By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Aug 5, 2026
What Oklahoma requires
These are the state-level rules attached to Oklahoma 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.
- Cargo minimum
- OAC 165:30-3-11(c) exempts every motor carrier of freight from filing cargo liability insurance except a motor carrier of household goods, which files a Form H or Form J for at least $5,000 covering loss or damage to property carried on any one vehicle and $10,000 for loss or damage occurring at any one time and place. 47 O.S. § 230.30(B) separately exempts intrastate carriers of sand, rock, gravel, asphaltic mixtures and similar road building materials from filing cargo insurance and holds them to $350,000 combined single limit liability.
Minimum liability by operation type
Review the operation-specific scope and source notes before relying on a coverage amount.
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Minimum liability by gross vehicle weight
Oklahoma does not publish one statewide figure. OAC 165:30-3-11(b) adopts the 49 CFR Part 387 minimums for intrastate operations and then overrides them with its own schedule, which turns on vehicle weight, commodity and seating capacity. $750,000 is the figure for the common case, a for-hire carrier of general property in vehicles rated 10,000 pounds GVWR or more. The full schedule is in the operation-type table, and private carriers run on a separate and lower schedule in OAC 165:30-15-6.
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The rule adopts 49 CFR Part 387 as the baseline for intrastate operations and then departs from it in four places: property carriers under 10,000 pounds GVWR at $300,000, restricted property at $350,000, passenger carriers on their own seating-capacity ladder starting at $100,000, and household goods at $750,000. Hazardous materials keep the federal 49 CFR 387.9 amounts, and hazmat and hazardous waste carriers maintain a Form MCS-82 or MCS-90.
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, the certificate of insurance, or Form G for a surety bond. The insurance company files it online with the Commission and the Commission must approve it before any operations begin.
A carrier whose principal place of business is in Oklahoma must use an insurer authorised or approved by the Oklahoma Insurance Department; an out-of-state carrier may use an insurer licensed or approved by its home state's regulator. Carriers of hazardous materials or hazardous waste additionally keep a properly executed Form MCS-82 or MCS-90 in effect as required by 49 CFR 387. A certificate may not limit liability by the culpability or condition of the driver, and must cover every vehicle the carrier operates whether or not the policy lists it. Oklahoma 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.
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Where insurance fits in the Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Oklahoma.