New York Trucking Insurance

NYSDOT authority and USDOT numbers

• Operating authority. For-hire carriers of property inside New York need NYSDOT authority. Applications are online only, are posted in NYSDOT’s weekly bulletin for 30 days, and must be completed within 90 days.^[1]
• USDOT number. Required for business trucks of 10,001 lb or more, intrastate or interstate, and free for intrastate carriers. Each intrastate vehicle also needs a $10 yearly New York vehicle ID receipt; interstate carriers pay UCR instead.^[1]
• Household goods movers start on a probationary certificate and need experience, a New York place of business and a filed tariff.^[1]

New York insurance minimums

These are the intrastate minimums.^[2] Contract carriers and dump-type haulers don’t need cargo coverage.^[3] Your insurer files a Form E and Form H, and NYSDOT doesn’t accept ACORD certificates.^[4] Interstate for-hire trucks need the federal $750,000, and most brokers ask for $1,000,000. New York no-fault also pays up to $50,000 per person in basic economic loss.^[5]

2026 changes to crash claims

For suits filed on or after May 26, 2026, New York changed its motor vehicle injury rules:^[6]

• The “90 of 180 days” category of no-fault serious injury is gone.
• An injured person more at fault than the defendants recovers nothing.
• Noneconomic damages are capped at $100,000 for certain at-fault claimants who were uninsured, impaired or committing a felony.

The Highway Use Tax

• Who registers. Trucks over 18,000 lb gross must register for New York’s Highway Use Tax. The certificate and decal cost $1.50 per vehicle, and a trip certificate is $25.^[7][8]
• Rate. Under the gross-weight method, a truck loaded at 78,001–80,000 lb pays 5.46 cents a mile. Returns are quarterly, or monthly above $12,000 a year and annual at $1,200 or less. Toll-paid Thruway miles aren’t taxed.^[9][7]
• Fuel tax on diesel is 8 cents a gallon excise plus 14.05 cents petroleum business tax in 2026, plus sales tax.^[10] IRP plates come from the DMV’s International Registration Bureau in Albany.^[11]

Thruway, bridge, tunnel and congestion tolls

Thruway tolls by mail and with non-New York E-ZPass run 75% higher than New York E-ZPass^[12][13], and a 5% increase takes effect January 1, 2027.^[14] Port Authority crossings charge only entering New York; trucks must use the upper level of the George Washington Bridge, and the Holland Tunnel bars tractor-trailers.^[15] MTA rates are from January 4, 2026^[16], and the congestion toll started January 5, 2025 and rises in 2028 and 2031.^[17]

Weights, NYC rules and idling

• Limits. 80,000 lb gross, 22,400 lb single axle and 36,000 lb tandem, 102 inches wide and 13 feet 6 inches high.^[18]
• 53-foot trailers in NYC are allowed only on the I-95, I-695, I-295 and I-495 corridor between the Westchester and Nassau lines, and other combinations are limited to 55 feet overall.^[19] NYC truck route changes take effect October 4, 2026.^[20]
• Idling. 5 minutes statewide^[21], 3 minutes in New York City, and 1 minute next to a school or park.^[22]
• Speed. 55 mph, or up to 65 where posted, with no separate truck limit.^[23]

Drivers

• Safety rules apply to intrastate trucks of 10,001 lb or more^[24], and 18-year-olds can drive intrastate Class B vehicles.^[25] The DMV’s Class A young adult program lets 18- to 20-year-olds earn a New York-only Class A license after 300 hours behind the wheel.^[26]
• English proficiency. Drivers who fail are placed out of service under federal guidance from May 2025.^[27]
• Non-domiciled CDLs. In April 2026, FMCSA withheld $73.5 million from New York over its issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.^[28]

New York freight

The Port of New York and New Jersey handled 8.9 million TEUs in 2025.^[29] The Hunts Point food distribution center in the Bronx moves about 4.5 billion pounds of food a year^[30], and New York farms produced 16.6 billion pounds of milk in 2025.^[31]

What to have ready for a New York quote

• USDOT and MC numbers, NYSDOT authority and HUT certificate, if you have them
• Where the trucks are garaged, your usual routes and your radius, including NYC runs
• What you haul: food distribution, port containers, milk, construction materials or general freight
• 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 NYSDOT authority if I only haul inside New York?

Yes, for-hire property carriers need NYSDOT authority, plus a USDOT number, a Form E and a $10 vehicle ID receipt for each truck.^[1][4]

Do I need a New York HUT decal?

Yes, for trucks over 18,000 lb. The decal is $1.50 per vehicle, and a loaded 80,000-lb truck pays 5.46 cents a mile under the gross-weight method.^[8][9]

What changed in 2026 for New York truck crash claims?

For suits filed from May 26, 2026, the “90 of 180 days” serious injury category is gone and a claimant more at fault than the defendants recovers nothing.^[6]

Can a 53-foot trailer run in New York City?

Only on the I-95, I-695, I-295 and I-495 corridor between the Westchester and Nassau lines.^[19]

What does a 5-axle truck pay on the Thruway?

From exit 15 to exit 23, $26.59 with New York E-ZPass or $46.53 by mail, with a 5% increase on January 1, 2027.^[12][13][14]

Related coverage and nearby states

• Owner-operator truck insurance
• Box truck insurance
• Excess and umbrella liability
• New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut trucking insurance
• All states we serve
• Truck insurance requirements by state
• New authority truck insurance
• How much commercial truck insurance costs

Sources

• [1] NYSDOT: Truck registration and licensing
• [2] 17 NYCRR 855.1: insurance minimums (LII copy)
• [3] 17 NYCRR 855.3: cargo insurance exceptions (LII copy)
• [4] NYSDOT: Household goods carrier guide (Feb. 2024)
• [5] N.Y. Ins. Law § 5102: no-fault basic economic loss
• [6] NY DFS: Circular Letter No. 3 (2026), 2026 motor vehicle reforms
• [7] NYS Tax: Highway use tax introduction
• [8] NYS Tax: HUT certificate of registration
• [9] NYS Tax: Form MT-903-I, HUT return instructions
• [10] NYS Tax: Publication 908, fuel tax rates
• [11] NYS DMV: Apply for the International Registration Plan
• [12] NYS Thruway: 2024 NY E-ZPass toll rates (cents per mile)
• [13] NYS Thruway: 2024 Tolls by Mail and non-NY E-ZPass rates
• [14] NYS Thruway: Toll adjustment
• [15] Port Authority of NY & NJ: Truckers' guide to tolls (Jan. 2026)
• [16] MTA Bridges and Tunnels: Trucks
• [17] MTA: Congestion relief zone toll
• [18] N.Y. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 385: size and weight
• [19] NYC DOT: Truck size and weight
• [20] NYC DOT: Trucks and commercial vehicles
• [21] 6 NYCRR 217-3.2: idling (LII copy)
• [22] NYC DEP: Idling
• [23] N.Y. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1180-a: maximum speed limits
• [24] NYSDOT: Part 820 update
• [25] 17 NYCRR 820.3: intrastate driver age (LII copy)
• [26] NYS DMV: Class A young adult training program
• [27] USDOT: Order on English proficiency enforcement (May 2025)
• [28] USDOT: $73 million withheld from New York over non-domiciled CDLs (Apr. 2026)
• [29] Port Authority of NY & NJ: Port facts and figures
• [30] NYC EDC: Hunts Point peninsula
• [31] USDA NASS: Milk production, disposition and income (2026)

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.