Confirm the work
Does the owner-operator furnish a vehicle and driver? Identify the states, contracts, and people doing the work.
The trucking employer’s field guideOwner-operators.
Owner-operators.
Clearer records.
Fewer audit surprises.
What you pay an owner-operator and what counts as workers’ comp payroll may differ. Understand the questions before your renewal or audit.
Understand your workers’ comp rating
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Owner-operator audit preparation
Start with the records, understand why state rules matter, and connect your next step to the DOT report and Ex-Mod request.
Presented by Cassie, an AI presenter. State and policy rules require professional review.
Read the video transcript
If your trucking business uses owner-operators, ask how those payments should be treated for workers' compensation before your next audit.
Start with contracts, evidence of coverage, and actual driver payroll where available and applicable.
Check the governing state and manual rules. California requires status review first. Don't apply one percentage everywhere.
Download the owner-operator guide. Then enter and verify your carrier for the DOT report experience.
The DOT report concerns your carrier's safety information. An experience modification report concerns your workers' comp claims experience and rating.
Want a copy of your experience modification report? Choose yes or no. We'll confirm availability and access.
If you're currently covered, enter your renewal date. Otherwise, choose no current coverage. Any experience modification request stays on hold until a prior policy date is provided.
Start with the guide at WorkComp Finder.
A 1099 is a tax form. Start with the working arrangement.
Before applying a percentage, establish the relationship under applicable state law, whether the work creates workers’ compensation exposure, and whether acceptable evidence of coverage exists. A vehicle-with-driver contract needs its own review.
Check the evidence
Gather coverage documents and actual driver payroll when available. Ask your insurance professional which records satisfy the applicable rule.
Apply the right basis
For qualifying uninsured vehicle-with-driver exposure, North Carolina uses actual payroll when available; otherwise its rule may use one-third of the contract price. State rules differ.
Rule example: North Carolina Rate Bureau, Rule 2-H, Table 3.
One-third means payroll basis, not the premium.
This illustration assumes the applicable rule permits one-third, no actual driver payroll is available, and $100,000 is the adjusted contract amount.
| Step | Calculation | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying contract amount | After applicable adjustments | $100,000.00 |
| Payroll basis | $100,000 ÷ 3 | $33,333.33 |
| Hypothetical base premium | $33,333.33 ÷ 100 × $10 | $3,333.33 |
Illustration only. The $10 rate is invented for the math, not a quote. Modifiers, policy charges, assessments, classification, minimum premiums, and other applicable adjustments are not included. No savings or acceptance is promised. Class code 7219 is not assigned from a USDOT number.
Under North Carolina’s example rule, separately supplied fuel, maintenance, or other services can increase the contract basis before applying the fraction. Have your reviewer check how your contract is written.
Your state changes the conversation.
Start with the state tied to the workers’ compensation exposure. For operations involving multiple states, identify each for review.
These are review paths, not a nationwide quoting calculator. Applicable manual editions, policy periods, and state law control.
Six things to have ready.
Contracts and settlements
Vehicle-and-driver agreements, payment summaries, and the services included.
Coverage evidence
Workers’ compensation certificates and supporting documents for the dates of work.
Driver payroll
Actual payroll records when available; identify owner-operators without set payroll.
Fuel and maintenance
Who supplies each item, how it is paid, and separately identified surcharges.
Work and states
Vehicles, drivers, work performed, and the states connected to the exposure.
Policy and renewal
Legal insured name, business address, current policy dates, and your existing agent’s contact.
Ask before the audit: “Which state rule applies to these contracts, what documents do you need, and how should we report this exposure during the policy term?”
Why is my workers’ comp audit bill different from what I expected?
Start with the detailed audit and identify the amount or classification you question. Ask the carrier or auditor which records and rule were used, then compare that explanation with your policy, payroll and work records. Keep a written list of the disputed items and the evidence for each one so your insurance professional can help identify the appropriate review path.
Preparation guidance informed by North Carolina Rule 6’s written-dispute and supporting-record framework; it is not a nationwide appeal procedure.
What records should I put beside the audit?
Organize vehicle-and-driver contracts, settlements and payments, coverage records for the work period, available driver payroll, and who supplied fuel, maintenance or other services. Identify the work and states involved, then mark the audit line you want explained. Keep the underlying records available for secure review.
Adapted from this guide’s September 13, 2026 checklist and NCRB Rule 2-H (Latest displayed revision January 1, 2024; confirm policy-period applicability). These records do not determine employment status, final classification or an automatic exclusion.
Who can review a disagreement?
Start with the insurer and your insurance professional. The appropriate next step depends on the state and the issue. For example, California’s insurer review process addresses how to raise a rating-plan dispute with the insurer. North Carolina’s Rule 6 describes the bureau’s review of specified rate, loss-cost and rule-application disputes. Use the applicable process and confirm its requirements for your policy.
California source: No revision date displayed; checked September 27, 2026. North Carolina source: Address update August 26, 2024; rule revision July 1, 2021.
Do I have to request replacement coverage to get help?
You can start with an audit question. Tell us what you need explained and whether you also want coverage reviewed. Keep your existing agent involved, and provide detailed documents through the secure process when requested.
Tell us which part of the audit you question. You can keep your agent involved.
This explanation was adapted on . Source check: Codex. Responsible editorial role: WorkComp Finder editorial team. Source checks do not determine an individual account’s coverage or audit outcome.
Your DOT record and your workers’ comp story belong in the same conversation.
Your DOT report organizes public carrier facts. Your experience modification report concerns workers’ compensation loss experience and rating. They are different reports.
- Match your business to its USDOT record.
- Confirm your workers’ compensation renewal date, or select “I do not have coverage.”
- Choose Yes or No to assistance obtaining your most recent available experience-mod report.
- If Yes, confirm the legal business name and address. We save the request with your DOT report for a person to review.
We need the relevant policy renewal date before attempting retrieval. If you have no current coverage, we will follow up for the prior policy date. Availability and any bureau authorization must be checked; not every employer has a mod.
Where professional help makes the difference.
A licensed insurance professional can review the contracts, coverage evidence, classification, and audit basis with you. If a FastechHR program may fit your operation, the team can help prepare the information for review while keeping your existing agent involved. A valid audit calculation does not establish carrier appetite or program acceptance.
Retail agents and wholesalers can use this guide to prepare employer conversations and submissions. Retail-agent path → · Wholesaler path →
Keep payroll records, loss runs, and mod worksheets out of public chat. Use the secure submission process when a reviewer requests them.