Trucking insurance in Michigan

Michigan intrastate trucking insurance requirements

To drive legally, your vehicle must carry no-fault auto insurance in Michigan, as state law requires. Operating in intrastate commerce means your loads are picked up and dropped off inside Michigan, and you never cross a state line.

(For any policy written no later than July 1, 2020, 20/40/10 was the legal minimum for bodily injury and property damage.) Hauling another person's freight for pay inside the state also calls for intrastate operating authority. That authority is the government's permission to operate as a for-hire carrier. You can call the Michigan Department of Transportation at 517-284-3250 for help with Michigan Intrastate Operating Authority. A truck insurance agent helps you, on day 1, bring your policy in line with state rules.

• Michigan Property Protection: covers up to $1,000,000 when your vehicle damages someone else's property in Michigan.
• The default bodily injury limit under the state's bodily injury rules starts at $250,000 per person.
• The lowest bodily injury option a Michigan driver can buy is $50,000 per injured person and $100,000 per accident.
• For damage to property outside Michigan, the state minimum includes a limit of up to $10,000.

Michigan highway permits and USDOT numbers

Your company's safety record gets tracked by a USDOT number, which is the identification number shown on your truck. The Michigan carrier rules cover carriers using any commercial vehicle heavier than 10,001 pounds, in-state or across state lines. Those carriers must get a USDOT number and show it. You can register by calling the Michigan State Police Traffic Safety Division, formerly the Motor Carrier Division, at (888) 464-8736.

Before tall or heavy loads roll, they need state clearance. Oversize or overweight permits for state and federal highways in Michigan, both single-trip and extended, come from the state's MiTRIP permit system. Permits are required for any vehicle or object over 13' 6" in height, and you can call 517-241-8999 with general permit questions. Check with a trucking insurance agent before you pull permits, and your policy is sure to cover oversized freight.

Do you need federal filings with Michigan commercial truck insurance?

Once your truck crosses a state line, federal liability rules apply. If the vehicle's rating is 10,001 pounds or more, a for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous property must hold at least $750,000 in liability.

A for-hire property fleet with nothing but vehicles under 10,001 pounds gets a lower federal minimum for lighter vehicles: $300,000. When you haul hazardous materials, higher limits apply.

You'll also need a federal filing before your authority goes active. Your insurer sends electronic proof of liability coverage to federal regulators as Form BMC-91X under the federal filing requirements for insurance. (Form BMC-91 or a BMC-82 bond can also be filed by your insurer.) Delays in your paperwork are prevented when you work with an agent filing authorities every week.

Broker limits for Michigan trucking insurance

If you carry $750,000, you meet the federal requirement for general freight, but many brokers still refuse to load your truck at that limit. C.H. Robinson carrier requirements, for instance, call for auto liability of $1,000,000 plus cargo liability of $100,000. One practical step is asking a trucking insurance agent for prices at $750,000 and $1,000,000, which can help you avoid missing loads.

Questions people ask