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Trucking Insurance California

Class Insurance Agency, an affiliated office of AIC Insurance

Truck insurance for California haulers

California has its own carrier number, its own permit, its own clean-air rules and the Los Angeles and Long Beach container ports. We quote California owner-operators, new authorities, drayage carriers and fleets by phone, email and online from our office in Vancouver, Washington, in English, Russian, Ukrainian or Romanian, on Pacific time like you.

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

USDOT, CA# and MCP: three numbers, in order

  1. USDOT number. California law requires one before you can get a CA number, even for carriers that never leave the state.[1] CHP warns that FMCSA’s website may say an intrastate carrier doesn’t need a USDOT number, but California requires it anyway.[2]
  2. CA number from a CHP Motor Carrier Safety Unit (form CHP 362).[2]
  3. Motor Carrier Permit (MCP) from the DMV. Anyone paid to haul property needs one, whatever the size of the vehicle. So do private carriers running commercial vehicles of 10,001 lb or more, hazmat, combinations over 40 feet or CDL vehicles.[3]

A for-hire MCP costs $250 for one power unit, $352 for 2 to 4, and $727 for 5 to 10. A private carrier with one unit pays $165. Late fees run 60% to 160% of what’s due.[4][5]

MCP insurance and workers’ comp

What you haul Minimum (combined single limit)
For-hire property, 10,000 lb GVWR or less $300,000
Non-hazmat property, 10,001 lb or more $750,000
Hazmat, including placarded loads and hazardous waste $1,000,000
Bulk petroleum $1,200,000
Hazardous substances in tanks over 3,500 gallons, explosives, poison gas $5,000,000

Your insurer files proof with the DMV on form MC 65 M. You can reach the limit with primary plus excess coverage, but not by stacking separate primary policies.[6][4]

Workers’ comp. An MCP also needs proof of workers’ compensation, or a signed exemption. An owner-operator with no employees isn’t subject, but an owner-operator hauling under another carrier is treated as that carrier’s employee if the carrier’s CA number is on the truck, the carrier sets hours and routes, or the carrier provides the coverage. Family members you employ need coverage, except a spouse.[4] Under California’s ABC test, a driver is presumed an employee unless, among other things, the work is outside the hiring company’s usual business[7], and the old construction trucking exception expired on January 1, 2025.[8]

CARB rules for trucks over 14,000 lb

  • Truck and Bus Regulation. Since January 1, 2023, diesel vehicles over 14,000 lb GVWR operating in California must have a 2010 or newer engine, and the DMV won’t register trucks that don’t comply.[9]
  • Clean Truck Check. Nearly all diesel and alternative-fuel vehicles over 14,000 lb, including trucks registered in other states, must pass an emissions test twice a year. From October 2027, trucks with on-board diagnostics test four times a year.[10] The annual compliance fee is $32.13, rising to $33.12 for deadlines from January 1, 2027.[11]
  • Advanced Clean Fleets. CARB’s 2025 amendments repeal the drayage, high-priority and federal fleet requirements[12], and CARB says the amended rule doesn’t apply to private fleets.[13]
  • Idling. Diesel trucks over 10,000 lb, including sleeper-berth trucks, may not idle the main engine longer than 5 minutes anywhere, and 2008 and newer engines need an automatic 5-minute shutdown.[14]

Hours, drivers and inspections

  • Intrastate hours. Up to 12 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off, no driving after the 16th hour on duty, and no more than 80 hours on duty in 8 days, with a 34-hour restart.[15]
  • Drivers must be at least 18, or 21 for interstate commerce and for any hazmat.[16]
  • Terminal inspections. CHP’s Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) picks carriers by safety performance, using FMCSA’s SMS scores, and covers any commercial vehicle over 26,000 lb. Carriers must also do and document 90-day preventive maintenance inspections.[17][2]
  • Non-domiciled CDLs. Under federal direction, the DMV cancelled about 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs effective March 6, 2026, and isn’t currently allowed to issue new ones.[18] In October 2025, FMCSA also withheld about $40.7 million in safety grants because California wasn’t placing drivers out of service at the roadside for lacking English proficiency.[19]

Speed, size and weight

  • 55 mph. Trucks with 3 or more axles, and any truck towing a trailer, are limited to 55 mph.[20]
  • Weight. 80,000 lb gross and 20,000 lb per axle, with two tandems of 34,000 lb each when at least 36 feet apart.[21]
  • Height 14 feet.[22]
  • STAA vs. California Legal. STAA trucks can pull a 53-foot trailer with no overall length limit, but only on the STAA network and within a mile of it. California Legal trucks are limited to 65 feet overall. Both have a 40-foot kingpin-to-rear-axle limit (38 feet for a single-axle trailer).[23]
  • Permits. Caltrans oversize/overweight permits are $16 for a single trip and $90 annual.[24]

Fuel tax, IRP and tolls

  • Diesel tax is 48.2 cents a gallon from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The IFTA rate is 97.9 cents, which includes an excise component.[25] Sales tax on diesel is 13% plus district taxes.[26]
  • IRP. California base plates require an established place of business in California.[27]
  • Bay Area state-owned bridges charge 5-axle trucks $30.50 in 2026, rising $2.50 a year to $40.50 from 2030.[28]
  • Golden Gate Bridge. $51.25 with FasTrak for 5 axles from July 1, 2026.[29]
  • Orange County toll roads. The SR-73 Catalina View mainline charges 5-axle trucks $29.84 to $38.96 with FasTrak, from July 1, 2026.[30] The 91 Express Lanes don’t allow trucks.[31]

Ports and drayage

Every drayage truck entering a Los Angeles or Long Beach terminal must be in the Port Drayage Truck Registry, and new registrations since October 1, 2018 must be model year 2014 or newer. The ports have also collected a $10-per-TEU Clean Truck Fund rate since April 1, 2022, with zero-emission trucks exempt.[32] In 2025 the Port of Los Angeles moved 10.24 million TEUs[33], Long Beach a record 9.88 million[34] and Oakland 2.25 million.[35]

California freight

Trucks moved about 756 million tons worth $917 billion of the freight shipped within California in 2023. I-5, SR 99 and I-10 carry some of the highest rural truck volumes in the country, and Otay Mesa is California’s busiest commercial land port.[36] California farms took in $61.2 billion in 2024.[37]

California’s basic auto minimum rose to $30,000/$60,000/$15,000 on January 1, 2025, and goes to $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 in 2035.[38] Trucks under an MCP need the much higher limits above.

What to have ready for a California quote

  • USDOT, CA and MC numbers, and your MCP if you have one
  • Where the trucks are garaged, your usual routes and your radius
  • What you haul: port containers, produce and refrigerated loads, construction materials or general freight
  • Engine model years and Clean Truck Check status for each truck
  • Whether you hire drivers or lease on owner-operators (for workers’ comp)
  • Driver names, license numbers and years of experience
  • Current policy and loss runs, if you have been insured before

Frequently asked questions

I only haul inside California. Do I need a USDOT number?

Yes. California requires a USDOT number before you can get a CA number, then a DMV Motor Carrier Permit.[1][2]

What insurance does a California MCP require?

$750,000 for non-hazmat trucks of 10,001 lb or more, $300,000 for for-hire trucks of 10,000 lb or less, and $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for hazmat. Primary plus excess can be combined.[6][4]

How often do trucks need Clean Truck Check tests?

Twice a year now, and four times a year from October 2027 for trucks with on-board diagnostics, including trucks registered outside California.[10]

What is the truck speed limit in California?

55 mph for trucks with 3 or more axles or towing a trailer.[20]

Do I need workers’ comp to get an MCP?

You need proof of coverage or a signed exemption. An owner-operator with no employees is exempt, unless they are treated as another carrier’s employee.[4]

Get a California 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.


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.