It isn’t hyperbole to say that Rochester drivers face some of the worst conditions to operate a vehicle in the entire nation. Every day, we are burdened by poor road conditions, one of the most dangerous stretches of a roadway in the state, and rising fuel prices. So, it’s difficult to wrap our heads around the fact that lawmakers in Albany are standing in the way of needed relief for Rochesterians through critical auto insurance reform proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The governor’s proposed reforms will holistically tackle fraud, frivolous litigation, legal loopholes, and enforcement gaps. These reforms provide relief not only in the form of tackling some of the highest insurance premiums in the nation, but also by providing peace of mind that New Yorkers can drive without the fear of a staged car accident threatening them or their loved ones.
The governor’s proposed changes can’t come soon enough, as New Yorkers pay the fourth highest auto insurance costs in the nation. For passenger vehicles, annual premiums hit an average of $1,935 in 2024, an increase of 10.3% year over year from 2023. This number presents a bleak reality for Rochesterians who are currently navigating high fuel prices. And while the situation for daily drivers is taxing, prices for the trucking industry have become untenable. In an industry dominated by small and mid-sized fleets, trucking operators can expect to spend an average of $18,500 per truck statewide in auto insurance—on top of the $23,500 trucking companies pay on average in state and federal taxes per truck.
For a company like mine, Leonard’s Express, these numbers compound greatly when considering that we operate over 550 trucks in states across the country. Unfortunately for us and other trucking companies in the state, basing our operations in New York is making less sense as the days go by. Currently, there is virtually no commercial auto insurance market in New York, with only a handful of companies that will write policies due to the ever-increasing claims related to fraud and frivolous litigation. In Pennsylvania we see a different story, with a robust market of at least 35 companies writing commercial auto policies.
That’s why we’re grateful to Gov. Hochul for taking these concerns seriously and for seeking out the reforms that will not only benefit us but will benefit Rochesterians through both a reduction in insurance premiums and through the downstream impacts of insurance rate reductions for truck drivers.
Consider the results in Florida after representatives passed critical insurance reforms. Between 2023 and 2024, Florida experienced insurance rate growth similar to New York at 9%. After reforms like those proposed by Hochul kicked in, insurance rates began to drop, with 80% of policyholders in the state seeing lower rates in 2026. We can and deserve to see the same sort of drop here in New York, especially considering that Floridians experience many of the same challenges that Rochesterians face, such as high housing costs and a general lack of affordability (albeit with blistering summers instead of cold winters).
If lawmakers in Albany do not include auto insurance reform in their budget, they are making the active choice to accept and deal with higher insurance rates, a system that punishes honest drivers, and continues to incentivize fraudulent behavior. Take, for example, what happened on the Belt Parkway in 2024: a car abruptly cut off another driver, then deliberately reversed into the victim’s vehicle. This wasn’t the first time the guilty parties had tried this scheme—prior to the incident, they had successfully gotten away with three other false accidents. Thankfully, the victim had a dash cam, which caught the incident and exposed the fraud. Yet, insurance fraud isn’t limited to the counties closer to New York City, with incidents occurring in Rochester as well. I should also note that in New York City, we see quotes of $40,000 to $50,000 just to insure one truck.
Until Albany acts to protect all areas of the state, Rochester will continue to suffer from high insurance rates and truck drivers will continue to see their costs tick up and up until they are forced to pass those increases on to the rest of New Yorkers. To us in the industry, the governor’s reforms offer a clear path to relief—lower costs, increased accountability, and a fairer system for all which clamps down on fraud. The people of Rochester deserve action, we just need lawmakers in Albany to hear our pleas.
Ken Johnson is executive chairman of Farmington-based Leonard’s Express Inc.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.