Commercial truck insurance in Orlando: what Florida law requires
An Orlando truck can run under three different sets of insurance rules: federal limits for interstate freight, Florida's weight-based minimums for trucks that never leave the state, and the registration coverage every Florida plate carries. Knowing which one applies to each unit is where a sound program starts.
Written by Rigo Diaz
Orlando truck insurance in numbers
Commercial truck insurance in Orlando starts with which law sets your minimum. Interstate for-hire trucks need at least $750,000 in liability under federal rules. Trucks that stay in Florida follow state minimums by weight, from $50,000 to $300,000 at 26,000 pounds and up, on top of the $10,000 PIP and property damage every Florida plate requires.
Most Orlando carriers I talk to run a mix: a tractor that hauls out of state, a dump truck or box truck that never leaves Central Florida, maybe a trailer parked at the yard. Each one can sit under a different rule, and the gaps tend to open where those rules meet.
I spent more than six years in risk management before I founded Simplex, and I've led it for more than 25 years since. This guide covers which minimum applies to each kind of truck, what Florida requires of every registered vehicle, the coverages contracts add, how to prepare your trucks for hurricane season, and when Florida requires workers' comp.
The full briefing, read aloud
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Generated with AI text-to-speech from this article's key insights, in order, rather than reading it word for word. Chapter times come from a transcript of the audio. The article itself was written and reviewed by Rigo Diaz.
Key takeaways
Your lanes set the minimum
Interstate for-hire general freight needs $750,000 under federal rules. Trucks that stay in Florida follow the state's weight-based minimums instead.
Florida minimums climb with weight
$50,000 from 26,000 pounds, $100,000 from 35,000 pounds, and $300,000 from 44,000 pounds, in combined liability for trucks on Florida roads.
The plate needs its own coverage
Every Florida-registered truck carries $10,000 in PIP and $10,000 in property damage liability, continuously, even while parked or broken down.
A lapse costs you more than the truck
Your insurer reports cancellations to the state, and Florida can suspend the registration and the owner's driver license until coverage and a reinstatement fee are in.
Storm damage is a physical damage question
Liability never pays to fix your own truck. Wind and flood damage fall under comprehensive physical damage, so check what each unit carries before hurricane season.
In this articleContents
What is the minimum commercial truck insurance in Orlando?
It depends on where the truck runs, what it hauls, and how much it weighs. Federal rules set the floor for interstate for-hire freight and for hazmat; Florida law sets it for heavy trucks on Florida roads; and Florida registration adds personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability on top.
| Your operation | Minimum liability | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate for-hire, general freight, 10,001 pounds GVWR or more | $750,000 | 49 CFR 387.9, filed with FMCSA |
| Oil and other hazmat, any amount interstate or in bulk within Florida | $1,000,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
| Bulk and highest-risk hazmat, interstate or within Florida | $5,000,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
| Other trucks on Florida roads, 44,000 pounds or more | $300,000 combined | Florida Statute 627.7415 |
| Other trucks on Florida roads, 35,000 to under 44,000 pounds | $100,000 combined | Florida Statute 627.7415 |
| Other trucks on Florida roads, 26,000 to under 35,000 pounds | $50,000 combined | Florida Statute 627.7415 |
Florida's weight minimums apply to commercial motor vehicles "operated upon the roads and highways of this state", and a truck subject to the federal limits must carry the federal amount instead, under Florida Statute 627.7415. Running under the required minimum is a noncriminal traffic infraction.
Private fleets and lighter trucks
The federal minimums in 49 CFR 387.3 cover for-hire carriers and hazmat. An Orlando contractor hauling its own equipment or materials has no federal minimum, so on Florida roads the state's weight table is the legal floor.
Below 26,000 pounds, Florida's table doesn't reach. A Florida-only box truck can be registered on $10,000 in PIP and $10,000 in property damage, with no bodily injury liability at all. That is legal, and it is not a plan: one injury crash on I-4 can exceed it many times over, and any broker or shipper contract will ask for far more.
If you're starting out and haven't picked your lanes yet, our guide to getting your own MC authority covers when interstate authority, and the federal filing that comes with it, applies.
What does Florida require of every registered truck?
$10,000 in PIP and $10,000 in property damage liability, from an insurer licensed in Florida, shown before the truck is registered and kept in force for the whole registration period. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) requires that coverage even while the vehicle isn't being driven or can't run.
- PIP: 80% of reasonable medical expenses up to $10,000, plus $5,000 in death benefits, for people covered by the policy, regardless of fault, under Florida Statute 627.736.
- Property damage liability: at least $10,000 for damage to others' property in one crash, under Florida Statute 324.022.
- Heavier trucks: the weight-based minimum above, or the federal limit, is in addition to these.
What a lapse costs in Florida
Your insurer must report a canceled or nonrenewed PIP or property damage policy to FLHSMV within 10 days. Under Florida Statute 324.0221, the department then suspends both the vehicle's registration and the owner's driver license, after notice.
Getting them back takes new coverage and a reinstatement fee: $150 the first time, $250 the second, and $500 for each one after that within three years of the first. If you're parking a truck for the season, turn in the plate before you cancel the policy, as FLHSMV advises.
Interstate filings have their own clock. Federal policies stay in force until canceled with 35 days' written notice under 49 CFR 387.7, and FMCSA expects you to keep your insurance on file to avoid revocation proceedings. When you switch insurers, have the new filing in place before the old one ends.
Which coverages do Orlando contracts and lenders add?
Most of a working insurance program is required by someone other than the state: the broker, the shipper, the lender, the general contractor, or the carrier you lease to. Read each agreement before you buy, because each one names its own limits.
- Motor truck cargo: set by broker and shipper contracts; match the limit to your highest-value load and check commodity exclusions.
- Physical damage: usually required by your lender or lessor while a truck is financed.
- General liability: often required by job sites, distribution centers, and general contractors, usually with your customer named as an additional insured. Our guide to CGL insurance for truckers covers what it does and doesn't pay.
- Trailer interchange: for trailers you pull but don't own, under an interchange agreement.
- Non-trucking liability: for a leased owner-operator, when the lease puts off-dispatch coverage on you.
If you haul fill, rock, or debris to Central Florida job sites, the dump-specific gaps at the site and in the load are in our guide to commercial dump truck insurance. For the full menu, see types of commercial truck insurance coverage.
How should Orlando trucks be insured for hurricane season?
With comprehensive physical damage on every truck and trailer you can't afford to replace yourself. Liability pays for damage you cause to others; it never pays to repair your own truck after a storm.
Physical damage comes in two forms. Comprehensive auto coverage insures against any cause of loss not specifically excluded, including windstorm and flood. Specified causes of loss coverage pays only for the perils it lists, so read the list before you count on it after a hurricane.
- Check every unit, not just the tractors. Trailers and older trucks are the ones most often carried on liability only.
- Check the values. A truck scheduled at last year's value pays last year's value.
- Check the deductible. Know what you'd pay out of pocket on each unit if several were damaged in the same storm.
- Make changes in calm weather. Add trucks and coverage well before a storm is forecast, not when it's on the way.
Our physical damage insurance page explains how stated values and deductibles work on a truck policy.
When does an Orlando trucking company need workers' comp?
Once you have four or more employees, for most trucking work. Under Florida Statute 440.02, the threshold drops to one employee in the construction industry, which the law defines to include clearing, filling, and excavation.
That line matters for Orlando carriers that haul on construction jobs. How your hauling is classified decides which threshold applies, so confirm the class codes on your policy with your agent and, if in doubt, with Florida's Division of Workers' Compensation.
Owner-operators and contractors
Outside construction, Florida treats someone as an independent contractor, not an employee, if they meet at least four of six tests, such as running a separate business with their own truck, being paid as a business, and being free to work for others. Inside construction, an independent contractor counts as an employee for workers' comp purposes.
How much is semi truck insurance in Orlando?
There is no posted rate. Each insurer prices your operation: radius and lanes, commodities, truck values, each driver's record and experience, your loss history, your safety record, and the limits and deductibles you choose. New ventures pay more until they have a record to rate.
Choose the limits before you shop the price. Start with the minimum for each truck, add what your contracts require, then ask what one bad crash on your lanes could cost beyond that. Our guide to what drives commercial truck insurance costs breaks down the pricing factors.
What to have ready for a quote
- Legal business name and address, matching your registrations and filings.
- USDOT and MC numbers, if you have them, and whether each truck runs interstate, Florida-only, or both.
- Each unit's VIN, year, make, model, weight, value, and garaging address.
- Each driver's license number, date of birth, and years of experience.
- Commodities, radius, and typical lanes.
- Prior insurance and loss runs, plus any contract that names required limits or additional insureds.
When you compare quotes, compare the same limits, deductibles, and exclusions. A cheaper policy that leaves out a trailer or a commodity you haul isn't cheaper on the day you need it.
How Simplex helps Orlando carriers insure their trucks
We start with where each truck runs, what it hauls, and what your contracts require, then build the coverage around it.
Florida trucking insurance
As a broker, we quote and place commercial trucking insurance in Florida, from federal filings for interstate authority to coverage for trucks that never leave the state.
Physical damage coverage
Our physical damage insurance protects the trucks and trailers you own or finance, including against storm losses where the policy covers them.
Florida DOT compliance
Our Florida DOT compliance services keep driver files, registrations, and safety records in order, the records an underwriter looks at first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum truck insurance in Orlando, Florida?+
How much is semi truck insurance in Orlando?+
Do commercial trucks in Florida need PIP?+
Does truck insurance cover hurricane damage?+
Do I need workers' comp for my drivers in Florida?+
Where this information comes from
The requirements below come from Florida statutes, FLHSMV, federal regulations, and FMCSA, checked on October 20, 2026. Contracts, lenders, and leases can require more, so confirm your coverage with your agent.
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1
Florida Statute 627.7415 — Commercial motor vehicle liability
Florida's $50,000, $100,000, and $300,000 minimums by weight, and the federal amount for trucks under 49 CFR 387.
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2
FLHSMV — Florida Insurance Requirements
PIP and property damage at registration, continuous coverage while parked, surrendering the plate, and suspension penalties.
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3
Florida Statute 324.0221 — Insurer reports, suspension, reinstatement
10-day cancellation reports, registration and license suspension, and the $150, $250, and $500 reinstatement fees.
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4
Florida Statute 324.022 — Property damage financial responsibility
The $10,000 property damage requirement for vehicles registered in Florida.
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5
Florida Statute 440.02 — Workers' compensation definitions
The four-employee and construction-industry thresholds and the independent contractor tests.
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6
49 CFR 387.9 — Minimum levels of financial responsibility
Federal liability minimums for interstate for-hire carriers and hazmat, including bulk hazmat within a state.
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7
FMCSA — Insurance Filing Requirements
Insurer filings for operating authority and keeping proof of insurance on file to avoid revocation.
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8
IRMI — Comprehensive auto coverage
What comprehensive physical damage covers, including windstorm and flood, and how it differs from specified perils.
Written by
Rigo Diaz
Founder & CEO, Simplex Group
Founder and CEO of Simplex Group, with more than 25 years leading the company and helping trucking entrepreneurs navigate compliance, insurance, and the day-to-day demands of running a carrier. Before founding Simplex, he spent more than six years in risk management, experience that continues to shape how he approaches insurance, compliance, and carrier risk today.
Published · Updated
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Insure each truck for where it runs
An Orlando fleet rarely fits one rule. Match each truck to its minimum, add what your contracts and lenders require, and make sure the trucks you can't replace carry physical damage before the next storm.
If you want a second look at how your trucks are insured, unit by unit, talk to our team.