Commercial Truck Insurance Requirements: Federal and State Intrastate Minimums

Quick Answer: What Insurance Does a Commercial Truck Need?

It depends on two things most guides blur together: whether you cross state lines, and whether you haul for hire. A truck that runs interstate for hire falls under the federal minimums in 49 CFR Part 387: $750,000 for general freight at 10,001 lbs and up, $1,000,000 for oil and most hazardous materials, and $5,000,000 for a short list of bulk hazmat. A truck that never leaves its home state answers to that state's rules instead, and those are not a copy of the federal ones.

The state rules are where the surprises are. Florida, for example, sets intrastate truck minimums by weight that start at $50,000, while New Jersey requires $1,500,000 for a 26,001-lb truck based in the state, twice the federal general-freight figure. This guide sets out the federal tiers briefly (our DOT insurance requirements guide has them in full), then the intrastate minimums for six states read from their own statutes and rules, and the lease rule that decides who insures a leased owner-operator.

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Is Insurance Required for a Commercial Truck?

Yes, in every case, but the amount comes from different rules.

• Interstate for-hire carriers must have the Part 387 minimums in force before they operate, and for operating authority the insurer must file proof with FMCSA (Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X) before authority is granted (49 CFR 387.7, 387.301, 387.313).
• Any carrier of hazardous materials, for-hire or private, interstate or intrastate, is covered by Part 387 for the hazmat tiers (49 CFR 387.3(b)).
• Private carriers moving their own non-hazardous goods across state lines are outside the federal minimums. They still need at least the state auto liability minimum where the truck is registered, and usually much more for practical reasons.
• Intrastate carriers follow their state's rules. Some states copy the federal tiers for intrastate for-hire carriers; others set their own figures, higher or lower.

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Federal Minimums at a Glance

These are the tiers in 49 CFR 387.9 and 387.303T for property carriers. Every figure is a combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage, not cargo.

A placard alone does not put you in the $5M tier. Most placarded loads, including non-bulk explosives and most flammable liquids, sit at $1,000,000. The $5,000,000 tier is the bulk and highest-hazard list above.

Two documents, two jobs. The MCS-90 is an endorsement on your policy that you keep at your principal place of business (49 CFR 387.7(d)). The BMC-91 or BMC-91X is the certificate your insurer files with FMCSA to support your operating authority; the BMC-91X can represent either full coverage or one layer of coverage built from several policies (49 CFR 387.313).

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Intrastate Minimums: Six States, From Their Own Rules

If your truck never leaves the state, these are the figures that apply. They come from each state's statute or regulation, not from insurer summaries, which often get them wrong.

What stands out:

• Florida is far below federal. A 30,000-lb box truck running only in Florida needs $50,000 of liability under § 627.7415, against $750,000 for the same truck hauling for hire across a state line. A truck that is subject to Part 387 must carry the federal amount instead (§ 627.7415(4)).
• New Jersey is far above it. Its $1,500,000 tier for heavy trucks is twice the federal general-freight minimum, and it applies to vehicles registered or based in New Jersey. Our New Jersey commercial truck guide covers the phase-in and penalties.
• Ohio, Pennsylvania and California track the federal $750,000 / $300,000 split for intrastate for-hire carriers, so crossing a state line does not raise your liability floor there for general freight.
• Texas sets $500,000 for its registered carriers, and its registration threshold (over 26,000 lbs) is not the federal 10,001-lb line.

For any other state, the rule usually sits with the public utilities commission, the department of transportation or the motor vehicle agency. Ask the agency that issues intrastate operating authority, not an insurer's summary.

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Owner-Operators: Who Insures a Leased Truck?

The federal leasing rule settles most of the confusion here. When an owner-operator leases a truck to an authorized carrier, the lease must give the carrier "exclusive possession, control, and use" of the equipment and make the carrier "assume complete responsibility for the operation of the equipment for the duration of the lease" (49 CFR 376.12(c)(1)).

On insurance, the lease must (49 CFR 376.12(j)):

1. State the carrier's legal obligation to maintain the public liability insurance required by FMCSA.
2. Say who provides any other insurance, naming bobtail insurance as an example, and state the amount of any charge-back to the owner-operator.
3. If the owner-operator buys insurance from or through the carrier, require the carrier to give a copy of each policy on request and a certificate showing the insurer, policy number, dates, coverage, cost and deductible.
4. Spell out when cargo or property-damage deductions can be taken from settlements, with a written itemization delivered before any deduction.

So a leased owner-operator does not carry the primary liability; the carrier does. What the lease leaves to the owner-operator, typically non-trucking (bobtail) liability and physical damage to their own truck, is a contract question, and the lease has to say so in writing. Read that section before you sign. Our owner-operator insurance guide covers running under your own authority.

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Cargo Insurance: Mostly a Contract Requirement

Federal law requires cargo security only from household goods carriers: $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 in aggregate at any one time and place (49 CFR 387.303T(c)). Ohio sets the same household-goods figures for intrastate carriers (Ohio Admin. Code 4901:2-13-03(B)).

For general freight there is no federal cargo minimum. The cargo limit you carry is set by your broker and shipper contracts, which commonly ask for $100,000. That is a market practice, not a legal rule, so check each contract.

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Exemptions and Edge Cases

• Private carriers of non-hazardous goods are outside Part 387 (49 CFR 387.3). Their floor is the state minimum where the truck is registered.
• Light vehicles: Part 387 Subpart A excludes non-hazardous freight in vehicles under 10,001 lbs, but a for-hire carrier with operating authority whose fleet is only light vehicles still needs $300,000 (49 CFR 387.303T(b)(1)(i)).
• Brokers do not carry these liability limits. They need a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund instead (49 CFR 387.307); see our freight broker guide.
• Florida trucks subject to Part 387 carry the federal amount, not the state weight tiers (Fla. Stat. § 627.7415(4)).

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Penalties for Non-Compliance

• Failing to maintain Part 387 coverage: a civil penalty of up to $21,114, and each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense (49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B).
• Operating without the required registration or authority: a minimum penalty of $13,676 per violation for property carriers, and the vehicle shall be ordered out of service (49 CFR Part 386 App. B; 49 CFR 392.9a).
• Lapse in a filed policy: either the insurer or the carrier must give the other 35 days' written notice to cancel the policy (49 CFR 387.7(b)), and a BMC-91 filing cannot be cancelled until 30 days after FMCSA receives a cancellation notice on Form BMC-35 (49 CFR 387.313). When the filing lapses, for-hire operating authority cannot stand, because no for-hire carrier may operate without accepted security on file (49 CFR 387.301).

State penalties for intrastate carriers vary; New Jersey's are set out in our New Jersey guide.

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How to Get Coverage

1. Work out which rules apply: interstate or intrastate, for hire or private, and what you haul. That fixes your minimum.
2. Get the policy before you apply for authority. For-hire authority is granted only after your insurer files the BMC-91 or BMC-91X, and the filing must reach FMCSA within 90 days of your application being published (49 CFR 365.109).
3. Register. FMCSA's USDOT registration fee is $300 (49 CFR 360.3(f)). Intrastate carriers register with their state's agency.
4. Keep the MCS-90 at your principal place of business.
5. If you are leasing on, read the insurance section of the lease (49 CFR 376.12(j)) and buy whatever it leaves to you.

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FAQ

What is the minimum insurance for a semi truck?

For a for-hire semi hauling general freight across state lines, $750,000 combined single limit (49 CFR 387.9). Oil and most hazmat raise it to $1,000,000; a short list of bulk and highest-hazard loads to $5,000,000. A semi that never leaves its state follows that state's rule: $500,000 in Texas, $300,000 in Florida at 44,000 lbs and up, $1,500,000 in New Jersey.

Do intrastate trucks need $750,000?

Only where the state says so. California, Ohio and Pennsylvania set $750,000 for intrastate for-hire carriers of property; Texas sets $500,000; Florida's weight tiers run from $50,000 to $300,000; New Jersey requires $1,500,000 at 26,001 lbs and up.

Do hazmat placards mean I need $5 million?

No. Most placarded loads need $1,000,000. The $5,000,000 tier covers bulk hazardous substances in tanks or hoppers, bulk Division 1.1–1.3 explosives, bulk Division 2.1/2.2 gases and 2.3 Zone A, bulk 6.1 PG I Zone A, and highway-route-controlled radioactive material (49 CFR 387.9).

What is the difference between the MCS-90 and the BMC-91?

The MCS-90 is an endorsement on your policy, kept at your principal place of business. The BMC-91 (or BMC-91X) is the certificate your insurer files with FMCSA to support for-hire operating authority.

Does a leased owner-operator need primary liability?

No. Under 49 CFR 376.12 the authorized carrier is responsible for the public liability insurance FMCSA requires. The lease must state who provides bobtail and any other cover, and what is charged back to you.

Is cargo insurance required by law?

Only for household goods carriers ($5,000 per vehicle, $10,000 aggregate, 49 CFR 387.303T(c)). For general freight it is a contract requirement set by brokers and shippers.

Do private carriers need federal minimums?

Not for non-hazardous goods (49 CFR 387.3). A private carrier of hazardous materials does need the hazmat tiers, interstate or intrastate.

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Key Takeaways

• Federal: $750,000 for for-hire general freight at 10,001+ lbs; $300,000 for for-hire fleets of only light vehicles; $1M for oil and most hazmat; $5M for bulk high-hazard loads
• A placard alone does not mean $5M
• Intrastate rules differ widely: Florida from $50,000, Texas $500,000, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania $750,000, New Jersey $1,500,000 for heavy trucks
• Private non-hazmat carriers are outside the federal minimums
• Leased owner-operators: the carrier carries the public liability; the lease must say who buys bobtail
• Cargo cover is a legal requirement only for household goods carriers

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Sources

• 49 CFR §§ 387.3, 387.7, 387.9, 387.301, 387.303T, 387.307, 387.313 — federal minimums, filings and cancellation (§ 387.303 itself has been suspended since 84 FR 51433, 30 Sep 2019; § 387.303T is the operative text, with the same figures)
• 49 CFR § 376.12 — lease requirements for leased equipment, including insurance (paragraph (j))
• 49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B; § 392.9a — penalties and out-of-service orders
• 49 CFR §§ 360.3(f), 365.109 — registration fee and the 90-day filing window
• Cal. Veh. Code § 34631.5; Fla. Stat. § 627.7415; N.J. DOBI Bulletin 24-07; Ohio Admin. Code 4901:2-13-03; 52 Pa. Code § 32.12; 43 Tex. Admin. Code § 218.16

Last verified: 2026-10

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Important Disclaimer

This guide provides general information about insurance requirements based on publicly available sources as of the "Last verified" date above. It is not legal, insurance, or financial advice. Requirements, penalties, and statutes can change; individual circumstances vary. Always confirm current rules with FMCSA, your state's motor carrier authority, and a licensed insurance professional for advice specific to your operation.