Georgia truck insurance for intrastate and interstate fleets
A for-hire carrier hauling general freight across state lines needs at least $750,000 in liability under federal rules, and hazmat needs $1 million to $5 million. A Georgia-only for-hire carrier registers with the Department of Public Safety and has its insurer file a Form E. Cargo and physical damage depend on what you haul.
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What insurance does Georgia require for commercial trucks?
Two sets of rules apply. Federal limits cover for-hire freight that crosses state lines, and the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) regulates trucks that run only inside Georgia. Hazardous materials can bring the federal limits into Georgia-only work too.
| Operation | Set by | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate for-hire general freight, 10,001 lb or more | FMCSA (49 CFR 387.9) | $750,000 |
| Interstate for-hire general freight, under 10,001 lb | FMCSA | $300,000 |
| Oil and hazardous materials not in the $5 million group: interstate in any quantity, Georgia-only in bulk | 49 CFR 387.9, adopted by Georgia DPS | $1,000,000 |
| Bulk hazardous substances in cargo tanks, portable tanks, or hoppers; bulk explosives; certain poison gases, interstate or Georgia-only | 49 CFR 387.9, adopted by Georgia DPS | $5,000,000 |
| Georgia-only for-hire freight registered under GIMC | Georgia DPS (O.C.G.A. 40-2-140) | A Form E showing liability coverage, in the amount the Commissioner of Public Safety sets |
| Georgia-only household goods movers | Georgia DPS (Rule 570-38-2-.05) | $100,000 / $300,000 / $50,000 liability, plus $25,000 cargo per vehicle and $50,000 per occurrence |
| Any vehicle on Georgia roads | Georgia law | $25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000 |
Georgia adopts the federal financial responsibility rule, 49 CFR Part 387, for interstate carriers and for the intrastate hazmat operations the rule already reaches. The DPS Transportation Rulebook (rule 1-387.1) says the department does not intend to impose the federal limits on other intrastate carriers. So a Georgia-only truck hauling general freight is not held to the $750,000 floor, but a for-hire one must keep a Form E on file, and Georgia law leaves the amount it must show to the Commissioner of Public Safety. DPS’s registration pages don’t publish that dollar figure for general freight, so confirm the limit with your agent before the filing goes in.
Who must register under GIMC?
The Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) program covers motor carriers running in intrastate commerce with:
- Vehicles or combinations of 10,001 pounds or more
- Vehicles hauling hazardous materials in placarded amounts
- Vehicles designed or used to carry more than 10 passengers, including the driver
- “Lightweight commercial vehicles” that haul property or passengers for pay, haul unplacarded hazardous materials, or work as wreckers or tow trucks
Carriers registered under the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) plan for interstate work are exempt, and so are covered farm vehicles that don’t haul for hire. Only for-hire carriers need the Form E; private carriers register without one.
What coverage does Georgia freight actually need?
Often more than the legal minimum, because contracts and the freight itself set the limits. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, freight and logistics directly support roughly one in 10 Georgia jobs. The state’s highway freight network runs 4,365 miles, and its 4,646 miles of active rail track make up the largest rail network in the Southeast. That mix shapes the policies Georgia fleets carry:
- Port and intermodal containers: the Governor’s office describes the Port of Savannah as the largest single-terminal container facility in the U.S. and its third-busiest container gateway, with inland ports and intermodal yards tied to the coast by rail. Container interchange runs on the UIIA, whose insurance requirements include $1 million in auto liability and $1 million in general liability, and most equipment providers add trailer interchange and cargo. Rail-yard runs around the metro are covered on our Atlanta commercial truck insurance page.
- Vehicles and heavy equipment: GDOT calls the Port of Brunswick the No. 1 port for automobiles and heavy equipment. High-value loads like these call for cargo limits sized to the load, not to a default.
- Fuel and chemicals: placarded loads move you into the $1 million or $5 million rows above, and bulk loads do so even on trips that never leave Georgia.
- General freight and reefer: neither FMCSA nor Georgia requires cargo insurance for general freight, but brokers and shippers can require it by contract. Motor truck cargo coverage protects the load, with reefer breakdown and spoilage options for refrigerated freight.
Beyond the load, most operations add physical damage for their own tractors and trailers, non-trucking liability for owner-operators leased to a carrier, general liability, and occupational accident coverage. Our commercial truck insurance page lists every line we place, including UIIA and trailer interchange.
What drives the cost of truck insurance in Georgia?
Your own operation drives most of the price: what you haul, your radius, your equipment, your drivers, and your loss history. We cover those factors and current benchmarks in how much commercial truck insurance costs.
Georgia’s legal rules also shape how trucking claims play out, and two recent laws changed them:
- Suing the insurer directly: Georgia’s motor carrier laws let an injured person join the carrier’s insurance company in the same lawsuit. Senate Bill 426 narrowed that for causes of action arising on or after July 1, 2024: the insurer can now be joined only when a motor carrier involved is insolvent or bankrupt, or when the driver or the carrier can’t be served after reasonable diligence.
- The 2025 tort reform package: signed in April 2025 with the stated aim of stabilizing insurance costs, it lets juries see both the medical amounts billed and the amounts actually paid, limits “anchoring” of pain-and-suffering figures in closing arguments, allows a party to ask for a bifurcated trial, and makes seatbelt evidence admissible, according to the Governor’s office. It does not cap what a jury can award.
Neither law sets your premium. Your safety record is the part you can move: roadside inspections and crashes feed the CSA scores underwriters read, as our guide to how CSA scores affect truck insurance premiums explains.
How do Georgia insurance filings work?
Your insurer files proof of coverage; buying the policy is not enough. For GIMC, the insurance company, not your agent, uploads the Form E electronically, and its details must match your application.
| Filing | Filed with | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Form E | Georgia DPS (Tyler Insurance Filings for GIMC) | Liability insurance for Georgia-only for-hire work |
| Form H | Georgia DPS | Cargo insurance for certificated carriers such as household goods movers |
| Form K | Georgia DPS | Cancellation of a certificated carrier’s insurance |
| BMC-91 or BMC-91X | FMCSA | Interstate liability insurance |
| MCS-90 | Kept at your principal place of business | The federal public liability endorsement on your policy |
How do you keep Georgia filings active?
- Complete the GIMC file: registration is not active until DPS has every document and fee, including a notarized immigration affidavit and proof of an approved motor carrier safety seminar taken in the past 12 months.
- Renew every year: 2027 GIMC registration is open now, with a December 31, 2026 deadline and enforcement from January 1, 2027. The fee is $5 per vehicle by the deadline or for a new applicant, and $25 per vehicle after it.
- Never let coverage lapse: under DPS Rule 570-38-2-.05, a certificated carrier’s certificate becomes void the moment its required insurance lapses, and the insurer should give DPS at least 30 days’ notice before a cancellation where possible.
- Interstate work: after you apply for MC authority, your insurer files the BMC-91 or BMC-91X. If it isn’t filed within 20 days of publication in the FMCSA Register, FMCSA warns that the application will be dismissed unless you comply within 60 days. Federal policies need 35 days’ written notice to cancel under 49 CFR 387.7.
- UCR: interstate carriers register under UCR instead of GIMC. Our UCR renewal guide covers the deadline and fees.
How to get commercial truck insurance in Georgia
Five steps take you from a USDOT number to a truck that can legally run in Georgia.
Step 1: Decide where you will run
Georgia-only, interstate, or both. GIMC registration asks for your USDOT number, interstate for-hire work adds FMCSA operating authority and UCR. We also handle USDOT, MC authority, and UCR registration through our DOT compliance services in Georgia.
Step 2: Gather what underwriters ask for
Your DOT and MC numbers, a driver list with motor vehicle records, a unit schedule with VINs and values, commodities, radius, garaging address, and three to five years of loss runs if you have them.
Step 3: Set limits for your contracts, not just the law
Start from your minimum in the table above, then check what your brokers, shippers, lender, and any UIIA equipment providers require.
Step 4: Bind and confirm every filing
Before you dispatch, confirm your Form E is on file with DPS for Georgia-only for-hire work and your federal filing shows on your FMCSA record.
Step 5: Request your quote
Tell us what you haul and where. A licensed agent follows up with real options from our offices in Miami, Houston, Richardson, and Rancho Cucamonga, and we recommend reviewing the policy every year as your operation changes.
Sources
The rules and figures on this page come from these official sources, checked on October 5, 2026.
- Georgia DPS — Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) registration: Who must register under GIMC, the lightweight commercial vehicle rule, the UCR exemption, and the Form E filed by the insurance company for for-hire carriers.
- Georgia DPS — UCR and GIMC Registration: The 2027 GIMC deadline, enforcement date, and $25 late fee, and UCR for interstate carriers.
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-2-.05: Forms E, H and K, the void-on-lapse rule, 30-day notice, and the $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 and cargo minimums for certificated carriers.
- Georgia DPS — Transportation Rulebook: Chapter 1, rule 1-387.1: how Georgia adopts the federal financial responsibility rules.
- eCFR — 49 CFR 387.9: Federal minimum public liability: $750,000, $1 million, and $5 million, and when they reach intrastate hazmat.
- FMCSA — Insurance Filing Requirements: The $300,000 small-vehicle minimum, no cargo requirement for general freight, BMC-91/91X, and the 20-day and 60-day deadlines.
- Georgia Senate Bill 426 (2024), as signed: Limits on joining a motor carrier’s insurer in a lawsuit, for causes of action from July 1, 2024.
- Georgia DOT — Georgia Freight: Freight jobs, highway and rail freight networks, the Port of Brunswick, and Georgia’s inland ports.
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Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a truck need in Georgia?+
A for-hire truck hauling general freight across state lines needs at least $750,000 in liability, or $1 million to $5 million for hazmat, under 49 CFR 387.9. A Georgia-only for-hire carrier registers under GIMC with the Department of Public Safety, and its insurance company files a Form E.
Do I need to register a cargo van that hauls for pay in Georgia?+
Yes, if it hauls property for pay only inside Georgia: DPS counts it as a lightweight commercial vehicle that needs GIMC registration and a Form E. If the van crosses state lines for hire, the federal minimum for general freight under 10,001 pounds is $300,000.
What insurance does a passenger van for hire need in Georgia?+
A Georgia-only passenger carrier needs a DPS certificate and at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 in property damage for a vehicle seating 12 or fewer. Above 12 seats, the per-accident limit rises to $500,000; limousines, taxis, and ride-share services follow separate rules.
How much cargo insurance do I need?+
Neither FMCSA nor Georgia requires cargo insurance for general freight, so the amount comes from your broker and shipper contracts and the value of your loads. Georgia household goods movers are the exception: they need $25,000 per vehicle and $50,000 per occurrence.
Do Georgia-only carriers need a USDOT number?+
Yes. The GIMC application asks for your USDOT number, and you register each vehicle that runs only inside Georgia. Carriers registered under UCR for interstate work are exempt from GIMC.
Is Simplex Group a Georgia insurance company?+
No. We are a broker: we quote and place commercial truck insurance with insurance companies, so you get market options rather than one quote, and we handle the filings. You can check any insurer or agent on the Georgia insurance commissioner’s Agent/Company Search.
Can I be sued together with my insurer in Georgia?+
Only in limited cases since July 1, 2024. Under Senate Bill 426, an injured person can join a motor carrier’s insurer in the lawsuit only if a carrier involved is insolvent or bankrupt, or the driver or carrier can’t be served after reasonable diligence.
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