By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026
What Pennsylvania requires
These are the state-level rules attached to Pennsylvania intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note explains what the agency does say.
- Cargo minimum
- $5,000 (Cargo liability insurance of not less than $5,000 for loss or damage to cargo carried on a motor vehicle must be filed with the Commission. It may be waived if all transportation is in dump trucks, or is limited to farm products, garbage, ashes, rubbish, coal debris, earth, crushed stone, amesite and similar construction materials, or if the value of any one load is not more than $500. A signed cargo waiver must be submitted by the applicant.)
Minimum liability by operation type
General freight is not the floor for every carrier; buy against the row that matches what you haul.
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.
Form E is the only binding proof of bodily injury and property damage insurance and Form H is the only binding proof of cargo liability insurance. Both come directly from the insurance underwriter, never from the applicant or the agent, and the insurance company must file them electronically through NIC Insurance Filings. The name and address on the Form E must match the application exactly. Brokers post a surety bond instead. On-hook insurance for towing is not accepted.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Where insurance fits in the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Pennsylvania.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania set its own trucking insurance minimums?
- Yes. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.