.b. and 6.c. of the definition of "mobile equipment"; or”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. B.9.b extends the exclusion to machinery on a vehicle that would be mobile equipment but for a compulsory insurance law. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 11. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section V.L, definition of pollutants
“"Pollutants" means any solid, liquid, gaseous or thermal irritant or contaminant, including smoke, vapor, soot, fumes, acids, alkalis, chemicals and waste. Waste includes materials to be recycled, reconditioned or reclaimed.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 12. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section II.B.11.a, Pollution exclusion
“arising out of the actual, alleged or threatened discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape of "pollutants": a. That are, or that are contained in any property that is: (1) Being transported or towed by, handled or handled for movement into, onto or from the covered "auto";”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. a.(3) adds "Being stored, disposed of, treated or processed in or upon the covered \"auto\""; b. and c. reach pollutants before loading and after final delivery. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 13. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section II.B.11, carve-back for the auto's own fuels and fluids
“Paragraph a. above does not apply to fuels, lubricants, fluids, exhaust gases or other similar "pollutants" that are needed for or result from the normal electrical, hydraulic or mechanical functioning of the covered "auto" or its parts if:”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. The two conditions: the pollutants escape directly from an auto part designed to hold, store, receive or dispose of them, and the injury does not arise out of operating 6.b or 6.c equipment. A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 14. ISO CA 00 01 11 20, Section V.H.5, insured contract
“That part of any other contract or agreement pertaining to your business (including an indemnification of a municipality in connection with work performed for a municipality) under which you assume the tort liability of another to pay for "bodily injury" or "property damage" to a third party or organization.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. The paragraph continues with a definition of tort liability and three exceptions (railroad construction, autos loaned with a driver, holding a for-hire carrier harmless). A carrier's policy may carry a later edition or its own form. - 15. ISO CA 99 48 10 13, Pollution Liability – Broadened Coverage For Covered Autos, paragraph A
“Paragraph a. of the Pollution Exclusion applies only to liability assumed under a contract or agreement. 2. With respect to the coverage afforded by Paragraph A.1. above, Exclusion B.6. Care, Custody Or Control does not apply.”
assets.touchpointmarkets.com, accessed October 12, 2026. It modifies the Business Auto and Motor Carrier coverage forms. - 16. Utah Admin. Code R909-1-4(3), oil and hazardous materials carriers
“must have a $1,000,000 minimum level of financial responsibility, and an MCS-90 endorsement maintained at the principal place of business.”
adminrules.utah.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. The subsection opens "Each interstate and intrastate for-hire and private motor carriers transporting any quantities of oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101; hazardous waste, hazardous material, and hazardous substances defined in 49 CFR 171.8". - 17. Utah Admin. Code R909-1-4(2), intrastate private motor carrier minimum
“Each intrastate private motor carrier must have a minimum amount of $750,000 liability.”
adminrules.utah.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. Same pull. The rule names private carriers and hazmat carriers only; it states no figure for intrastate for-hire carriers of non-hazardous loads. - 18. Utah Admin. Code R909-1-4(1), definition of private motor carrier
“"Private Motor Carrier" means a person who provides transportation of property or passengers by commercial motor vehicle and is not a for-hire motor carrier.”
adminrules.utah.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. Same pull. - 19. Utah Code 72-9-102(3), definition of intrastate commercial vehicle
“"Intrastate commercial vehicle" means a motor vehicle, vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer used or maintained for business, compensation, or profit to transport passengers or property on a highway only within the boundaries of this state if the commercial vehicle: (a) (i) has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight, or gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 26,001 or more pounds, whichever is greater”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. The clause continues "and is operated by an individual who is 18 years old or older"; the definition adds 16,001 lb with a driver under 18, passenger thresholds and placarded hazardous materials. - 20. Utah Code 31A-22-304(2), motor vehicle liability minimums from January 1, 2025
“a policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, containing motor vehicle liability coverage may not limit the insurer's liability under that coverage below the following: (a) (i) $30,000 because of liability for bodily injury to or death of one person”
le.utah.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. (2)(a)(ii) sets $65,000 for two or more persons and (2)(a)(iii) $25,000 for property damage; (2)(b) allows a $90,000 single limit. - 21. Salt Lake County Health Department, Waste Haulers, Get a Waste Hauler Permit
“To obtain a waste hauler permit: Submit a waste hauler permit application. Obtain the correct insurance for the type of waste you are hauling. Submit a written safety plan for review and approval. Pay the annual permit fee. Pass the health department's inspection. Install required permit placard on truck(s).”
saltlakecounty.gov, accessed October 12, 2026. The page names no insurance limit. Salt Lake County only; other Utah counties were not read. - 22. Salt Lake City Code, chapter 5.82, Waste Disposal Contractors (American Legal Publishing, 2026 S-21)
“CHAPTER 5.82 WASTE DISPOSAL CONTRACTORS (Rep. by Ord. 37-99 § 1, 1999)”
codelibrary.amlegal.com, accessed October 12, 2026. The whole chapter as printed. - 23. Redoubt, commercial auto insurance guide, what to send
“Text Redoubt the broker packet, the lender's insurance letter, the platform's upload screen or the renewal itself, with the vehicles and the date you need it by. We will say what can be bound now, what needs the carrier, and what to send back.”
www.redoubt.insure, accessed October 12, 2026
The business is starting, changing hands or changing what it does, and the policy has to describe it
First policies for a new business, taking over a business with vehicles, fleets of mixed vehicles, and how commercial auto fits with general liability and a bundled business policy.
Elsewhere on the site
Your garbage or roll-off trucks, described for the quote
Text Redoubt each truck's body (rear, front or side loader, or roll-off) with its year, make, model and value, how far the trucks run and where, every driver's name, date of birth, licence number and class, your USDOT and MC or docket numbers if you have them, what the business hauls and any municipal or customer contract's insurance terms, three years of loss runs if you have them, and the date cover has to start, and we will talk through what the policy needs to carry.
This is general insurance information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. The policy forms, the endorsements the carrier issues, and the requirement in writing from whoever is asking control.