Coverage Guidance
Expert help understanding what insurance coverage your operation needs.
Understanding and meeting commercial truck insurance requirements is critical to maintaining your operating authority. We help you navigate minimum coverage levels, filing requirements, and cost-saving strategies.
ዝተሓደሰ: 2026-09-08
FMCSA requires all for-hire motor carriers to maintain minimum levels of financial responsibility (insurance) based on the type of freight they haul. General freight carriers must maintain at least $750,000 in public liability insurance. Carriers hauling hazardous materials need $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 depending on the type of hazmat.
This insurance must be evidenced through specific FMCSA filings. Form BMC-91 is filed by your insurance company to certify your liability coverage. Form BMC-34 certifies your cargo insurance. These filings are mandatory — without them, your operating authority can be revoked.
Beyond federal minimums, many states have their own insurance requirements that may exceed federal levels. Shippers and brokers may also require proof of coverage levels above the federal minimum before tendering loads. Keeping all of this straight is a compliance challenge in itself.
Insurance is typically one of the largest expenses for any trucking operation. Getting the coverage you need without overpaying requires understanding the market, maintaining good safety records, and working with insurers who specialize in commercial trucking.
SELAM helps you understand exactly what coverage you need — not just the FMCSA minimums, but the practical coverage levels that protect your business. We explain the difference between liability, cargo, physical damage, bobtail, non-trucking liability, and occupational accident insurance in plain language.
We also help you reduce your insurance costs by improving the factors that insurers weigh most heavily: your CSA scores, violation history, claims history, and years of experience. Our compliance management directly contributes to lower insurance premiums by keeping your safety record clean.
Insurance compliance isn't a one-time event. You must maintain continuous coverage, ensure your BMC-91 and BMC-34 filings are current, add new vehicles to your policy promptly, and respond to any coverage gaps before they trigger FMCSA action.
A lapse in insurance coverage — even for a single day — can result in revocation of your operating authority. Reinstatement requires new insurance filings, a reinstatement fee, and potentially a waiting period during which you cannot operate.
SELAM monitors your insurance compliance as part of our overall compliance management. We track policy expiration dates, verify that BMC filings are current, and alert you to any potential coverage gaps before they become problems.
Expert help understanding what insurance coverage your operation needs.
BMC-91 and BMC-34 filing status monitored and verified continuously.
Clean safety records through our compliance management lower your premiums.
Proactive monitoring to prevent coverage gaps that could revoke your authority.
Guidance on state-specific insurance requirements beyond federal minimums.
$750K
Federal requirement for general freight
20-50%
CSA scores affect insurance this much
$8K+
From improved safety records
0
For managed compliance clients
SELAM Safety & Compliance guides Ethiopian and Eritrean carriers through commercial truck insurance requirements from Arlington, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia — the $750,000 federal liability minimum for general freight, BMC-91 and BMC-34 filings, and cargo coverage — and monitors your policy so a lapse never costs you your operating authority. Call (214) 551-8600.
For-hire general freight carriers need minimum $750,000 in public liability insurance. Hazmat carriers need $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 depending on the material. Private carriers have different requirements. SELAM helps you determine exactly what coverage you need.
BMC-91 is filed by your insurance company with FMCSA to certify your public liability coverage. BMC-34 certifies your cargo insurance. Both are required to maintain your operating authority. SELAM verifies these filings are current and properly maintained.
The most effective ways to lower premiums are improving your CSA scores, maintaining clean violation and claims history, and increasing your years of experience. SELAM's compliance management directly contributes to all of these factors.
An insurance lapse triggers FMCSA action that can result in revocation of your operating authority. You may not operate during a lapse, and reinstatement requires new filings, fees, and potentially a waiting period. SELAM prevents lapses through proactive monitoring.
Don't let insurance gaps threaten your operating authority. Let SELAM help you stay properly covered and compliant.