Does Louisiana set its own trucking insurance minimums?

The stored record marks state and federal minimums as different. Review the operation-specific rows and source notes; the difference does not establish one amount for every carrier.

Do federal insurance minimums still apply to a Louisiana carrier?

Federal insurance requirements depend on the vehicle, commodity and operation. Review the federal table and its cited regulation alongside the applicable state requirements; state location alone does not settle coverage or filing scope.

What insurance does a new Louisiana carrier line up first?

Review the liability, cargo and filing requirements for your operation before comparing coverage. The source notes identify the stored state and federal scope; insurer and contractual requirements need their own check.

Where do these figures come from?

The tables show stored amounts with their recorded sources. A field marked "Not confirmed" is a verification gap. Review its note; that label does not establish that the agency publishes no amount or that no requirement applies.

Louisiana Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Aug 5, 2026

What Louisiana requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Louisiana intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means this guide has not confirmed that value. The note explains the gap; unknown is not evidence of absence.

Liability minimum: Louisiana sets no intrastate liability minimum for a general freight carrier, because it certificates none. For the classes it does regulate, La. R.S. 45:163(D)(1) sets the minimums by class rather than as a single figure, which is why the liability figure is left blank by design and the schedule sits in the operation-type table below. Household goods, saltwater, and passenger-carrying vehicles carry $250,000 for injury or death to any one person, not to exceed $500,000 per occurrence, plus $25,000 property damage. Tow trucks and wreckers carry not less than $500,000 combined single limit. Waste trucks carry not less than $750,000 combined single limit.
Cargo minimum: $50,000 (La. R.S. 45:164(E)(1) requires an intrastate household goods mover to carry motor truck cargo carriers insurance of at least fifty thousand dollars per truck and one hundred thousand dollars per catastrophe, to secure and maintain workers compensation insurance, and to file a surety bond by a qualified surety company in the amount of five thousand dollars with the Commission, all before engaging in any activity related to moving household goods. No other class carries a Louisiana cargo minimum, and general freight carries none at all.)
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

Review the operation-specific scope and source notes before relying on a coverage amount.

Louisiana minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
Household goods movers, per person	$250,000
Household goods movers, per occurrence	$500,000
Saltwater used in oil well exploration and production, per person	$250,000
Passenger carrying vehicles, per person	$250,000
Passenger buses, per person	$250,000
Tow trucks and wreckers, combined single limit	$500,000
Waste transport, combined single limit	$750,000
Property damage, household goods, saltwater and passenger carrying vehicles	$25,000

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Who files the proof of insurance

The rows identify stored proof-of-coverage filings. Confirm which filing applies to your authority and who submits it before requesting a form.

Liability proof: Form E, Bodily Injury and Property Damage Certificate of Insurance
Cargo proof: Form H, Motor Truck Cargo (household goods movers only)

Filings must be made by the insurance underwriter, not the carrier, and the name and address on the Form E must match the application exactly. Household goods movers also file an Accord certificate of workers compensation coverage and the original $5,000 surety bond. All filings are due within thirty days of the date the Commission received the application. Louisiana charges no separate insurance filing fee.

The federal minimums, for contrast

Federal financial-responsibility requirements depend on the operation, vehicle and commodity. Review the rows and exclusions in 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Louisiana.