diff --git a/gcloud-java-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceException.java b/gcloud-java-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceException.java
index 79afed2a3af8..c22fcfd44a3a 100644
--- a/gcloud-java-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceException.java
+++ b/gcloud-java-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceException.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.net.SocketException;
 import java.net.SocketTimeoutException;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Objects;
@@ -187,7 +188,10 @@ protected boolean isRetryable(boolean idempotent, Error error) {
   }
 
   protected boolean isRetryable(boolean idempotent, IOException exception) {
-    return idempotent && exception instanceof SocketTimeoutException;
+    boolean exceptionIsRetryable = exception instanceof SocketTimeoutException
+        || exception instanceof SocketException
+        || "insufficient data written".equals(exception.getMessage());
+    return idempotent && exceptionIsRetryable;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/gcloud-java-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceExceptionTest.java b/gcloud-java-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceExceptionTest.java
index 52bc3b2b51a4..4517afff44ae 100644
--- a/gcloud-java-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceExceptionTest.java
+++ b/gcloud-java-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/BaseServiceExceptionTest.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.SocketException;
 import java.net.SocketTimeoutException;
 import java.util.Set;
 
@@ -101,6 +102,21 @@ public void testBaseServiceException() {
     serviceException = new BaseServiceException(exception, true);
     assertTrue(serviceException.retryable());
     assertTrue(serviceException.idempotent());
+    assertNull(serviceException.getMessage());
+    assertEquals(exception, serviceException.getCause());
+
+    exception = new SocketException();
+    serviceException = new BaseServiceException(exception, true);
+    assertTrue(serviceException.retryable());
+    assertTrue(serviceException.idempotent());
+    assertNull(serviceException.getMessage());
+    assertEquals(exception, serviceException.getCause());
+
+    exception = new IOException("insufficient data written");
+    serviceException = new BaseServiceException(exception, true);
+    assertTrue(serviceException.retryable());
+    assertTrue(serviceException.idempotent());
+    assertEquals("insufficient data written", serviceException.getMessage());
     assertEquals(exception, serviceException.getCause());
 
     GoogleJsonError error = new GoogleJsonError();