Trucking insurance in Alabama

Alabama intrastate trucking insurance requirements and filings

Carriers are regulated by the Alabama Public Service Commission Motor Carrier Services Section under the Alabama Motor Carrier Act, found in Code Title 37 Chapter 3. To haul loads or people for pay from one Alabama point to another, you need intrastate authority. State permission to haul loads on trips that begin and end within the state is called intrastate authority. Every carrier the commission regulates must file liability insurance proof, and carriers of property or household goods must also file cargo insurance proof. For a property carrier, the commission’s insurance minimums are $100,000 for one person hurt, $300,000 for everyone hurt in one crash and $50,000 for property damage, $350,000 combined, plus $5,000 of cargo cover. Damage to or loss of the freight you haul is what cargo insurance pays for.

Each vehicle on a public road also has to meet the rules for mandatory liability insurance in Alabama with a personal liability policy, liability bond, commercial auto policy, or cash deposit from an insurer that's qualified in Alabama. The base minimum for any vehicle is $25,000 for bodily injury or death of 1 person, $50,000 for every injury and death combined in one accident, and $25,000 to cover property damage. You can avoid delays and file the correct forms by working with an insurance agent who handles state truck paperwork often.

Alabama commercial truck insurance and weight rules

According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Motor Carrier Safety Unit, a business vehicle counts as commercial and open to inspection once the gross vehicle weight rating goes over 10,000 lbs. Printed on your door-frame label, the gross vehicle weight rating is the heaviest loaded weight your truck or your truck-and-trailer combination can carry safely, according to the manufacturer. Loaded weight must stay within that rating and within the road limit in Section 32-9-20(a)(4), Code of Alabama 1975.

Most commercial vehicles in Alabama must show an interstate or intrastate USDOT number. The exception is an intrastate-only carrier whose straight trucks, or truck-trailer units, are rated 26,000 lbs or less: inside Alabama it is exempt from federal rules and needs no USDOT number. Passenger buses and haulers of hazardous material or hazardous waste never get this exemption. To get a policy that fits your exact weight ratings, talk with a commercial truck agent.

Alabama trucking insurance minimums for interstate freight

Federal liability floors start once you cross state lines. They begin at $300,000 when every vehicle is below 10,001 lbs, and reach the $750,000 non-hazardous freight minimum for vehicles at 10,001 lbs or heavier. Your insurer proves the cover to FMCSA electronically on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X, a BMC-82 surety bond can stand in for the policy, and the policy itself carries the MCS-90 endorsement. Interstate property carriers, for-hire and private alike, must also pay the Unified Carrier Registration fee each year through the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Brokers like C.H. Robinson expect $1,000,000 of auto liability plus $100,000 of cargo coverage, even where federal law permits less. Before buying, ask a truck insurance agent to weigh the smallest amount the law allows against the $1,000,000 limit that most brokers look for.

Where in Alabama do you get truck tags and permits?

The Alabama Department of Revenue issues all truck registrations, tags, and fuel stickers at (334) 242-9000. Without liability insurance, Alabama Code Section 32-7A-3 bars you from registering a vehicle or driving it on a public road. Your coverage filings can stay matched to your registration, with help from a dedicated truck insurance agent, as you follow state safety rules:

• Maintain a driver logbook unless the 100 air-mile exemption applies to you.
• Send driver or vehicle inspection forms back to the state Motor Carrier Safety Unit; the deadline is 15 days from the inspection.

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