Car Hauler Insurance: Coverage, Requirements and Cost

Car hauler insurance is a package of policies, not one policy. If you run under your own authority, you carry primary auto liability, cargo coverage for the cars on your trailer, and physical damage for your truck and trailer. Most carriers add general liability, and you may need workers’ comp or occupational accident coverage for drivers.

The federal minimum for liability is $750,000 for a for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous property in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more. Brokers usually ask for more: $1,000,000 in auto liability is the common requirement, and cargo limits of $100,000 to $250,000 or higher are typical, depending on what your trailer carries.

Note: This guide is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Policies and requirements change. Confirm what applies to you with a licensed insurance agent and with FMCSA.

The coverages a car hauler carries

Primary auto liability

This pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others with your truck. It is the coverage FMCSA requires and the one brokers check first. It does not pay for the cars you haul or your own equipment.

Cargo (motor truck cargo or on-hook)

Cargo coverage pays for the vehicles on your trailer if they are damaged, lost or stolen in your care. For auto transport insurance, this is the coverage that matters most to brokers and customers.

Make sure the policy is written for vehicles. Alvix Insurance Group warns that standard motor truck cargo policies often exclude vehicles, so look for wording such as auto hauler cargo or on-hook coverage.

Physical damage for the truck and trailer

This covers your own truck and trailer after a collision, theft, fire or weather damage. Cargo coverage does not pay for your equipment: Progressive states plainly that cargo insurance “does not cover your truck.” If your truck or trailer is financed or leased, the lender will usually want this coverage.

General liability

General liability covers claims that do not come from driving, such as someone hurt at a terminal or staging area.

Non-trucking liability and bobtail

These cover your truck when it is not under dispatch. They mostly matter if you are leased on to another carrier’s authority. LogRock notes the motor carrier’s policy may not apply when a leased-on driver is repositioning or parked.

Workers’ comp or occupational accident

If you have employee drivers, Insureon notes that workers’ compensation is required in most states. Owner-operators and contractor drivers often look at occupational accident coverage instead, which some auto hauler programs, such as Hylant’s, offer as an option. Ask your agent which your state and your setup require.

Garagekeepers and other add-ons

Agents that specialize in auto hauler insurance offer extras. CNS Insurance, for example, lists garagekeepers coverage for vehicles in your possession and manifested auto coverage for driving a customer’s car on a lot or road. Ask whether your work needs them.

Legal minimums versus what the market requires

Car hauler insurance requirements come from two places: federal law, which sets the minimum, and the brokers and load boards you want to work with, who usually set the bar higher.

What FMCSA requires

Federal rules set a floor. Under 49 CFR 387.303, the minimum for for-hire interstate carriers hauling non-hazardous property is:

Fleet	Minimum liability (bodily injury and property damage)
Vehicles of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more	$750,000
Fleet made up only of vehicles under 10,001 lbs GVWR	$300,000

You may read online that the federal minimum for car haulers is $1,000,000. The regulation lists $750,000 for non-hazardous property. The $1,000,000 figure is what brokers ask for, not the legal floor.

FMCSA does not set a cargo insurance minimum for car haulers. The cargo minimums in Part 387 ($5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence) apply to household goods carriers.

The filings: BMC-91, BMC-91X and MCS-90

Proof of coverage has to be on file with FMCSA:

BMC-91 or BMC-91X is the certificate filed with FMCSA showing your liability coverage. Under 49 CFR 387.313, the BMC-91 shows the full limit; the BMC-91X can show full coverage or a layer of it, for example when more than one insurer shares the limit.
MCS-90 is an endorsement on your liability policy and one of the accepted forms of proof under 49 CFR 387.7. It protects the public. It is not cargo coverage.

Your public FMCSA record may show only the federal minimum; brokers see your real limit on your certificate of insurance.

What brokers and load boards ask for

Auto liability: $1,000,000 is the common requirement among brokers, according to LogRock, Trucking Insurance Services and Marquee Insurance Group.
Cargo: Requirements vary by broker. Sherpa Auto Transport requires carriers to carry at least $100,000 in motor truck cargo coverage. LogRock says cargo limits commonly start at $100,000 to $250,000 or more, based on the value of a full trailer.
Super Dispatch: To get Verified Carrier status you upload a certificate of insurance listing Super Dispatch as certificate holder. Super Dispatch says there is no minimum cargo limit at submission, but active cargo insurance must be kept at all times, and verified status may be revoked if authority or insurance lapses.
Central Dispatch: Its verification checks that carriers have operating authority and valid insurance on file before activation, and it monitors insurance status after that. It also tells shippers to ask to be added as certificate holder.

For more on how each board works, see our guide to car hauler load boards.

Matching cargo coverage to what you haul

In car hauling insurance, cargo coverage is where most gaps show up. It has to fit your actual loads, not a typical load.

Per-vehicle and total limits

Many cargo policies have two numbers: a limit per vehicle and a limit for the whole load. CNS Insurance gives the example of a $250,000 cargo policy with a $40,000 per-vehicle sub-limit. If a car worth $60,000 is totaled under that policy, the per-vehicle cap applies and the difference can come out of your pocket, even though the total limit is far from used.

Check both numbers against your trailer:

Total limit: One auto hauler insurance agency, proinsgrp.com, notes that a loaded open 7 to 10 car hauler can carry $200,000 to $500,000 in vehicles. Your total limit should cover your most valuable full load.
Per-vehicle limit: It should cover the most expensive single car you accept. LogRock calls per-vehicle sub-limits a frequent dispute point.

Exclusions to watch for

Read the exclusions in your actual policy. Sources on auto transport coverage list these common gaps:

Personal items inside the car. Sherpa Auto Transport notes cargo coverage may not include personal belongings left in the vehicle.
Pre-existing damage and mechanical failure. Damage that was there before pickup and mechanical breakdowns are commonly excluded, per Sherpa.
Certain weather events. Sherpa also lists some weather-related events and natural disasters.
Unattended vehicles. Some cargo policies deny theft claims if the truck was left unattended, or set locking and time conditions, according to My Safety Manager.

Wording varies between insurers, so ask for the full policy form and read it.

What drives car hauler insurance cost

Car hauler insurance cost varies widely from one carrier to the next. Two recent reference points:

LogRock’s 2026 guide says most for-hire operators pay about $700 to $1,500 per month per truck, with new authorities and enclosed transport typically paying more.
Insureon reports a median of $787 per month for commercial auto insurance among car hauling businesses that applied for quotes through it, plus $51 per month for general liability and $650 per month for workers’ comp.

Your quote can land well outside these ranges. The main factors, per LogRock, Insureon, Progressive and FreightWaves:

Authority age. A new authority gets more cautious underwriting than one with years of history.
Driving record. Your MVR and your drivers’ records.
Operating radius and location. Where you run and where the truck is based.
Trailer type. Enclosed and high-value work costs more than open.
Cargo limit. Higher cargo limits mean higher premiums.
Deductible. A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay per claim.
Claims history. Loss history weighs heavily at renewal.
Payment. Progressive offers a paid-in-full discount.

Our guide on how much car haulers make shows how insurance fits against revenue.

Practical points

Certificates of insurance

Every new broker will ask for a certificate of insurance (COI), and many will ask to be listed as certificate holder. Your agent issues these, so keep that contact handy.

Keep your filing active

Under 49 U.S.C. 13906, your registration stays in effect only as long as you keep meeting the insurance requirement. Under 49 CFR 387.313, a filing cannot be canceled until 30 days after written notice to FMCSA, so a cancellation gives you a short window to get replacement coverage filed. FMCSA can suspend registration for failure to meet the insurance rules.

A lapse also hits your load board access: Super Dispatch may revoke verified status, and Central Dispatch monitors insurance status.

Document every car

Federal rules (49 CFR 373.101) require interstate carriers to issue a receipt or bill of lading. For car haulers, the bill of lading is also your best evidence of a car’s condition.

At pickup, inspect the whole car, mark existing damage on the BOL and take timestamped photos from every side.
If dirt, snow or darkness prevents a full inspection, note that on the BOL.
At delivery, walk the car with the receiver, note any new damage as an exception and get it signed.

As LogRock puts it, “Your paper trail is your best defense.”

When a claim happens

Report it to your agent or insurer right away with the pickup and delivery BOLs and photos. Under 49 U.S.C. 14706, a carrier cannot give a customer less than 9 months to file a damage claim, or less than 2 years from a written denial to sue. Keep your records.

Where dispatch fits in

Brokers check your authority and insurance before they give you a load, and every new broker means a setup packet and a COI request.

One Two Dispatch works only with car haulers. We do not sell insurance, but we handle broker setups and the paperwork that comes with them, book loads, negotiate rates, invoice brokers for you and chase late payments. The fee is 4 to 7% per load depending on what the load pays, with no forced dispatch, a free first week and cancel anytime. Apply here to get started.