Layered limits above your primary AL, GL, and Employers Liability. The line that's no longer optional for any fleet with contractual $5M+ requirements.
Liability coverage that attaches above primary AL, GL, and Employers Liability — typically once a primary policy exhausts. Excess attaches at a specific attachment point ($1M primary, $1M XS attaching at $1M); Umbrella often provides broader 'drop-down' coverage where a primary excludes a covered loss. For commercial trucking, nuclear-verdict exposure ($10M+ judgments are now routine on serious-injury at-faults) has made XS / umbrella effectively mandatory for any contract requiring shipper-level limits.
These are public-facing baselines for typical risk profiles. The intake re-derives line-specific limits based on your actual operation, contract obligations, and loss profile.
From the panel that ranks top-3 per line for your risk profile. Each carrier clears the A.M. Best A- floor; final selection is made in the piece-out matrix at quote time.
I have $1M primary AL — that's plenty.
On nuclear-verdict-eligible claims, $1M evaporates inside the first week of medical and indemnity. Average serious-injury at-fault verdicts in commercial trucking have risen materially over the past decade. XS / umbrella is the layer that protects you from the verdict that ends the business.
Umbrella and Excess are interchangeable.
Excess strictly extends underlying limits with the same exclusions. Umbrella sometimes provides drop-down coverage (broader than primary). Policy language matters — we read it line-by-line at bind.
I can buy XS from any carrier — they're all the same.
XS attachment language matters significantly. Some XS carriers require 'follow form' (mirror underlying exclusions); some are stand-alone with their own exclusions; some require specific primary carriers. Pairing the wrong XS to your primary creates attachment gaps where neither pays.
Nuclear-verdict severity. The actuarial cost of layered limits in commercial auto has risen materially. Premium delta between $2M and $5M towers can be substantial — but the contractual access it unlocks usually justifies the cost.
Yes — this is normal piece-out. We verify the XS policy's attachment language matches your primary's exhaustion trigger before binding.
An umbrella that mirrors the underlying primary's exclusions and conditions. Simpler to coordinate but less protective on edge cases. Stand-alone umbrellas with their own form language can broaden coverage but require careful gap analysis.
Jurisdiction-specific. Many states bar insurance coverage for punitive damages; some allow it. Read the XS policy's punitive-damages clause in light of your operating states.
Yes — large accounts often run primary + $1M XS + $4M XS + $5M XS towers. Each layer attaches at the prior layer's exhaustion. Coordination clauses ensure clean attachment between layers.
One intake. Per-line submissions to your top 3 carriers. A coordinated binder.