What insurance limits to require from a carrier, and why $750,000 is not enough
The federal minimum for a general-freight motor carrier is $750,000 in bodily injury and property damage liability. That figure was set in 1980 and has not been raised since.
Whatever inflation has done in the intervening decades, it has not been kind to that number. A single serious accident routinely exceeds it, and when it does the shortfall lands on whoever else can be reached — which, if you arranged the load, can include you.
What carriers actually carry
Across live liability filings, the distribution is bimodal:
| Limit on file | Frequency | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| $750,000 | Most common | Carrier files the federal floor and no more |
| $1,000,000 | Second most common | What most shipper and broker contracts require |
| $2,000,000 – $5,000,000 | Uncommon | Hazmat, high-value, or a carrier chasing better freight |
| $10,000,000 | Rare | Usually an excess layer, not primary |
The gap between the first two rows is the whole decision. A carrier at exactly $750,000 is compliant and has bought the least coverage the law allows.
What to actually require
$1,000,000 primary BIPD is the practical standard for general freight. It is what most shipper contracts specify, most brokers require, and a large share of carriers already carry — so requiring it does not meaningfully shrink your capacity pool.
Beyond that, the requirement follows the freight:
- Hazardous materials — higher federal minimums apply by commodity class, from
$1,000,000 to $5,000,000
- High-value goods — cargo coverage is separate and usually far too low by default (see
below)
- Passengers — an entirely different schedule
Cargo insurance is a separate, much smaller number
Liability covers injury and damage to others. It does not cover your freight.
Cargo filings (BMC-34) sit at $5,000 in essentially every record. That is the filing requirement, not a real cargo policy — most carriers carry considerably more, but the public record will not tell you so.
If your load is worth more than $5,000, which it almost certainly is, the FMCSA record is not where you find out whether it is covered. Ask for a certificate.
Excess is not primary
A liability filing carries a class: P for primary, E for excess.
Excess sits *above* a primary policy. On its own it satisfies nothing, because there is nothing beneath it. Roughly 920 carriers hold both a primary and an excess filing, and a handful hold excess only.
This matters when a primary is cancelled and an excess layer remains on the record. The carrier's page can show a $10,000,000 figure while no primary coverage is on file. The number looks like more protection than the compliant carrier next to it, and it is less.
How to check the limit on a specific carrier
1. Find the primary BIPD filing — form BMC-91X, BMC-91, BMC-82 or BMC-35, class P 2. Read the maximum coverage amount on that filing 3. Confirm it has not been cancelled — cancellations are recorded separately, keyed by policy number 4. Compare against your requirement, not the federal floor. FMCSA has no view on your contract, so nothing on the public record will flag a carrier that meets the law and fails your terms
What each filing code means covers the form codes in full.
The limit is a floor, not an assurance
A filing tells you a certificate was submitted to FMCSA. It does not tell you the policy is still in force today, that the premium was paid, or that the carrier has not since had coverage cancelled with the record not yet catching up — which happens to roughly 5% of insured carriers at any given time.
Require the limit in your contract. Verify it against the filing. Then get a certificate of insurance directly from the carrier's agent, with you named, before the truck moves.