Trucking insurance in North Dakota

North Dakota intrastate trucking insurance requirements

State law makes minimum coverage mandatory for every motor vehicle registered and driven within the state, the North Dakota Insurance Department says. These rules cover commercial and business vehicles in the same way as personal cars. For a private business truck, bodily injury liability must be $25,000 for each person and $50,000 for each accident, plus property damage liability of $25,000 per accident. On top of that, you need basic no-fault coverage of $30,000 per person. You and your passengers get medical bills paid through basic no-fault coverage after a crash, whoever caused it.

Uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 for each person and $50,000 for each accident is required for lighter business vehicles, with underinsured motorist coverage to match. Under state rules on commercial insurance, a commercial vehicle weighing more than 20,000 pounds is not required to hold uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. For-hire trucking means hauling someone else's goods for pay. The Federal Motor Carriers Act of 1980 may apply to for-hire vehicles, setting required limits between $750,000 and $5,000,000 based on cargo. Agents who write commercial trucks can set the right liability limit and cut coverage that a heavy vehicle does not need.

Liability limits for North Dakota commercial truck insurance

Once you cross a state line with for-hire cargo, federal rules for commercial liability apply, setting limits based on load type and truck weight. When a fleet runs only vehicles rated below 10,001 pounds, the federal rule for small fleets calls for liability coverage of at least $300,000. General freight has lower limits than hazardous cargo.

The legal minimums activate your authority, though freight brokers often want higher limits. One example is C.H. Robinson, which asks carriers for $100,000 in cargo liability plus $1,000,000 in auto liability. Before you bind coverage, a trucking insurance agent can weigh the $750,000 legal floor against the $1,000,000 broker standard.

Where do you file North Dakota trucking insurance and state plates?

Your insurer files Form BMC-91, BMC-91X, or a BMC-82 bond as proof of liability coverage with federal regulators under federal rules for filings. Filing these forms yourself is not allowed. A truck of 55,000 pounds or more, registered at least 59 days after its purchase, brings an added state requirement. You must provide proof of the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax filing on federal Form 2290.

NDDOT Motor Carrier Services handles multi-state plates and fuel accounts, and you cannot open or renew IRP accounts at branch offices (only the Bismarck office does this). Known as IRP or apportioned registration, an International Registration Plan account gives you 1 plate that multiple states accept. Form SFN 2479 is how you add a vehicle to your IRP account or take one off. Your Bismarck paperwork moves smoothly because a dedicated trucking agent matches your truck list to your BMC-91X filing.

Audits of IRP and IFTA at NDDOT Motor Carrier Services

Known as IFTA, the International Fuel Tax Agreement is 1 fuel tax account that splits your fuel tax payments across the states you drive in. Each year under state rules for motor carriers, auditors check 3% of enrolled IFTA or IRP carriers. Strict penalties apply when records are incomplete:

A knowledgeable truck insurance agent helps you match your active vehicle schedule to your state registration records.

• If your IFTA records are incomplete, all tax-paid fuel credit can be wiped out and your calculated mileage reduced to 4.00 miles per gallon.
• The 50% assessment comes with a 2nd IRP recordkeeping offense.
• Paying or appealing an audit assessment under IFTA or IRP must happen within 30 days of the audit report cover letter date.

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