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49 CFR 387.9 · Table 1, Schedule of Limits
The one insurance minimum federal law fixes
Almost every insurance requirement a small business meets comes from a state, a licence or a contract. The exception is motor carriers: 49 CFR 387.9 sets a minimum level of public-liability financial responsibility for for-hire and private carriers by what they haul and how heavy the vehicle is, and the insurer files proof with FMCSA.
- 1Non-hazardous freight $750,000
- 2Oil $1,000,000
- 3Bulk hazmat $5,000,000
- 4Weight line 10,001 lb
| Type of carriage | Vehicle weight | Commodity | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| For-hire, interstate or foreign commerce | 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Property (non-hazardous) | $750,000 |
| For-hire and private, interstate/foreign (any quantity) or intrastate (bulk) | 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Oil (49 CFR 172.101) and certain hazardous wastes/materials not in the $5M rows | $1,000,000 |
| For-hire and private, interstate, foreign or intrastate | 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Hazardous substances in bulk (cargo tanks, portable tanks, hoppers) and other listed bulk hazard classes | $5,000,000 |
| For-hire and private, interstate or foreign | Under 10,001 lb GVWR | Bulk explosives, bulk Hazard Zone A materials, highway-route-controlled Class 7 | $5,000,000 |
Who it applies to
The $750,000 figure covers the common case: a for-hire carrier moving non-hazardous property across state lines in vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more. That is the figure a new trucking authority must show before FMCSA activates it, filed by the insurer on form BMC-91 or BMC-91X. Oil and certain hazardous wastes raise the floor to $1,000,000; hazardous substances moved in bulk — cargo tanks, portable tanks, hopper vehicles — and the heaviest hazard classes raise it to $5,000,000, and for the most dangerous materials that $5,000,000 applies even below 10,001 lb.
Private carriers hauling their own goods are reached only by the hazmat rows. Passenger carriers have a separate schedule in the same section, not reproduced here. Intrastate-only carriers fall under state law unless they move bulk hazmat.
Why the market asks for more
The schedule's dollar figures date from 1985 and have not been raised by rule since, which is why shippers and brokers commonly require limits above the federal minimum as a condition of a load, and why an umbrella appears on the trucking checklist. The minimum is the floor for authority; the contract sets the working limit.
Trades on this site it touches
Also any trade that runs its own vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more interstate for hire, which is unusual outside these.
Source: 49 CFR 387.9 — Schedule of limits, public liability (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-23.