By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 30, 2026
What Tennessee requires
These are the state-level rules attached to Tennessee intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note explains what the agency does say.
- Cargo minimum
- The schedule adds $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence to the $750,000 liability minimum for household goods cargo. Cargo coverage is filed by the insurer on Form H, which is required for carriers hauling general freight, household goods, or mobile homes, and for all bus accounts.
Minimum liability by operation type
General freight is not the floor for every carrier; buy against the row that matches what you haul.
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Minimum liability by gross vehicle weight
Tennessee sets intrastate liability minimums on a schedule printed on the Application for Intrastate Authority rather than as one statewide figure, so no single figure is shown, by design (see the weight-tier table and the operation-type table). The form's own weight labels overlap: it prints 10,001 pounds or less against the $300,000 tier and 10,001 pounds or more against the $750,000 tier. Both labels are recorded exactly as the state prints them rather than silently corrected.
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The $750,000 minimum for non-hazardous freight over 10,001 pounds matches the federal minimum for general freight. The $300,000 tier for lighter vehicles, the $1.5 million and $5 million passenger tiers, and the household goods cargo add-ons are Tennessee's own intrastate schedule.
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.
Both forms must be furnished by the insurance company, not the carrier. Form H is required for carriers hauling general freight, household goods, or mobile homes, and for all bus accounts applying for intrastate authority. The Motor Carrier Education Guide also lists a Certificate of Liability Insurance (COI). Tennessee publishes no separate insurance filing fee.
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.
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Where insurance fits in the Tennessee 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 Tennessee intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Tennessee.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee set its own trucking insurance minimums?
- Yes. Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.