Does Arizona set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. Arizona publishes its own financial-responsibility rules for intrastate carriers, and they are not a copy of the federal levels. Each figure the state publishes renders in the tables here with the official source beside it.

Do federal insurance minimums still apply to an Arizona carrier?

Interstate operations file proof of coverage with FMCSA under 49 CFR Part 387 no matter which state the carrier is based in. The state rules on this page govern intrastate-only operations; the federal table shows the levels an interstate filing must meet.

What insurance does a new Arizona carrier line up first?

Primary liability comes first: the state and federal filings both ride on an active liability policy. Cargo coverage follows where the state or your shippers require it, and physical damage on the truck is a lender requirement rather than a state rule.

Where do these figures come from?

Every dollar amount renders from the state agency publication or statute cited beside it, or from the federal regulation for the contrast table. When an agency publishes no figure, the field reads "Not confirmed" with a note on what the agency does say.

Arizona Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026

What Arizona requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Arizona intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note explains what the agency does say.

Liability minimum: From $750,000; the operation-type table below lists each class
Cargo minimum: 28-4033 lists liability tiers for nonhazardous property, passengers, and hazardous materials and no cargo figure, so none is recorded.
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

General freight is not the floor for every carrier; buy against the row that matches what you haul.

Arizona minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
Nonhazardous property, vehicle over 26,000 lb gross vehicle weight	$750,000
Nonhazardous property, vehicle of 20,001 to 26,000 lb gross vehicle weight	$300,000
Any quantity of oil listed in 49 CFR 172, or hazardous wastes, materials, or substances listed in 49 CFR 171 and 172 not in the $5 million tier	$1,000,000
Hazardous substances in cargo tanks, portable tanks, or hopper-type vehicles over 3,500 water gallons; any quantity of class A or B explosives or poison gas (poison A); liquefied or compressed gas in such tanks over 3,500 water gallons; radioactive materials requiring specialized handling	$5,000,000
Passengers, seating capacity of 16 or more (plus at least $300,000 uninsured motorist coverage)	$5,000,000
Passengers, seating capacity over 8 and under 16 including the driver (plus at least $300,000 uninsured motorist coverage)	$750,000
Passengers, seating capacity of 8 or fewer including the driver (plus at least $250,000 uninsured motorist coverage, or the 28-4038 / 28-4039 minimums where those apply)	$250,000

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Who files the proof of insurance

Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you. Ask for them by form name when you bind coverage.

No state insurance filing form is named in 28-4033 or 28-4034 or on ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page. 28-4034(B) instead lets the department require a carrier to certify its financial responsibility in the form and at the times it deems necessary and forward the certification to the named insurer; for leased vehicles 28-4033(B) and (C) put the coverage duty on the lessor unless the lessee carries it, and on the lessee where its use needs a higher tier.

The federal minimums, for contrast

Cross a state line for hire and the federal financial-responsibility levels take over, filed with FMCSA by your insurer. The amounts below render from 49 CFR Part 387 (property carriers 387.303, brokers and freight forwarders 387.307, endorsements 387.15), as displayed on FMCSA's insurance filing requirements page; the filing mechanics live in our BMC-91 and BMC-34 insurance filings guide.

Federal minimum public liability levels by operation (49 CFR Part 387)
Operation	Vehicle	Liability minimum
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardous	GVWR under 10,001 lb	$300,000
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardous (general freight)	GVWR 10,001 lb or more	$750,000
For-hire carrier of certain hazardous materials	Any	$1,000,000
For-hire and private carriers of explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materials	Any	$5,000,000
For-hire carrier of household goods	GVWR 10,001 lb or more	$750,000
For-hire carrier of passengers	15 or fewer passengers	$1,500,000
For-hire carrier of passengers	16 or more passengers	$5,000,000
Broker of property or household goods	None	None
Freight forwarder of property	None	None
Freight forwarder of household goods	None	None

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Where insurance fits in the Arizona launch

Coverage sits early in the sequence: the federal filing sequence needs your insurer's proof of coverage on file before authority activates, and the state rules above attach to the credential covered on the Arizona intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Arizona.