Does New Jersey set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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.

New Jersey Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 30, 2026

What New Jersey requires

These are the state-level rules attached to New Jersey 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 $1,500,000; the operation-type table below lists each class
Cargo minimum: New Jersey sets no cargo insurance minimum for a general freight carrier. Licensed public movers must file a certificate of insurance covering cargo liability at the rate of $1.00 per pound per article, covering at least $25,000 per accident for loss or damage to property being transported on any vehicle and $50,000 for the aggregate of losses occurring at any one time and place.
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.

New Jersey minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
Commercial motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in New Jersey, gross vehicle weight rating 26,001 lb or more, and autocabs	$1,500,000
Commercial motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in New Jersey, gross vehicle weight rating 10,001 lb or more but less than 26,001 lb	$300,000
Public mover, bodily injury liability, one person	$25,000
Public mover, bodily injury liability, all persons in any one accident	$100,000
Public mover, cargo liability for loss or damage to property being transported on any vehicle	$25,000
Public mover, aggregate of losses or damages to property occurring at any one time and place	$50,000
Public mover, loss or damage in any one accident to property of others, excluding cargo	$10,000
Commercial for-hire bus, each vehicle seating not more than 12 passengers	$25,000
Commercial for-hire bus, each vehicle seating 13 to 20 passengers	$25,000
Commercial for-hire bus, each vehicle seating 21 to 30 passengers	$25,000
Commercial for-hire bus, each vehicle seating more than 30 passengers	$25,000
Oversize or overweight permit applicant, bodily injury or death of any one person in any one occurrence	$100,000
Oversize or overweight permit applicant, bodily injury or death of two or more persons in any one occurrence	$300,000
Oversize or overweight permit applicant, damage to or destruction of property in any one occurrence	$100,000

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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.

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

Frequently asked questions

Does New Jersey set its own trucking insurance minimums?: Yes. New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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.

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.