Commercial truck insurance in New Jersey, sized for the $1.5M rule

Usually more than the minimum, and the port shows why. The Port of New York and New Jersey moved 5,955,798 loaded TEUs in 2025, second among U.S. ports, and the Port Authority says about 85% of the goods that come through it move by truck and stay local.

What port drayage adds to your policy

Container interchange runs on a contract, the UIIA, and its insurance requirements set their own terms:

• Auto liability: $1 million combined single limit, with each equipment provider you work with listed as an additional insured. A New Jersey-plated tractor already carries $1.5 million, so the endorsement and additional insureds are what you add. The symbols on your policy matter too; see our guide to commercial auto symbols.
• Interchange endorsement: the UIIE-1, CA 23 17, or TE 23 17B endorsement on the auto policy.
• General liability: $1 million per occurrence, with no portion self-insured. Our guide to CGL insurance for truckers explains what it covers.
• Trailer interchange: most equipment providers require it, at limits that vary. It pays for physical damage to the container or chassis you don’t own while it is in your care.

To enter the marine terminals, the Port Authority also requires a TWIC and a SeaLink card for each driver, a Class A CDL, and a truck registered in the Drayage Truck Registry through PortTruckPass with an RFID tag mounted. Only trucks with engines that meet 2014 model year EPA standards can register.

Cargo, physical damage, and workers’ comp

• Cargo: FMCSA requires none for general freight, but brokers and shippers can require it by contract. Motor truck cargo insurance protects the load, with reefer breakdown options. Household goods movers have a state cargo rule, covered below.
• Physical damage: no law requires it, but it is what repairs or replaces your own tractor and trailer; see physical damage insurance.
• Workers’ comp: New Jersey employers must provide it (N.J.S.A. 34:15-71), and misrepresenting employees as independent contractors is an offense under N.J.S.A. 34:15-79. Owner-operators can add occupational accident coverage, which we place.

Our commercial truck insurance page lists every line we place.

New Jersey checks for proof in the truck, at registration, and, for interstate carriers, on your federal record.

• Insurance ID card: every vehicle needs a New Jersey insurance identification card, paper or electronic, and the driver must show it on request (N.J.S.A. 39:3-29; see the MVC’s insurance requirements).
• IRP registration: a certificate of insurance showing $1.5 million in auto liability for apportioned vehicles.
• Interstate authority: your insurer files a BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA. If the filing is not made within 20 days of your application’s publication in the FMCSA Register, FMCSA serves notice that it will be dismissed unless you comply within 60 days.
• Cancellation: an interstate policy stays in force until 35 days after written notice of cancellation, under 49 CFR 387.7.
• Renewal: when a new minimum takes effect, your insurer must raise the limits at renewal and tell you which ones changed (N.J.S.A. 39:6B-1).

Driving without the required insurance brings a first-offense fine of $300 to $1,000, community service, and a possible license suspension of up to one year (N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2).

Household goods movers

Intrastate movers need a license from the Division of Consumer Affairs. Under N.J.A.C. 13:44D-4.7, cargo coverage runs at $1.00 per pound per article, with at least $25,000 per vehicle accident and $50,000 at any one time and place. The insurer files Forms E (liability), H (cargo), and K (cancellation), and cancellation takes effect only after 30 days’ written notice to the Division.

USDOT number and truck markings

New Jersey is on FMCSA’s list of states that require intrastate carriers to get a USDOT number, and NJDOT notes that federal safety rules apply to intrastate and interstate operations alike. Commercial trucks must also show the owner’s name and municipality in letters at least 3 inches high, plus the GVWR on New Jersey trucks of 26,001 pounds or more.

The rules and figures on this page come from these official sources, checked on September 25, 2026.

• New Jersey Legislature — P.L.2023, c.276 (PDF): The $1.5 million and $300,000 commercial vehicle minimums in N.J.S.A. 39:6B-1, the 35/70/25 floor, umbrella or excess to meet them, and the effective date.
• NJ DOBI — Bulletin 24-07 (PDF): The new commercial motor vehicle limits by weight class, effective for policies initiated or renewed from July 1, 2024.
• NJ DOBI — Statement on Bulletin 24-07 (PDF): The MVC statement that the increase does not apply to vehicles registered or IRP-based in another jurisdiction.
• NJ MVC — International Registration Plan: The certificate of insurance showing $1.5 million in auto liability required for apportioned vehicles.
• eCFR — 49 CFR 387.9: Federal minimum public liability: $750,000, $1 million, and $5 million, including the rows that apply to intrastate hazmat.
• FMCSA — Insurance Filing Requirements: Federal filings (BMC-91/91X), the filing deadline, the $300,000 small-vehicle minimum, and no cargo requirement for general freight.
• Port Authority of NY & NJ — Truckers: Share of port cargo moved by truck and the TWIC, SeaLink, CDL, Drayage Truck Registry, RFID, and engine-year requirements.
• IANA — UIIA Insurance Requirements: UIIA auto and general liability limits, the interchange endorsement, additional insureds, and trailer interchange.