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Arkansas trucking insurance
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Arkansas Trucking Insurance

Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance

Truck insurance for Arkansas haulers

Arkansas is home to about 5,200 trucking companies, carries more than 20,000 trucks a day on I-40 east of Little Rock, and hauls a lot of poultry, rice and timber. We quote Arkansas owner-operators, new authorities and fleets by phone, email and online from our office in Vancouver, Washington, in English, Russian, Ukrainian or Romanian.

Call 360-450-2211 or start a quote online.

ARDOT intrastate authority

  • Who needs it. Every for-hire carrier hauling property or passengers wholly within Arkansas needs intrastate authority from ARDOT’s Legal Division. Private carriers hauling their own freight, owner-operators leased to a for-hire carrier (unless they’re paid directly) and carriers staying inside their commercial zone don’t.[1][2]
  • Cost. General freight carriers pay a $25 processing fee plus $5 per vehicle for the insurance filing. Renewals are due by December 31, and carriers that also run interstate renew through UCR.[2][3]
  • Household goods movers go through a hearing before the State Highway Commission, where protests can be filed and personal appearance is mandatory.[4]
  • USDOT number. Arkansas isn’t on FMCSA’s list of states that require USDOT numbers for intrastate carriers[5], and the state application asks for one only if applicable.[3]

Arkansas insurance minimums

Coverage Intrastate minimum
Liability, each vehicle hauling property $50,000/$100,000 bodily injury, $30,000 property damage
Cargo, common carriers of property $5,000
Hazmat in vehicles of 10,000 lb or more $1,000,000 or $5,000,000

Proof is a certificate of insurance or ACORD form.[6] The federal filing rules don’t apply to carriers holding only Arkansas authority.[7] Interstate for-hire trucks need the federal $750,000, and most brokers ask for $1,000,000.

Drivers and the 2025 laws

  • Drivers from 18. Arkansas issues CDLs at 18, with a “K” intrastate-only restriction for drivers under 21.[8]
  • English proficiency. Since August 5, 2025, driving a commercial vehicle without sufficient English proficiency carries a fine of up to $500, or $1,000 for repeat offenses. Drivers with a foreign-issued CDL must carry a work permit or visa, and a fake foreign CDL is a felony.[9]
  • Medical damages. Since the same date, injury claims can recover past medical costs only as actually paid or still owed, which applies to truck crash claims too.[10]
  • Safety rules. Arkansas applies the federal safety rules to intrastate operations.[7]

Farm, timber and harvest weights

  • Legal limits. 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem and 80,000 lb gross.[11]
  • 85,000 lb for farm and forest products. 5-axle trucks hauling unprocessed farm or forest products can run 36,500-lb tandems and 85,000 lb gross on non-Interstate highways.[11]
  • Special permits. Animal feed for livestock and poultry can run up to 85,000 lb on a permit of no more than $500, and forestry equipment up to 104,000 lb. The base permit fee is $17 plus per-ton charges.[12]
  • Harvest permit. An $800 annual route permit allows 5-axle trucks hauling crops in their natural state (not timber) up to 100,000 lb, with a Level I inspection, a driver 21 or older, and no Interstate travel.[13]
  • Size. Height limit 14 feet[14], and single trucks up to 40 feet, with doubles trailers up to 28 feet each.[15]

Fuel tax, permits and speed

  • Diesel tax stays at 28.5 cents a gallon from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.[16]
  • Dyed diesel for farm and forestry trucks. Executive Order 26-15 lets Arkansas-registered farm and forestry trucks that aren’t IFTA-licensed use tax-free dyed diesel on highways from September 30 to October 30, 2026.[17]
  • IFTA is handled by DFA’s Motor Fuel Tax Section (501-682-4800).[18] Out-of-state trucks without Arkansas plates need a $33 72-hour trip permit.[19]
  • Speed. 75 mph on rural divided Interstates, but 70 mph for trucks of 26,001 lb or more, and 65 mph on urban Interstates.[20]

Arkansas freight

Trucks moved almost 360 million tons of freight worth more than $770 billion on Arkansas roads in 2019, and more than 75% of that value was passing through. I-40 from Little Rock to West Memphis carried over 20,000 trucks a day and I-30 from Texarkana to Little Rock over 15,000.[21] Arkansas has about 5,200 trucking companies employing more than 36,000 drivers[21], forests covering 56% of the state[22], and it produced more than a billion broilers and 93.4 million hundredweight of rice in 2025.[23]

What to have ready for an Arkansas quote

  • USDOT and MC numbers, and your Arkansas intrastate authority if you have it
  • Where the trucks are garaged, your usual routes and your radius
  • What you haul: poultry and feed, rice and grain, logs and timber, retail freight or general freight
  • Whether you run under farm, feed, forestry or harvest permits
  • Driver names, license numbers and years of experience
  • Year, make, VIN and value of each truck and trailer
  • Current policy and loss runs, if you have been insured before

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Arkansas intrastate authority if I already have an MC number?

Yes, for for-hire loads wholly within Arkansas, unless you’re leased to a for-hire carrier and not paid directly. It costs $25 plus $5 per vehicle.[1][2]

What are Arkansas’s intrastate insurance minimums?

$50,000/$100,000 bodily injury and $30,000 property damage per vehicle, plus $5,000 cargo for common carriers and $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 for hazmat.[6]

Can I haul 85,000 or 100,000 lb of grain or logs in Arkansas?

Farm and forest products can run 85,000 lb on 5 axles off the Interstate, and an $800 harvest permit allows crops (not timber) up to 100,000 lb.[11][13]

What is the truck speed limit in Arkansas?

70 mph for trucks of 26,001 lb or more on rural divided Interstates, where cars may go 75.[20]

Is English proficiency enforced for truck drivers in Arkansas?

Yes. Since August 5, 2025, driving a commercial vehicle without sufficient English proficiency carries a fine of up to $500, or $1,000 for repeat offenses.[9]

Get an Arkansas truck insurance quote

Call 360-450-2211 or start your quote. We’re open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central).


Related coverage and nearby states

Sources

General information only, checked September 2026. Rules change; confirm with the agency that issues your permits. Coverage availability, terms and filings depend on underwriting and the policy issued; a quote request does not bind insurance.