An Affiliated Office of AIC Insurance
360-450-2211Read our Google reviews ↗
Get a Quote
Illinois trucking insurance
Change state

IP location is approximate and may reflect a VPN or mobile network. You can choose any state we serve. This changes website content, not your application or coverage.

How regional content works · IP Geolocation by DB-IP

Explore Illinois coverage →
Home /

Illinois Trucking Insurance

Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance

Truck insurance for Illinois haulers

Chicago is the country’s rail and intermodal hub, Illinois requires its own certificate for in-state loads, and the Tollway, the Chicago-area truck speed limits and Illinois claims rules all shape what trucking costs here. We quote Illinois 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.

ICC authority for loads inside Illinois

  • Public Carrier Certificate. Anyone hauling property for hire between two Illinois points, other than household goods, needs an Illinois Commerce Commission certificate, even with federal authority. It costs $50 to apply, $5 per vehicle per year for cab cards (not needed if you pay UCR) and $15 per lease filing.[1] Intrastate trucks show “ILL. C. C.” and the certificate number on both sides of the cab.[2]
  • Exemptions. Private carriage that is part of your main business, and some farm and livestock hauling, are exempt, but exempt carriers still file a $50 Certificate of Exemption.[3][1]
  • Household goods movers need a separate ICC license: $900 new plus $37.50 per vehicle per year, a tariff and proof of public need.[4]

Illinois insurance limits and filings

Coverage ICC minimum Filing
Liability, under 10,000 lb GVWR $300,000 Form E
Liability, 10,000 lb and over, non-hazmat $750,000 Form E
Oil or listed hazmat $1,000,000 Form E
Bulk hazmat or explosives $5,000,000 Form E
Cargo $5,000 per vehicle, $10,000 per occurrence Form H

The ICC requires an insurer admitted in Illinois.[5][6] You can waive the cargo filing only if no load you haul is ever worth more than $5,000 and you tell shippers in writing.[6]

USDOT numbers, safety rules and drivers

  • USDOT number. Illinois isn’t on FMCSA’s list of states that require USDOT numbers for intrastate carriers[7], and its rules apply the federal USDOT requirement inside Illinois only to carriers that need a hazmat permit. Apportioned (IRP) plates still require one.[8]
  • Safety rules apply to intrastate trucks of 10,001 lb or more. Intrastate drivers are exempt from the federal age-21 rule, and the intrastate short-haul exemption uses a 150 air-mile radius.[9]
  • State Police now enforce them. Motor carrier safety moved from IDOT to the Illinois State Police on October 1, 2025.[10]
  • Safety tests. Illinois-registered trucks over 10,000 lb must pass periodic safety tests, every 6 or 12 months depending on the vehicle.[11]

Tollway, Skyway and 2027 increases

Illinois Tollway rates for large vehicles (5 or more axles) with I-PASS, from January 1, 2026:[12]

Toll plaza Daytime (6 a.m.–10 p.m.) Overnight
Tri-State mainline (83rd St, Cermak, Irving Park) $8.45 $6.35
Reagan I-88 (DeKalb, Dixon) $20.10 $15.15
Jane Addams I-90 (Belvidere, Marengo) $16.95 $12.70

There’s no cash, and paying by invoice adds $3 per toll.[12] In August 2026 the Tollway board approved its Driving Connections program, which raises commercial I-PASS tolls by about 30% on January 1, 2027.[13] The privately run Chicago Skyway posts $47.20 for a 5-axle truck at peak times and $33.80 off-peak.[14]

Weights, harvest permits and length

  • Harvest permit. From September 1 to December 31, a free harvest permit allows up to 10% over axle and gross limits on state highways, but not Interstates.[15]
  • Spring thaw. Local roads can be restricted for up to 90 days a year once signs are posted.[15]
  • Length. On Class I and II truck routes there’s no overall length limit for a tractor with a 53-foot semitrailer. Other roads allow 65 feet overall.[16] Since 2020, the old Class III and preferred truck routes are simply non-designated highways.[17]
  • Oversize permits run $12 to $21 for a single trip, $100 for 90 days and $400 a year.[15]

Chicago-area speed, lanes and idling

  • Speed. Interstates allow 70 mph, but in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, trucks of 8,001 lb or more are limited to 60 mph on Interstates and 55 mph on other highways. The left lane on Interstates is for passing only.[18]
  • Idling. In the Chicago and Metro East counties, diesel vehicles may idle only 10 minutes in any 60, with exceptions for sleeper-berth rest in very hot or cold weather and up to 30 minutes waiting to load or unload. Fines are $90, then $500.[19] The City of Chicago allows only 3 minutes in 60.[20]

Fuel tax and registration

  • Diesel tax is 55.8 cents a gallon from July 1 to December 31, 2026, after the state suspended the scheduled July 1 inflation increase for six months. The IFTA rate for that period is 73.8 cents.[21]
  • Registration runs July 1 to June 30. A flat-weight Class Z plate (77,001–80,000 lb) is $2,890 a year, and a mileage-tax plate (Class MZ, up to 7,000 miles) is $1,525. IRP renewals are online-only since April 1, 2026.[22]

Why Illinois claims can cost more

Illinois adds 6% a year in prejudgment interest to injury and death awards from the day the suit is filed, for up to five years[23], and since 2023 juries can award punitive damages in wrongful death cases.[24] Both push up the value of serious truck claims, so higher limits and excess coverage deserve a look here.

Illinois freight

About 1.5 billion tons of freight worth $2.4 trillion moved on Illinois’ network in 2019, and trucks carried about 848 million tons of it, worth $1.3 trillion.[25] About a quarter of the country’s freight trains and half of its intermodal trains pass through metro Chicago.[26] Illinois farms harvested 2.354 billion bushels of corn and a nation-leading 639.4 million bushels of soybeans in 2025.[27]

What to have ready for an Illinois quote

  • USDOT and MC numbers, and your ICC certificate number if you have one
  • Where the trucks are garaged, your usual routes and your radius
  • What you haul: rail and intermodal containers, grain, general freight or construction materials
  • 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

I have federal MC authority. Can I haul a load that starts and ends in Illinois?

Not without an Illinois Commerce Commission Public Carrier Certificate, which costs $50 to apply.[1]

Do I need a USDOT number if I only haul inside Illinois?

Generally not, unless you need a hazmat permit, but you do need one for apportioned (IRP) plates.[7][8]

What insurance does the ICC require?

$750,000 for non-hazmat trucks of 10,000 lb and over, $300,000 under 10,000 lb, and cargo of $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence, from an insurer admitted in Illinois.[5][6]

What does a 5-axle truck pay on the Illinois Tollway?

With I-PASS in 2026, $8.45 in the daytime at Tri-State mainline plazas, up to $20.10 on I-88. Commercial I-PASS tolls rise about 30% on January 1, 2027.[12][13]

What is the truck speed limit around Chicago?

60 mph on Interstates and 55 mph on other highways for trucks of 8,001 lb or more in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.[18]

Get an Illinois 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.