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South Dakota trucking

South Dakota trucking insurance requirements

What South Dakota requires in trucking insurance before it grants intrastate operating authority: the liability minimums the state publishes, the cargo coverage rules, and the forms your insurer files, shown next to the federal minimums so you can see where the state differs. Every figure carries its official source.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026

What South Dakota requires

These are the state-level rules attached to South Dakota intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note explains what the agency does say.

Liability minimum
Chapter 32-9 sets no liability minimum for the commercial motor vehicle certificate itself. The one published intrastate dollar minimum attaches to oversize and overweight permits: ARSD 70:03:01:11 requires permit applicants to carry public liability insurance of at least 100,000 dollars per person, 300,000 dollars per accident, and 100,000 dollars property damage, or to qualify as a self-insurer under SDCL 32-35-90. Interstate minimums follow 49 CFR 387 through the federal safety regulations.
Cargo minimum
No state cargo insurance minimum for intrastate authority was found on the county registration statutes, SD Truck Info pages, or the permit rules, so none is recorded rather than guessed.
Differs from federal
Not confirmed

Minimum liability by operation type

General freight is not the floor for every carrier; buy against the row that matches what you haul.

South Dakota minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation typeMinimum liability
Oversize or overweight permit holder$100,000

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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)
OperationVehicleLiability minimum
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardousGVWR 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 materialsAny$1,000,000
For-hire and private carriers of explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materialsAny$5,000,000
For-hire carrier of household goodsGVWR 10,001 lb or more$750,000
For-hire carrier of passengers15 or fewer passengers$1,500,000
For-hire carrier of passengers16 or more passengers$5,000,000
Broker of property or household goodsNoneNone
Freight forwarder of propertyNoneNone
Freight forwarder of household goodsNoneNone

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Where insurance fits in the South Dakota 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 Dakota intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in South Dakota.

Frequently asked questions

Does South Dakota set its own trucking insurance minimums?

South Dakota's published pages do not confirm a standalone intrastate minimum for every case. Where the state publishes no figure, this page says so instead of guessing, and the note beside each field explains what the state does require.

Do federal insurance minimums still apply to a South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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.