Does Ohio set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Ohio Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026

What Ohio requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Ohio 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: $5,000 (Ohio Adm.Code 4901:2-13-03(B) requires cargo liability only of for-hire carriers transporting household goods in intrastate commerce: $5,000 for loss of or damage to household goods carried on any one motor vehicle, and $10,000 for loss or damage, or an aggregate of losses or damages, occurring at any one time or place. General freight carriers file no cargo minimum under this rule.)
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.

Ohio minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
For-hire property carrier, intrastate commerce (general freight)	$750,000
For-hire property carrier operating exclusively vehicles under 10,001 lb GVWR or GCWR	$300,000
For-hire passenger carrier, vehicles seating sixteen or more including the driver	$5,000,000
For-hire passenger carrier, vehicles seating fifteen or fewer including the driver	$1,500,000
High-risk hazardous materials (Class 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives; Class 2.3 Hazard Zone A gases; Class 6.1 Packing Group I Hazard Zone A poisons; hazardous substances in cargo tanks, portable tanks or hopper vehicles over 3,500 water gallons; Class 2.1 or 2.2 in containment systems over 3,500 water gallons; highway route controlled quantities of Class 7 radioactive material)	$5,000,000
Oil and other hazardous materials, wastes and substances not listed in paragraph (D)	$1,000,000
Household goods mover, cargo liability per vehicle	Not applicable
Household goods mover, cargo liability aggregate at any one time or place	Not applicable

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 E
Household goods cargo: Forms E and H

The carrier does not file proof of insurance itself. The insurance company electronically files a Form E for a motor carrier, or Forms E and H for a household goods mover, with the PUCO. Self-insured motor carriers file with FMCSA instead. Rule 4901:2-21-05 conditions certificate approval on proper insurance filing under Ohio Adm.Code Chapter 4901:2-13.

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