How Much Insurance Do Trucking Companies Carry in Georgia?

Federal rules set the floor for trucking company insurance in Georgia: $750,000 for most interstate for-hire freight, and $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 for certain hazardous cargo (49 CFR 387.9). Those numbers are minimums, not caps. A single truck crash can involve several policies, and some carriers buy more than the law requires. This guide explains where the numbers come from and how to find out what coverage a trucking company actually has.

Federal minimum insurance for trucks, by cargo type

The federal minimum depends on what the truck is hauling. For trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, the schedule in 49 CFR 387.9 sets these public liability amounts:

• $750,000: for-hire carriers hauling nonhazardous property in interstate or foreign commerce.
• $1,000,000: for-hire and private carriers hauling oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101, or hazardous materials, substances or wastes not covered by the $5,000,000 tier. This applies to any quantity in interstate commerce, and to bulk loads only inside one state.
• $5,000,000: for-hire and private carriers hauling certain high-hazard loads, such as hazardous substances in bulk cargo tanks, portable tanks or hopper-type vehicles, bulk explosives, certain bulk poison and gas materials, and highway route controlled quantities of radioactive material. This tier applies in interstate, foreign or intrastate commerce.

A fourth line also sets $5,000,000 for smaller vehicles (under 10,001 pounds) carrying certain explosives, poisons or radioactive material in interstate commerce. “Public liability” means liability for bodily injury or property damage, including environmental restoration (49 CFR 387.5). A carrier may not operate a truck until this coverage is in effect (49 CFR 387.7(a)).

These amounts are old. The current federal schedule still lists January 1, 1985 as the effective date for the $750,000 figure (49 CFR 387.9).

For-hire vs. private carriers

The $750,000 general freight minimum is written for for-hire carriers. A for-hire carrier transports “the goods or property of another” for pay (49 CFR 387.5). The federal rule applies to “for-hire motor carriers operating motor vehicles transporting property in interstate or foreign commerce” (49 CFR 387.3(a)).

A private carrier hauls its own goods, such as a company running its own delivery fleet. For ordinary freight, the federal schedule does not set a private carrier’s insurance amount. The hazardous materials tiers are different. They apply to both for-hire and private carriers (49 CFR 387.3(b)), with an exception for non-bulk loads moving only inside one state (49 CFR 387.3(c)(2)).

None of this means a private fleet truck is uninsured. It means the federal floor does not tell you the number, so the actual policy has to be confirmed.

What the MCS-90 endorsement does

The MCS-90 is a federally required endorsement attached to a trucking company’s liability policy (49 CFR 387.7(d), 387.15). FMCSA explains that it is not issued for individual trucks. It “applies to all vehicles operated under that policy.”

Under the form’s text, the insurer agrees to pay, within the stated limits, any final judgment against the carrier for public liability from negligent operation of its trucks. That promise applies “regardless of whether or not each motor vehicle is specifically described in the policy.” If the insurer pays a judgment it would not otherwise owe under the policy, the carrier must reimburse the insurer.

The endorsement has limits. Its amounts apply separately to each accident, and it does not create coverage above the stated limit. It does not cover injury to the carrier’s own employees on the job, and it does not cover the cargo. Whether it applies to a given crash depends on the facts and the policy, so it is something to review case by case.

Georgia intrastate trucks

Trucks that run only inside Georgia may fall under different insurance rules. Georgia’s Department of Public Safety adopts many federal safety rules by reference, including Parts 382, 383 and 390 through 397 (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-1-.05). Part 387, the federal insurance part, is not on that list.

Georgia sets its own insurance requirements for carriers the Department regulates (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-2-.05), and those amounts can differ from the federal figures. Bulk hazardous loads moving inside Georgia are still covered by the federal hazmat tiers (49 CFR 387.3(b)). Because the answer depends on the cargo, the route and the type of carrier, our firm works to confirm the actual policy in each case.

Excess and umbrella policies

Some trucking companies carry more than one layer of liability coverage. The primary policy pays first, up to its limit. An excess or umbrella policy sits above it and pays after the primary layer is used up.

The federal system expects this. The MCS-90 form includes a version for excess coverage that applies “in excess of the underlying limit.” There is no standard size for these layers. The only way to know is to get the policy information.

Georgia gives injured people a tool for that. Within 60 days of a proper written request, a liability insurer must disclose each known policy, “including excess or umbrella insurance,” with the insurer, the insureds and the limits (O.C.G.A. § 33-3-28(a)(1)). The request must state the claim under oath and go by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery.

How to look up a trucking company’s insurance

You can check a carrier’s federal filings for free. Start with the company name or its USDOT number. Federal rules require carriers to display their USDOT number on their trucks (49 CFR 390.21).

1. SAFER Company Snapshot. FMCSA’s Company Snapshot gives a short record of a company’s identification, size, cargo, inspections, crashes and any safety rating.
2. Licensing and Insurance (L&I). FMCSA’s L&I search lets you search by USDOT number, MC docket number or company name. It holds licensing and insurance data for for-hire carriers, freight forwarders and property brokers.

Keep two limits in mind. L&I covers for-hire carriers, brokers and forwarders, so a private or Georgia-only carrier may not appear. FMCSA also notes that mailed insurance filings can take 3 to 5 working days to show up. A filing shows the carrier met the federal requirement. It may not show excess or umbrella layers.

Can you sue the trucking company’s insurer directly in Georgia?

Usually not, for crashes after mid-2024. For causes of action accruing on or after July 1, 2024 (SB 426), the motor carrier’s insurer may be joined as a defendant only if the carrier is insolvent or bankrupt, or the driver or carrier cannot be served after diligent effort (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-112(c), § 40-2-140(d)(4)).

In practice, the claim still runs through the insurer. The insurer opens a claim, assigns an adjuster and investigates. If the case does not settle, the lawsuit names the driver, the trucking company and any other responsible party. The insurer then pays any settlement or judgment covered by the policy, up to its limits. Our guide on calls from insurance adjusters explains what to say and what not to say early on.

Stacking: when more than one policy applies

One truck crash can involve several insurance policies. The answer depends on who owned, operated and arranged the load.

• The motor carrier. When a carrier leases a truck from an owner-operator, federal rules require the lease to give the carrier “exclusive possession, control, and use” and “complete responsibility” for the truck’s operation during the lease (49 CFR 376.12(c)(1)).
• The driver. An owner-operator may carry a separate policy.
• The trailer owner. A different company sometimes owns the trailer and insures it.
• The freight broker. In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC (U.S. May 14, 2026), the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal law (the FAAAA) does not preempt state negligent-hiring claims against freight brokers. A broker that carelessly picks an unsafe carrier may face its own claim, and its own insurance.
• Your own coverage. In Georgia, uninsured motorist coverage can add to the at-fault driver’s liability limits unless you chose reduced coverage in writing (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11(b)(1)(D)(ii)). Learn more about uninsured motorist coverage in Georgia.

Finding each layer takes work. Our post on trucking company evidence after a crash explains what to request and how fast it can disappear.

How truck insurance compares to rideshare insurance

Rideshare minimums work differently. Under O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24, an Uber or Lyft driver must carry at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage from the moment a ride is accepted until it ends. That is more than the $750,000 federal floor for an interstate general freight truck. See our Georgia rideshare accident page for details.

What this means if you were hurt

Higher limits can mean more money is available when the injuries justify it. Truck crashes often cause serious harm, and NHTSA reports 197 people died in Georgia crashes involving large trucks in 2024 (preliminary; DOT HS 813 816). Coverage does not set a case’s value, though. Value depends on the injuries, the evidence and fault.

Georgia reduces damages by your share of fault and bars recovery at 50% or more (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). You generally have 2 years to file an injury lawsuit (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). If a family member died, see our page on wrongful death truck accidents in Georgia.

Jonathan Flack spent two and a half years on the insurance side of commercial truck, tractor-trailer and medical transport van cases before founding the firm. He knows how carriers and their insurers look at a claim. Our firm recovered $650,000 for a client hurt in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer in Peachtree City. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Learn more on our Georgia truck accident attorney page or our Atlanta truck accident attorney page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Georgia truck accident lawyer about the coverage in your case

Insurance limits shape what a truck crash claim can realistically recover. Flack Injury Law works to identify every policy that may apply, from the carrier’s primary coverage to excess layers and other responsible companies. Jonathan Flack works directly on every case, and he speaks Spanish with clients without an interpreter.

Consultations are free, and you owe no fee and no case costs unless we recover money for you. Call (678) 653-0309 or contact us online. Our office is at 1201 W Peachtree St NW, Suite 2300, in Midtown Atlanta.

Related guides

• Atlanta truck accident attorney
• Georgia truck accident claims: laws, deadlines and insurance
• What Evidence Does a Trucking Company Have to Keep After a Crash?
• Who Is at Fault in a Jackknife Truck Accident in Georgia?
• Truck and Tractor-Trailer Accidents in Georgia: How Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Can Make or Break Your Case

See all our guides for people hurt in Georgia crashes.