Does Hawaii set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. Hawaii 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 a Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.

Hawaii Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026

What Hawaii requires

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

Liability minimum: Null by design: the PUC states its property-carrier minimum as three split limits, not one figure. HAR 6-62-8(c) requires $250,000 bodily injury or death per person, $750,000 bodily injury or death per accident, and $250,000 property damage per accident, filed with the commission before the carrier operates on any public street or highway.
Cargo minimum: Null by design: the rule sets a formula with ceilings, not a single figure. The two ceilings appear as cargo rows in the operation-type table.
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.

Hawaii minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability	Minimum cargo	Set by	Notes
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: bodily injury or death, per person	$250,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(1)
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: bodily injury or death, per accident	$750,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(2)
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: property damage, per accident	$250,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(3)
Cargo security, property carried on any one motor vehicle (ceiling of the half-of-declared-value rule)	Not applicable	$1,500	HAR 6-62-9(a)(1)	Security must equal at least one-half of the declared value of cargo released to the carrier, up to this amount. Not applicable to carriers hauling only gravity-discharge commodities, who carry cargo insurance equal to market value or $100, whichever is greater (6-62-9(b)).
Cargo security, aggregate loss at any one time and place (ceiling of the half-of-declared-value rule)	Not applicable	$3,000	HAR 6-62-9(a)(2)

Scroll sideways to see every column.

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.

Liability proof: Form WC-3539, Uniform Motor Carrier Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Certificate of Insurance, with endorsement Form WC-3538; forms are provided by the PUC for execution by insurers authorized to do business in Hawaii (HAR 6-62-12).
Cargo proof: Form MCB-8, Hawaii Motor Carrier Cargo Certificate of Insurance, with endorsement Form MCB-9 (HAR 6-62-13).
Cancellation: Liability insurance may not be canceled until 30 days after the PUC receives notice on Form WC-3547; cargo insurance likewise needs 30 days' notice on Form MCB-10 (HAR 6-62-12(c) and 6-62-13(c)).

Proof of insurance is not needed at filing; the PUC requires it within 120 days after the Decision and Order approving the application (PUC FAQ Q20). Security may also be a surety bond or self-insurance (HAR 6-62-8(a)).

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

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Where insurance fits in the Hawaii 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 Hawaii intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Hawaii.