Does Maine set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Maine's published pages do not confirm a standalone intrastate minimum for every case. Where the state publishes no figure, this page says so instead of guessing, and the note beside each field explains what the state does require.

Do federal insurance minimums still apply to a Maine 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 Maine 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.

Maine Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026

What Maine requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Maine 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: Neither 29-A M.R.S. sec. 1611 nor the BMV For-Hire Insurance page sets a cargo insurance amount, so none is recorded.
Differs from federal: No

Minimum liability by operation type

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

Maine minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
Intrastate commercial motor vehicles (policies written or renewed on or after January 1, 2026)	$750,000
For-hire vehicles transporting freight or merchandise in intrastate-exempt service or service exempted by the federal Surface Transportation Board, and emergency vehicles	$350,000
Rental trucks with a registered gross weight of 26,000 pounds or less, rented or leased for fewer than 30 days ($125,000 CSL, or $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 split limits)	$125,000
Intrastate for-hire passenger vehicles, 1 to 3 passengers behind the driver's seat ($125,000 CSL, or $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 split limits)	$125,000
Intrastate for-hire passenger vehicles, 4 to 7 passengers behind the driver's seat	$300,000
Intrastate for-hire passenger vehicles, 8 to 15 passengers behind the driver's seat	$750,000
Intrastate for-hire passenger vehicles, 16 to 30 passengers behind the driver's seat	$1,500,000
Intrastate for-hire passenger vehicles, 31 or more passengers behind the driver's seat	$2,000,000
Vehicles registered to a transit district	$400,000
School buses, up to 30 passengers behind the driver's seat	$500,000
School buses, 31 or more passengers behind the driver's seat	$1,000,000
Interstate for-hire passenger vehicles, 15 or fewer passengers	$1,500,000
Interstate for-hire passenger vehicles, 16 or more passengers	$5,000,000

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.

Cancellation: Form K, the uniform notice of cancellation. A policy on file cannot be cancelled until 30 days after the Operating Authority Unit receives the Form K, unless replacement insurance takes effect sooner.

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 Maine 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 Maine intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Maine.