By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Aug 5, 2026
What South Carolina requires
These are the state-level rules attached to South Carolina 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
- $5,000 (Cargo insurance is required only of Certificate of Compliance holders in Class E-LC and of Public Service Commission Class E carriers. The SCDMV limit is $5,000 for loss or damage to property carried on any one motor vehicle. The Commission's Class E cargo minimums under S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 103-173 are $2,500 for loss or damage to property carried on any one motor vehicle and $5,000 for losses occurring at any one time and place, and a Class E carrier's intrastate valuation must meet the minimum set by the Surface Transportation Board's interstate rules.)
Minimum liability by operation type
Review the operation-specific scope and source notes before relying on a coverage amount.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Minimum liability by gross vehicle weight
$750,000 per incident is the Certificate of Compliance minimum for a freight vehicle of 10,000 pounds GVWR or more carrying non-hazardous material. Below 10,000 pounds GVWR the SCDMV schedule drops to $300,000 per incident. Note the one real conflict in South Carolina's paperwork: the Public Service Commission's own schedule at S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 103-172 sets $500,000, not $300,000, for freight vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR. The regulation governs Commission-certificated carriers; the SCDMV Exhibit A governs Certificate of Compliance holders. Both figures are recorded below against the document that sets them rather than reconciled into one number.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
The $750,000 figure matches the federal for-hire interstate floor for non-hazardous property in 49 CFR 387.9, but South Carolina applies it to purely intrastate operation through the Certificate of Compliance rather than through federal law. The hazardous material tiers are written by direct reference to the federal definitions in 49 CFR 171.8, 172.101, and 173.403.
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, Uniform Motor Carrier Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Certificate of Insurance, with Form F endorsement attached to the policy itself. Form G is the surety bond equivalent. A self-insured carrier has SCDMV submit a self-insurance certificate instead.
- Cargo proof
- Form H, Uniform Motor Carrier Cargo Certificate of Insurance, with Form I endorsement attached to the cargo policy itself. Form J is the cargo surety bond equivalent.
- Household goods cargo
- Form H, filed with the Office of Regulatory Staff by a Class E household goods or hazardous waste for disposal carrier
- If coverage lapses
- Failure to file evidence of insurance, self-insurance, or a surety bond is just cause for the Commission to suspend its order granting authority or the certificate itself without further evidence or hearing. Failure to keep coverage in full force results in automatic suspension on receipt of an affidavit from the Office of Regulatory Staff, operative as of the effective date of cancellation.S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 103-175
Filings are made by the insurance company, not the agent, and SCDMV states plainly that it does not accept an ACORD certificate of insurance. A policy or a copy of it is not accepted in place of Form E or Form H.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Where insurance fits in the South Carolina 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 South Carolina intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in South Carolina.