Workers’ comp insurance cost for trucking companies in South Dakota

Q: What does workers' comp cost trucking companies in South Dakota?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $6.35 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee trucking company lands around $3k–$12k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

Q: What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Trucking operations fall under NCCI class 7219 (Trucking: All) — drivers and all employees of for-hire carriers. The business cohort here is all truck transportation (NAICS 484), local and long-haul.

Published 2026-06-05 · Updated 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: South Dakota trucking companies pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $6.35 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 16th-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee trucking companies land around $3k–$12k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

75% of SD trucking companies have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
South Dakota sits 16th of 51: NC pays more ($6.96), GA less ($5.96).
Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your trucking company needs in South Dakota →

What do South Dakota trucking companies pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of SD trucking companies

bar height = how many trucking companies are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most SD trucking companies

▼

<5 emp

≈$4.4k/yr

5–9 emp

≈$22k/yr

10–19 emp

≈$52k/yr

20–49 emp

≈$110k/yr

SMALLER

MID-SIZE

LARGER

A <5-employee SD trucking company: modeled $3k–$12k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 947 SD trucking companies fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 947 SD trucking companies (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($6.35/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 932 of 947 establishments (98.4%) — 15 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.

Filed manual rate (SD)

$6.35 / $100 payroll

as of 2024

Typical <5-employee trucking company (75% of SD)

$3k–$12k / yr modeled

as of 2024 · CBP 2023

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Truck transportation (NAICS 484)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)

How does South Dakota compare to nearby ranks?

Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 7219 (Trucking: All Employees & Drivers), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →

Rank	State	Rate / $100 payroll
12	Wisconsin	$6.63
13	Maryland	$6.57
14	Nebraska	$6.55
15	Massachusetts	$6.55
16	South Dakota	$6.35
17	Oklahoma	$6.31
18	New Hampshire	$6.22
19	Alabama	$6.21
20	Louisiana	$5.97

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)

Frequently asked questions

What does workers' comp cost trucking companies in South Dakota?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $6.35 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee trucking company lands around $3k–$12k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Trucking operations fall under NCCI class 7219 (Trucking: All) — drivers and all employees of for-hire carriers. The business cohort here is all truck transportation (NAICS 484), local and long-haul.

Trucking companies in nearby-ranked states: Oklahoma ($6.31) · Nebraska ($6.55) · New Hampshire ($6.22) · Alabama ($6.21)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 947 South Dakota trucking companies; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.