Minnesota Trucking Insurance | Class Insurance Agency

Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance

Truck insurance for Minnesota haulers

Minnesota trucking follows the seasons: spring load limits, winter weight increases, harvest permits for sugar beets and potatoes, and a no-fault system that puts the truck’s policy first. We quote Minnesota 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.

MnDOT registration for in-state hauling

Certificate of Registration. For-hire carriers of property, other than household goods, need a MnDOT Certificate of Registration before hauling inside Minnesota. There’s no application fee and no renewal application.^[1] Household goods movers need a separate permit: $150 plus $75 per vehicle.^[2]
USDOT number and workers’ comp. Intrastate carriers need a USDOT number for any truck over 10,000 lb, and applicants must file a workers’ comp certificate.^[2]
Exempt hauls. Some hauling needs no registration, including sand, gravel and crushed rock within 50 miles, farm products within 100 miles, and sugar beets from the field to the first delivery point.^[3]

Insurance limits and no-fault for trucks

State filing. For-hire property carriers file at least $100,000/$300,000 in public liability plus $50,000 property damage on a Form E. Household goods movers add $50,000 of cargo on a Form H, and hazmat carriers need the federal amounts. Insurers must give 30 days’ notice before cancelling.^[2]^[4]
What you’ll actually need. Interstate for-hire trucks need the federal $750,000, and most brokers ask for $1,000,000. The state minimum won’t get you broker loads.
No-fault. Minnesota requires at least $40,000 of personal injury protection per person ($20,000 medical and $20,000 non-medical), with minimum liability of $30,000/$60,000/$10,000.^[5]^[6] When someone is hurt while a vehicle is being used to haul property for business, the truck’s policy pays PIP first.^[7]
Lawsuits. A pain-and-suffering claim needs more than $4,000 in medical bills, 60 or more days of disability, or a permanent injury.^[8] An injured person recovers only if their fault isn’t greater than the defendant’s^[9], and a defendant more than 50% at fault can be made to pay the whole award.^[10]

Safety rules, inspections and drivers

Federal safety rules apply to intrastate carriers. Intrastate drivers may be 18, or 21 for hazmat. Minnesota treats the farm planting and harvest season as the whole year for the federal farm hours exemption.^[11]^[2]
Annual inspection. Trucks over 26,000 lb, or in a combination over 26,000 lb, need a yearly inspection by a State Patrol-certified inspector. The decal is valid for 12 months, and you keep the report for 14.^[12]
Non-domiciled CDLs. After a federal review in December 2025, Minnesota paused issuing non-domiciled CDLs^[13] and now limits them to holders of H-2A, H-2B or E-2 visas.^[14]

Spring load limits

Unless posted otherwise, single axles are limited to 5 tons on unpaved roads and 10 tons on paved roads during spring restrictions, and MnDOT posts some state routes at 5 or 7 tons.^[15] 2026 dates by zone:^[16]

Zone	2026 spring restrictions
Metro, South and Southeast	March 3 – April 20
Central	March 6 – May 1
North-Central	March 18 – May 13
North	March 20 – May 15

Winter, harvest and heavy permits

Winter increase. Weight limits rise 10% in winter once MnDOT declares it by zone; on Interstates you need a permit above 80,000 lb gross or 20,000 lb per axle.^[17]
Harvest. Sugar beets, carrots and potatoes get a 10% increase from the start of harvest to November 30, with a $60 annual permit.^[17]^[18]
Heavy farm and timber permits. Six-axle farm or forest product trucks can run 90,000 lb (99,000 in winter) on a $300 permit, and seven-axle farm trucks 97,000 lb on a $500 permit, off the Interstate.^[19]
Legal limits. 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle and 34,000 lb tandem on paved roads, 53-foot trailers and 75-foot tractor-trailers. MnDOT oversize/overweight permits start at $15 for a single trip and $60 for a year.^[2]

Fuel tax, IRP and express lanes

Diesel tax is 32.6 cents a gallon in 2026 and 32.8 cents from January 1, 2027.^[20]
IRP and IFTA are handled by Driver and Vehicle Services’ Prorate Office, not MnDOT. An IFTA license is $28 plus $2.50 per decal.^[21]
E-ZPass express lanes. Trucks with more than two axles and over 26,000 lb are discouraged at peak hours and don’t get tags, but any commercial vehicle may use the lanes off-peak.^[22]
Speed. 70 mph on rural Interstates and 65 on urban ones, with no separate truck limit.^[23]

Minnesota freight

Trucks moved 377 million tons of Minnesota freight in 2022, two-thirds of the total, led by cereal grains by weight and machinery by value. I-35W in Minneapolis carries about 31,000 trucks a day, the most in the state.^[24] The Port of Duluth-Superior handled 25.3 million tons in 2025, mostly iron ore.^[25] Minnesota grew 1.7 billion bushels of corn and 371 million bushels of soybeans in 2025^[26], and ranks first in the nation for sugar beets and turkeys.^[27]

What to have ready for a Minnesota quote

USDOT and MC numbers, and your MnDOT certificate if you have one
Where the trucks are garaged, your usual routes and your radius
What you haul: grain, sugar beets, potatoes, turkeys, logs, taconite, aggregate or general freight
Whether you run under winter, harvest or heavy farm 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 MnDOT authority to haul only inside Minnesota?

Yes, if you haul for hire and your loads aren’t exempt. The MnDOT Certificate of Registration is free, and you need a Form E filing and a USDOT number for trucks over 10,000 lb.^[1]^[2]

How much liability does Minnesota require for intrastate trucks?

At least $100,000/$300,000 plus $50,000 property damage for for-hire property carriers, though brokers usually want $1,000,000.^[2]

Can I haul 97,000 lb in Minnesota?

Only with seven or more axles hauling farm products, on a $500 permit, and not on Interstates. Six-axle permits allow 90,000 lb, or 99,000 lb in winter.^[19]

When are spring load restrictions in Minnesota?

They vary by zone. In 2026 they ran from March 3 to April 20 in the Metro and southern zones and March 20 to May 15 in the North zone.^[16]

Does my truck need a Minnesota annual inspection?

Yes, if it’s over 26,000 lb alone or in a combination, or hauls placarded hazmat.^[12]

Get a Minnesota 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.