Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance
Commercial auto liability insurance for trucking
Auto liability pays for injuries and property damage your truck causes to other people. It’s the coverage FMCSA requires before you can run under your own authority, and it’s the one brokers and shippers check first. Here’s what the rules actually say and how to choose a limit.
Call 360-450-2211 or start a quote online. We work in English, Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian.
Federal minimum limits
The federal minimums apply to for-hire carriers hauling property across state lines and to hazmat carriers, interstate or intrastate.[1]
| What you haul (trucks of 10,001 lb or more) | Federal minimum |
|---|---|
| General freight, for hire | $750,000 |
| Oil and most hazmat | $1,000,000 |
| Bulk hazardous substances, explosives, poison gas, certain radioactive loads | $5,000,000 |
These amounts have been in the table since 1985.[2] FMCSA’s July 2026 technical amendments changed some wording but no dollar amounts.[3] You can’t operate until the coverage is in effect, it must stay in force continuously, and cancelling takes 35 days’ written notice.[4]
Filings for your authority
- BMC-91 and BMC-91X. Your insurer files proof with FMCSA. A BMC-91 shows the full limit; a BMC-91X can show full coverage or one layer when more than one insurer is used. Cancelling a filing takes 30 days’ notice on Form BMC-35.[5]
- New authorities. FMCSA won’t grant operating authority until the filing is on record. If it isn’t filed in time, FMCSA moves to dismiss the application, and your business name and address must match exactly across filings.[6]
What the MCS-90 does, and doesn’t
The MCS-90 is an endorsement attached to your liability policy. It isn’t issued for individual trucks, and it lets the public collect judgments even if a truck isn’t listed on the policy.[7] But it isn’t coverage for you: the form says you agree to reimburse the insurer for anything it pays that the policy itself wouldn’t have covered.[8] In other words, it protects the public on a reimbursement basis.[9] Keeping every truck and driver properly scheduled matters.
How much liability should you carry?
- Combined single limit. One limit covers bodily injury and property damage together; common commercial auto limits are $500,000 or $1,000,000.[10]
- Above the minimum is voluntary. A DOT study for FMCSA found larger general-freight carriers voluntarily carry more than the minimum.[11] In practice, broker and shipper contracts set the number, usually $1,000,000.
- Crash costs. 5,340 people died in large-truck crashes in 2024, 70% of them in other vehicles, and an estimated 161,201 were injured.[12] ATRI found verdicts over $1 million grew from 26 to nearly 300 between the first and last five years of 2006–2019.[13]
- Premiums. From 2021 to 2024, liability premiums rose 18.6% to 10.2 cents a mile while liability losses rose 33.1% per mile, and excess layers rose even faster.[14] Many carriers add an excess or umbrella layer above their primary policy.
Will the $750,000 minimum go up?
FMCSA considered raising the minimums in 2014[15] but withdrew the proposal in 2017, citing insufficient data.[16] In April 2026, H.R. 8218 was introduced to raise the $750,000 minimum to $5,000,000 and index it to medical inflation. So far it has only been referred to committee.[17]
Hired and non-owned autos
A hired auto is one your business leases, hires, rents or borrows.[18] On trucking policy forms, “non-owned” applies only to private passenger vehicles, such as an employee’s car used for an errand; other employee-owned vehicles are treated as hired.[19] If your office staff or drivers use their own cars for company business, ask about this coverage.
What to have ready for an auto liability quote
- USDOT and MC numbers, or your pending authority application
- The limit your brokers and contracts require
- What you haul, your radius and the states you run
- Driver list, license numbers, years of experience and MVRs
- Year, make and VIN of each power unit
- Loss runs and your safety technology (cameras, telematics)
Frequently asked questions
Is $750,000 enough, or do I need $1,000,000?
$750,000 is the federal minimum for for-hire general freight, but most brokers and shippers require $1,000,000, and a serious crash can exceed both.[2][12]
What is the MCS-90, and does it cover me?
It’s an endorsement that guarantees payment to the public, but you must reimburse the insurer for anything your policy wouldn’t otherwise cover.[7][8]
What insurance filings do I need for a new MC authority?
Your insurer files a BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA, and your authority isn’t granted until it’s on record.[5][6]
Are the federal insurance minimums going up?
Not yet. They haven’t changed since 1985. A 2026 bill would raise them to $5,000,000 but has only been referred to committee.[2][17]
How long does it take to cancel truck liability insurance?
35 days’ written notice under federal rules, and 30 days’ notice to FMCSA to cancel a filing.[4][5]
Get a commercial auto liability quote
Call 360-450-2211 or start your quote. We quote trucking operations in the 48 contiguous states from our office in Vancouver, Washington, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific.
Related coverage
- Truck insurance requirements by state
- Excess and umbrella liability
- New authority truck insurance
- Motor carrier and fleet insurance
- Physical damage insurance
- Trucking general liability
- How much commercial truck insurance costs
- Truck insurance filings: BMC-91, MCS-90 and Form E
- CSA scores and truck insurance
Sources
- [1] 49 CFR 387.3: applicability
- [2] 49 CFR 387.9: minimum levels of financial responsibility
- [3] Federal Register (July 21, 2026): FMCSA technical amendments
- [4] 49 CFR 387.7: financial responsibility required
- [5] 49 CFR 387.313T: filings (BMC-91, BMC-91X)
- [6] FMCSA: Insurance filing requirements
- [7] FMCSA: Form MCS-90 endorsement
- [8] FMCSA: Form MCS-90 (rev. 2024)
- [9] IRMI: MCS-90 endorsement
- [10] California Department of Insurance: Commercial insurance guide (2024)
- [11] FMCSA: Financial responsibility study (2013)
- [12] NHTSA: Large trucks, 2024 data (June 2026)
- [13] ATRI: The scale of nuclear verdicts in trucking (2020)
- [14] ATRI: Motor carrier responses to rising insurance costs (May 2026)
- [15] Federal Register (Nov. 28, 2014): financial responsibility ANPRM
- [16] Federal Register (June 5, 2017): withdrawal of the ANPRM
- [17] H.R. 8218 (119th Congress): Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act
- [18] IRMI: Hired automobile
- [19] IRMI: Nonowned automobile
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.