A new study from the American Transportation Research Institute found that trucking insurance premiums increased 18.6% in 2025, even as US commercial vehicle accident rates posted a measurable decline from the prior year. The gap between improving safety records and rising insurance costs has become a central concern for fleet operators across the industry.
ATRI researchers identified nuclear verdict litigation as the primary cost driver. Settlements and jury awards exceeding $10 million against trucking companies have increased in frequency over the past four years, pushing insurers to reprice risk across the entire industry regardless of individual carrier safety records. The report documents 37 nuclear verdicts in 2025 that collectively exceeded $2.1 billion in awarded damages.
Smaller carriers face disproportionate premium pressure. Fleets operating fewer than 20 trucks reported average premium increases of 22.3%, compared to 15.1% for carriers with more than 500 vehicles. Insurers cite the difficulty of absorbing catastrophic loss exposure for single-owner operations as the explanation for the spread.
The study also found that carriers operating dashcam and AI-assisted driver monitoring systems received average premium discounts of 7.2% versus non-equipped fleets, a gap that widened from 4.1% in 2023. ATRI recommends that policymakers examine tort reform measures in states with the highest nuclear verdict frequency, including Georgia, Florida, and California.
Source: Truckers News -- https://www.truckersnews.com/business/article/15671000/atri-trucking-insurance-costs-2026