Workers’ Comp for Freight Brokers

Workers’ Comp Insurance for Freight Brokers

CompShield is an independent workers’ comp agency, not tied to a single carrier, and we specialize in nothing but workers’ comp. Freight brokers don’t drive trucks or handle freight, your real risk is office and dispatch work, and getting classified correctly as that, not as a trucking operation, is exactly where a specialist agency should be helping you.

Musculoskeletal disorders from prolonged desk, phone, and computer work are the dominant claim driver in office and dispatch settings, accounting for roughly a third of all private-industry workplace injuries nationally. Your risk profile looks nothing like the drivers and warehouse staff you coordinate.

The Real Risk

Your Risk Is Office Work, Not Freight Handling

Freight brokers arrange transportation, they don’t operate vehicles or handle cargo directly. That means your real workers’ comp exposure looks like any other office environment: repetitive strain from computer and phone use, and general ergonomic risk from prolonged sitting. If your team occasionally visits client sites or warehouses, that adds a modest field-risk component worth disclosing accurately.

This is a genuinely lower-risk profile than the rest of the logistics industry, which is exactly why getting classified correctly, and not accidentally lumped in with trucking or warehouse codes, matters for your rate.

Freight brokers carry a fundamentally office-based risk profile, distinct from the trucking and warehouse operations they coordinate.

Sources: Travelers, Ergonomics in the Mobile Office

Classification

Pure Clerical Work Has Its Own Class Code

A freight broker doing phone and computer-based dispatch work with no exposure to warehouse or operational areas is typically classified under NCCI Class Code 8810, “Clerical Office Employee NOC.” If your team’s duties cross into freight handling or warehouse visits, a different, likely higher, code may apply instead.

Under federal regulation, a broker is legally defined as arranging transportation without operating vehicles or assuming liability for the freight itself, brokers must be FMCSA-licensed and bonded, a distinction that separates you from motor carrier classifications entirely.

Sources: FMCSA Broker Operations Guide

Pricing

How Much Does Workers’ Comp Cost for a Freight Broker?

Payroll ÷ 100 × Class Code Rate × Experience Mod = Premium

Payroll. Your total insurable payroll, correctly reported under code 8810 if your work is truly clerical.
Class code rate. Clerical classifications carry a meaningfully lower rate than warehouse or trucking codes, correct classification is one of the most direct ways to avoid overpaying.
Field exposure. Even occasional site visits or warehouse work can trigger reclassification to a higher-rated code at audit if not properly disclosed upfront.

We won’t publish a fake average, real numbers come from your specific operation and payroll.

Get Your Real Number

Common Questions

Workers’ Comp for Freight Brokers, Answered

In most states, yes, once you have employees, even for an office-based freight brokerage. The requirement isn’t limited to businesses that physically handle freight.

Generally, no, a broker arranges transportation but doesn’t employ the carrier’s drivers, so those drivers aren’t covered under the broker’s workers’ comp policy. The motor carrier remains responsible for its own drivers’ coverage.

Pure phone and computer dispatch work typically falls under NCCI code 8810, “Clerical Office Employee NOC.” Duties that extend into warehouse or field work may require a different classification.

This depends on your state. Some let a sole owner with no employees opt out; others still require coverage. It’s worth confirming your specific state’s rule.

A broker arranges transportation without operating vehicles or assuming liability for the freight, and is FMCSA-licensed and bonded rather than operating under motor carrier safety regulations. This distinction directly shapes what workers’ comp classification applies to your team.

It depends on your payroll, correct clerical classification, and experience mod. Office-based logistics work is rated meaningfully lower than trucking or warehouse operations, given the real risk difference.

Generally, yes, repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel from prolonged typing or phone use can be covered, though the specifics of how gradual-onset claims are evaluated can differ from an acute, single-incident injury.

Even occasional field or warehouse exposure can trigger reclassification to a higher-rated code at audit if it wasn’t disclosed accurately when the policy was written. Being upfront about actual duties avoids a retroactive surprise.

Yes. New businesses are typically quoted on estimated payroll for the first policy term, then trued up at audit once real payroll numbers are in.

Where We Cover This Trade

Freight Broker Coverage, State by State

We’re licensed in 28 states. Here’s where we’re actively writing workers’ comp for freight brokers right now.

Texas
Florida
Pennsylvania
Georgia
Indiana
See All 28 Licensed States →

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