Quoting

Cover Whale offers two levels of pricing: indications (preliminary estimates) and full quotes (final pricing). Both are submitted via the API with the same authentication.

Indication vs. Full Quote

	Indication	Full Quote
Endpoint	`POST /indication`	`POST /quote`
Purpose	Quick preliminary pricing	Final binding-eligible pricing
Required fields	Minimal (DOT, legal name, state/zip)	Complete application details
Response	Estimated premium ranges	Exact premiums and fees
Use when	Screening opportunities	Ready to present to insured

Coverage Types

Cover Whale provides five coverage lines for commercial trucking:

Code	Coverage	Description
AL	Auto Liability	Liability coverage for bodily injury and property damage
APD	Auto Physical Damage	Collision and comprehensive coverage for vehicles
MTC	Motor Truck Cargo	Coverage for goods being transported
TGL	Truckers General Liability	General liability for trucking operations
NTL	Non-Trucking Liability	Liability coverage when not under dispatch

Request each line by setting requestAl, requestApd, requestMtc, requestTgl, or requestNtl to "Y" in the coverage object.

Request Body Structure

Both endpoints accept the same request structure, organized into sections. The three required sections are:

Object	Purpose	Key Fields
`insuredInformation`	Business details	`dotNumber`, `legalName`, `yearsInBusiness`
`garageAddress`	Where vehicles are kept	`garageState`, `garageZip` (required)
`mailingAddress`	Business mailing address	`mailingState`, `mailingZip`

Optional objects include coverage, limits, vehicles, drivers, operations, radius, commodities, and losses.

Getting an Indication

Submit basic details to get preliminary pricing:

curl -X POST https://api.coverwhale.dev/v1/indication \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "AccessToken: YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "insuredInformation": {
      "dotNumber": 1234567,
      "legalName": "ACME TRUCKING LLC",
      "yearsInBusiness": 3
    },
    "coverage": {
      "requestAl": "Y",
      "requestApd": "Y",
      "requestMtc": "Y",
      "effectiveDate": "03/01/2026"
    },
    "garageAddress": {
      "garageState": "CA",
      "garageZip": "90016"
    },
    "mailingAddress": {
      "mailingState": "CA",
      "mailingZip": "90016"
    },
    "limits": {
      "nbrOfTrucks": 3,
      "valueOfTrucks": 150000
    }
  }'

Getting a Full Quote

Submit the complete application for final pricing. This includes vehicles, drivers, and full address details:

curl -X POST https://api.coverwhale.dev/v1/quote \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "AccessToken: YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "insuredInformation": {
      "dotNumber": 1234567,
      "legalName": "ACME TRUCKING LLC",
      "yearsInBusiness": 3,
      "email": "insured@example.com"
    },
    "coverage": {
      "requestAl": "Y",
      "requestApd": "Y",
      "requestMtc": "Y",
      "effectiveDate": "03/01/2026"
    },
    "garageAddress": {
      "garageStreet": "123 Main St",
      "garageCity": "Los Angeles",
      "garageState": "CA",
      "garageZip": "90016",
      "garageCounty": "Los Angeles"
    },
    "mailingAddress": {
      "mailingStreet": "123 Main St",
      "mailingCity": "Los Angeles",
      "mailingState": "CA",
      "mailingZip": "90016",
      "mailingCounty": "Los Angeles"
    },
    "limits": {
      "nbrOfTrucks": 3,
      "valueOfTrucks": 150000,
      "limitAutoLiability": 1000000
    },
    "vehicles": [
      {
        "year": 2020,
        "make": "Freightliner",
        "model": "Cascadia",
        "vin": "1FUJGLDR0CLBK5432",
        "value": 55000,
        "classKey": "1"
      }
    ],
    "drivers": [
      {
        "firstName": "John",
        "lastName": "Doe",
        "dateOfBirth": "06/15/1985",
        "licenseState": "CA",
        "licenseNumber": "D1234567",
        "yearsExperience": 8
      }
    ]
  }'

See the API Reference for the full list of accepted fields and detailed schema documentation.

Understanding the Response

Both indication and quote responses include pricing breakdowns by coverage line:

{
  "status": "Quoted",
  "submission_number": "2172961",
  "coverages": {
    "al": {
      "totalCost": 20617.52,
      "premium": 20617.52,
      "limit": 1000000,
      "deductible": 0
    },
    "apd": {
      "totalCost": 4250.00,
      "premium": 4250.00,
      "limit": 150000,
      "deductible": 2500
    }
  }
}

Field	Description
`status`	`"Indication"` or `"Quoted"` depending on the endpoint
`submission_number`	Your reference ID for tracking — use this in subsequent API calls
`coverages`	Pricing per coverage line with premium, limit, and deductible
`totalCost`	Combined premium and fees for a given coverage line

Decline Reasons

A submission may be declined during the quoting process. Common reasons include:

DOT number not found or inactive
Insufficient years in business
Operating in restricted states
Adverse loss history
Fleet size outside underwriting guidelines

When a submission is declined, the response will indicate the reason. Contact your Cover Whale representative if you believe a decline was made in error.

Get an Indication — Preliminary pricing
Get a Quote — Full quote request
Send Quote Request — Email-based quote request

Getting Started

Guides

Webhooks

Quoting

Quoting

Indication vs. Full Quote

Coverage Types

Request Body Structure

Getting an Indication

Getting a Full Quote

Understanding the Response

Decline Reasons

​Quoting

​Indication vs. Full Quote

​Coverage Types

​Request Body Structure

​Getting an Indication

​Getting a Full Quote

​Understanding the Response

​Decline Reasons

​Related Endpoints

Quoting

Indication vs. Full Quote

Coverage Types

Request Body Structure

Getting an Indication

Getting a Full Quote

Understanding the Response

Decline Reasons

Related Endpoints