Hotshot insurance requirements by state

Insurance requirements for hotshots come from three places: federal rules, state rules and the contracts brokers and shippers make you sign. For interstate work, the federal minimum is the same everywhere. For intrastate work, your state sets the floor. And in practice, brokers usually set the number you actually carry.

The federal minimums

SOURCE: Rule: 49 CFR 387.9. Virginia example: Va. Code 46.2-2143.1. Checked Oct 2026.

These minimums apply in every state when you haul for hire across state lines. Your insurer files proof with FMCSA, and your MC authority isn't active without it.

State table

Search for your state. For interstate work, the federal minimum applies everywhere. For intrastate work, the state sets the minimum; we list a verified figure where we've checked the state's own law, and point you to the state agency otherwise.

We'd rather show "check the state agency" than publish a number we haven't verified at the source. We're adding verified intrastate figures state by state.

What brokers require

Because brokers ask for $1,000,000, most hotshots carry it even though the federal minimum is lower. Higher-value freight may need higher cargo limits; see hot shot cargo insurance.

Intrastate vs interstate

If you haul only within one state and your freight isn't part of an interstate shipment, you're an intrastate carrier, and the state's minimum applies. Many states require filings with a state agency. If any of your loads cross state lines or continue an interstate shipment, the federal minimum and filing apply. Many hotshots who start local end up needing both.

How proof of insurance is filed

For interstate authority, your insurer files proof of liability coverage with FMCSA electronically. If the policy is cancelled, the insurer notifies FMCSA, and your authority can be revoked after the notice period unless new coverage is filed. Intrastate carriers in many states have a similar filing with a state agency. Ask your agent which filings they've made and get confirmation; brokers check FMCSA's records before they tender a load, and a missing filing looks like no insurance.

Cargo requirements by state

Federal rules don't require cargo insurance for general freight carriers, and most states don't either for intrastate general freight, though some do, and household goods movers face separate rules. In practice the market sets the requirement: brokers and shippers ask for cargo coverage, usually $100,000. If a state requires cargo coverage for intrastate carriers, its motor carrier agency will list it with the liability minimum.

Proving coverage at roadside and at the dock

Carry your insurance card in the truck. At a roadside inspection, an officer may ask to see it along with your registration and authority information. At pickup, some shippers ask for the certificate of insurance before loading. Keep a current copy on your phone and in the cab, and update both at every renewal.

When you add a state or a truck

Running in a new state doesn't change your federal requirement, but it can bring that state's registration, permits and intrastate filings if you start doing in-state work there. Adding a truck or trailer means adding it to your policy before it hauls; cargo and physical damage coverage often apply only to vehicles listed on the policy. A quick call to your agent before the first load in a new setup saves a denied claim later.

How minimums affect your premium

Higher limits cost more. Since brokers require $1,000,000 anyway, the useful comparison is usually between insurers at the same limits rather than between limits. Ask your agent to quote both so you can see the difference for your own operation.

CDL and non-CDL hotshots

The CDL doesn't change the insurance minimum. A non-CDL hotshot hauling for hire across state lines in a rig over 10,001 lb needs the same $750,000 federal minimum as a CDL rig, and brokers ask both for the same limits. Insurers may price them differently based on equipment value, freight and radius, but the legal floor is the same.

EXAMPLE: one owner, two kinds of work

An owner based in one state hauls equipment for a local dealer, entirely within the state, and also takes broker loads that cross into neighboring states. The local work falls under the state's intrastate rules, which may require a state filing and set their own minimum. The broker loads fall under federal rules, with the $750,000 minimum filed with FMCSA and the $1,000,000 most brokers require. One policy can usually cover both, but the filings must match both kinds of work. Tell your agent about every kind of load you haul.

Questions to ask your agent

• Which federal and state filings have you made for me?
• Does my policy meet my state's intrastate minimum as well as the federal one?
• Are all my trucks and trailers listed?
• What's excluded from cargo coverage?
• How fast can you send certificates to new brokers?
• What happens if I miss a payment?

Other coverages to consider

• Physical damage, required by lenders on financed trucks and trailers.
• Non-trucking liability, if you're leased on.
• General liability, if shippers ask.
• Occupational accident, for your own injuries.

Costs for each are covered in hotshot insurance cost, and the coverages in hot shot insurance.

Leased-on hotshots

If you're leased on to a carrier, the carrier's primary liability policy and filing usually cover you under dispatch, so the state and federal minimums are met by the carrier. You'll typically carry non-trucking liability for when you drive off dispatch, and physical damage on your own equipment. When you leave the lease to run under your own authority, all of the requirements above become yours, and your new policy and filings need to be in place before the first load. See hotshot companies to lease on to.

Common mistakes

• Buying the federal minimum and finding brokers won't tender loads
• Letting a payment lapse, which can lead to authority revocation
• Running intrastate without the state's filing
• Hauling freight your cargo policy excludes
• Adding a truck or trailer without adding it to the policy

Checking your state

Contact your state's motor carrier agency, often the department of transportation, a public utility or service commission, or the department of motor vehicles. Ask for the minimum liability and cargo coverage for for-hire property carriers in your vehicle weight range, and whether a state filing is required. Your insurance agent should know too, but confirm at the source. Our hotshot guide covers the rest of the setup, and the hotshot rate calculator helps you price loads to cover the premium.

Dispatch that respects your coverage

With hotshot dispatch, we check the commodity and value on every load against your coverage before it reaches you. You approve every load, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you.