Trucking insurance in Pennsylvania

$750,000 Minimum liability for Pennsylvania trucks over 10,000 lbs

law.cornell.edu

Monthly cost, national figures

$665 to $1,165 a month for an established hotshot with a clean record (Trucking Insurance Services)

$1,000 to $1,800 in the first two years of a new MC number (Trucker Path Insurance)

Own MC number

$300 for the OP-1 application; you name a BOC-3 process agent, UCR is $55 a year for 0 to 2 trucks, more for bigger fleets (UCR Plan), and your insurer files the BMC-91X within 20 days of FMCSA Register publication.

New authority checklist

For a for-hire business, the trucking insurance Pennsylvania approves must include liability of at least $300,000. If your truck weighs more, you need at least $750,000. For-hire hauling means you're paid to carry freight that belongs to someone else. A commercial truck insurance agent can put your policy together and send in the electronic filings the state needs before your authority becomes active.

Gloved hands checking the gooseneck hitch and safety chains before a run

Pennsylvania intrastate trucking insurance requirements

Trucks working for-hire within the state must carry at least $300,000 in liability if rated at 10,000 pounds or less, or $750,000 when the vehicle or combination is over 10,000 pounds (those minimums do not include cargo coverage). When you pick up and deliver loads without leaving Pennsylvania, that's intrastate. Your gross weight rating is the heaviest loaded weight your truck alone, or your truck pulling a trailer, is built to carry. About 7,500 for-hire carriers fall under the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, also known as the Pennsylvania Utility Commission. It regulates trucking companies for safety and insurance alone; rates and territory stay outside its reach.

Commercial policies must also satisfy the state Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law. Pennsylvania auto minimums work this way: bodily injury is $15,000 for 1 person and $30,000 when more than 1 person is hurt; property damage is $5,000, with medical benefits of $5,000 too. A $35,000 single limit can meet the injury and property requirements. An agent who writes commercial truck policies will make sure these required medical benefits are paired with the liability limits on your motor carrier coverage.

Operation and weight rating	Minimum liability	Required filing
PA intrastate for-hire, 10,000 lbs or less	$300,000 per accident	PUC Form E
PA for-hire intrastate, single or combination over 10,000 lbs	$750,000 per accident	PUC Form E
Interstate for-hire, under 10,001 lbs	$300,000	FMCSA BMC-91 or BMC-91X
Interstate for-hire, 10,001 lbs or more, non-hazardous	$750,000	FMCSA BMC-91 or BMC-91X
Interstate hazardous materials: placarded, oil, or waste	$1,000,000	FMCSA BMC-91 or BMC-91X
Interstate carriage of explosives, poison gas, radioactive material, or bulk hazardous substances	$5,000,000	FMCSA BMC-91 or BMC-91X

Filing your Pennsylvania trucking insurance with the PUC

For-hire operation inside the state has to wait until the commission approves evidence of insurance sent by your insurance company. A Motor Common Carrier of Property submission costs $100 ($350 for household goods movers). Once sent, you have 60 days to put binding insurance proof on file electronically via Tyler Insurance Filings.

Coverage types in a truck policy

LiabilityPays for injuries and damage your truck causes to other people. The federal minimum is $300,000 to $5,000,000.
Motor truck cargoPays for the load you haul if it is damaged or stolen. Most brokers ask for $100,000.
Physical damageRepairs or replaces your own truck and trailer after a crash, fire or theft.
Non-trucking liabilityCovers a driver working for a trucking company who uses the truck between loads, off the job.
BobtailCovers a truck you drive for a trucking company when it has no trailer, such as a pickup heading home after dropping a load.
Trailer interchangePays for damage to a trailer you pull for someone else under a written trailer-sharing agreement.

Carriers can't use standard certificates of insurance with the commission. Only an insurer with authorization to do business in Pennsylvania may file Forms E, H, and K. Miss the 60-day deadline, and the state dismisses your application. It also holds back your Certificate of Public Convenience, the state permit that lets you take on for-hire work. That means a new application and another fee, so letting an agent experienced in truck insurance handle your filing right away saves you time and money.

State proof of liability for bodily injury and property damage uses Form E.
Cargo insurance is filed with the state through Form H.
If you only operate dump trucks, move certain bulk commodities, or haul loads worth $500 or less, a cargo waiver takes the place of Form H.
Only brokerage authority requires a surety bond in Pennsylvania.

Permits and numbers for Pennsylvania commercial truck insurance

A USDOT number is required for any intrastate truck or combination whose actual weight or rating is 17,001 pounds or more. Weight makes no difference here: an intrastate USDOT number is also required for hauling hazardous materials in amounts that call for placards, or for a vehicle built or operated to seat more than 8 passengers for pay (driver included), per Pennsylvania State Police rules.

Put your USDOT number and either your legal name or one trade name on both sides of all self-propelled commercial vehicles. Businesses exempt from PUC rules shouldn't apply, but for-hire PUC property carrier authority covers trucks of any size and requires a Safety Fitness Review. So your filings are not rejected, a trucking insurance agent makes sure your business name and USDOT number line up with your state application before the policy is bound.

If I enter another state, are federal filings required?

Federal rules take over after a state line is crossed. The PA PUC lacks jurisdiction there, and you skip the state authority application. The Unified Carrier Registration Act instead requires interstate carriers, freight forwarders, leasing companies, and brokers to register and pay a fee. Form BMC-91, Form BMC-91X, or a BMC-82 bond is filed by your insurer with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It proves you carry at least $300,000 when fleet vehicles are all under 10,001 pounds, or at least $750,000 when any vehicle is rated 10,001 pounds or above.

For general freight, $750,000 satisfies the government, yet major brokers such as C.H. Robinson ask carriers for auto liability of $1,000,000 and cargo coverage of $100,000. A trucking-focused insurance agent can arrange a $1,000,000 policy and submit your federal BMC-91X together with your Pennsylvania Form E in one step.

Wedge car hauler behind a dually with its ramps down at a rural car lot, a sedan being winched aboard

Questions people ask

If my truck insurance lapses in Pennsylvania, what happens?

Your vehicle registration gets suspended for 3 months when coverage lapses, although a $500 civil penalty can replace the suspension no more than 1 time in any 12 months. When you cancel a policy, PennDOT must get your plates and registration cards within 30 days to prevent a suspension. You also have 30 days from the mailing date on the official notice to appeal a registration suspension.

Which annual reports or cancellation forms are required by the PA PUC?

By March 31, every active PUC motor carrier must submit an annual assessment report covering operating revenues from the prior calendar year. When a trucking operation closes, property carriers must send in the specific cancellation request form to end their PUC operating authority.

Does the PA PUC let me book an in-person visit?

Yes, applicants can call the PA PUC at 717-787-3834 to schedule an in-person appointment. Make sure you bring a current form, because since January 1, 2022, the commission does not accept any application form older than the October 5, 2021 revision.

Sources

Insuring a truck in Pennsylvania

A trucking agent who places policies in Pennsylvania can quote it by phone, or you can send your details.

A quote costs nothing, and you do not have to buy.

Call +1 866 403 5064 Send my details

Desk in a small insurance agency office with a phone and notebook, a dually and gooseneck parked outside the window