Insurance
New authority truck insurance: what to have in place before your first load
Updated
A new authority goes active only after your insurer files your liability coverage with FMCSA, at $750,000 or more for trucks of 10,001 pounds and up. Most brokers ask for $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo. The middle half of 60 premium reports from owners on trucking forums ran $12,000 to $25,200 a year.
At a glance
- Federal liability minimum
- $750,000 for trucks of 10,001 lb or more
- Most brokers ask for
- $1 million liability and $100,000 cargo
- Insurer filing due
- Within 20 days of FMCSA Register publication
- Owner premiums, middle half
- $12,000 to $25,200 a year (60 reports)
- Owner-reported down payments
- $2,000 to $6,000 (7 reports)
See which brokers will load a new MC. The load-ready check looks up your DOT or MC number and shows which brokers accept your authority age and filed coverage today, and what coverage would open the rest. Load-ready check
What has to be on file before you go active
Buying a policy and getting authority are two steps. Your insurer, or another financial responsibility provider, files proof of your liability coverage with FMCSA on a BMC-91 or BMC-91X, the certificate FMCSA reads. FMCSA won't grant your authority until the required filings are in effect.
The clock starts when your application is published in the FMCSA Register:
- FMCSA's filing guidance calls for insurance within 20 days of publication.
- If it isn't there, FMCSA serves a decision giving you 60 days to comply before the application is dismissed.
Go by the deadline in the decision you receive.
While you wait, Motus can show your registration as pending for FMCSA review, a missing BOC-3 or a missing insurance filing. Pending authority can't haul.
The pending authority guide walks through each hold, and the insurance filings page explains the forms. For the federal wording, see FMCSA's insurance filing requirements page (opens in a new tab).
The limits that open broker freight
FMCSA's floor for general freight is $750,000 in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more, and $300,000 when every truck is lighter. Brokers ask for more:
- Of the 21 brokers that publish a liability minimum on their own pages, 20 want $1 million or more.
- Of the 22 that publish a cargo minimum on their own pages, 21 want $100,000 or more.
Here are authority-age rules and insurance minimums from brokers' own carrier pages in October 2026:
| Broker or program | Authority age | Liability and cargo |
|---|---|---|
| C.H. Robinson | 7 days active | $1 million and $100,000 |
| Ryder | 60 days active | $1 million and $100,000 |
| Armstrong Transport | 90 days active | $1 million and $100,000 |
| Flock Freight | 90 days in service | $1 million and $100,000 |
| CEVA Logistics | 90 days since your grant or reinstatement | $1 million and $100,000. Its invitation-only CEVA 250 needs $250,000 cargo |
| Amazon Relay | 180 days active | $1 million and $100,000, plus general liability and workers' comp |
| PLS Logistics | 6 months | $1 million and $100,000 |
| Mode Global | 1 year, continuous | $1 million and $100,000 |
| Averitt | 365 days active | $1 million and $100,000 |
| TQL and Uber Freight | $1 million and $100,000 |
TQL and Uber Freight don't publish an age rule on their own pages, so ask their carrier teams before you count on a first load. The requirements page lists the brokers that publish less and the ones that ask for more.
What owners report paying
Owners on trucking forums posted 60 premium reports with a yearly or monthly figure. The middle half paid $12,000 to $25,200 a year, and the median was about $17,700.
Monthly payments are counted times 12 for that range. Most reports don't name the equipment, and a few cover fleets or leased-on trucks, so treat it as a range to test a quote against.
A few came from brand-new authorities:
- A Michigan owner two months into authority reported about $15,600 a year.
- An owner one month in reported $2,000 down and $2,000 a month in 2024, with $150,000 in cargo.
- Another was quoted $1,850 a month on a new MC and DOT at $1 million in liability and $100,000 in cargo.
Seven owners reported a down payment, from $2,000 to $6,000. Plan for that cash before the authority goes active, since the insurer has to bind and file first. The cost page breaks the reports down by equipment.
Buy for the freight you plan to haul
The policy that gets you active may not get you set up. Match it to your first loads:
- On reefer loads, TQL wants reefer breakdown on your certificate and Werner includes it in its cargo terms. Uber Freight's cargo policy can't exclude reefer breakdown or running out of reefer fuel.
- Power only means pulling trailers you don't own, which is where trailer interchange comes in.
- Amazon Relay adds $1 million in general liability per occurrence and workers' comp in every state where you operate.
Get these priced on the first quote. The quote comparison guide shows how to line quotes up on the same limits.
Keep your filing from lapsing
When an insurer cancels, it files a BMC-35 notice. You ordinarily get 30 days from FMCSA's receipt of that notice to put a replacement filing in place before the cancellation takes effect. That window doesn't let you haul uninsured, and neither does a pending reinstatement.
Mode Global counts continuous authority and CEVA counts from your grant or your reinstatement, so a lapse that ends in reinstatement can put you back under their waiting periods.
If your authority is revoked, the reinstatement request costs $80, and insurance and your BOC-3 have to be back on file first. FMCSA's FAQ estimates active status about a week after it receives the request and payment, with no guarantee. The reinstatement guide has the steps.
Watch your filing through the first year. The status check shows the liability filing FMCSA has for your new authority and any cancellation posted against it. Check your status
Frequently asked questions
Do I need insurance before my authority goes active?
Yes. FMCSA won't grant your authority until your insurer files your liability coverage, and its filing guidance calls for insurance within 20 days of publication in the FMCSA Register.
How much insurance does a new authority need?
FMCSA's floor for general freight is $750,000 in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more. Most brokers ask for $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo.
Which brokers work with a new authority?
C.H. Robinson asks for seven days of active authority and Ryder asks for 60 days. Armstrong Transport, Flock Freight and CEVA Logistics ask for 90 days. Amazon Relay asks for 180 days of active interstate authority.
How much do new carriers pay for truck insurance?
Owners on trucking forums reported a middle half of $12,000 to $25,200 a year in 60 premium reports, with a median of about $17,700. Seven owners reported down payments of $2,000 to $6,000.