Does West Virginia set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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.

West Virginia Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026

What West Virginia requires

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

Liability minimum: From $750,000; the operation-type table below lists each class
Cargo minimum: $50,000 (150CSR9 rule 3.3 sets cargo minimums for freight equipment hauling nonhazardous property: $20,000 on any one vehicle and $20,000 aggregate for vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR, and $50,000 and $100,000 for vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more. Rule 3.3.2 lifts the cargo minimum for vehicles hauling raw coal, or only solid waste or other discarded property going to disposal. Passenger equipment carries $15,000 (1 to 15 passengers) or $20,000 (16 or more) for passengers' property.)
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

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

West Virginia minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability	Notes
For-hire vehicles of 10,000 lb or more hauling nonhazardous property, statutory floor	$750,000	W. Va. Code 24A-5-5(g).
Intrastate freight vehicles, nonhazardous property, as published by the Commission	$700,000	$200,000 per person and $600,000 per accident bodily injury plus $100,000 property damage, totaled by the Commission's chart as a $700,000 combined single limit. Below the statutory floor in the row above.
Hazardous property: 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives, poison gas, highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials, and bulk hazardous substances in tanks over 3,500 water gallons, vehicles of 10,001 lb or more	$5,000,000	The same $5,000,000 applies to explosives, poison gas and highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials in vehicles of 10,000 lb or less.
Hazardous property: oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101, hazardous waste, hazardous materials and hazardous substances, vehicles of 10,001 lb or more	$1,000,000
Passenger vehicles seating 5 or fewer	$225,000	$100,000 / $200,000 bodily injury plus $25,000 property damage.
Passenger vehicles seating 6 to 12	$525,000	$200,000 / $500,000 bodily injury plus $25,000 property damage.
Passenger vehicles seating 13 to 20	$650,000	$200,000 / $600,000 bodily injury plus $50,000 property damage.
Passenger vehicles seating 21 to 30	$800,000	$200,000 / $750,000 bodily injury plus $50,000 property damage.
Passenger vehicles seating 31 or more	$975,000	$200,000 / $900,000 bodily injury plus $75,000 property damage.

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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.

Liability proof: Certificate of insurance, policy endorsement or surety bond in the forms the Commission prescribes, filed in duplicate; for wrecker companies the Commission accepts only a Form E filed by the insurer

Under 150CSR9 rule 3.6 the filing must carry the full limits, be written by an insurer authorized in West Virginia, name the carrier exactly as its authority is held, and show an expiration date at least 45 days after issuance. Coverage cannot be cancelled until 30 days after written notice reaches the Commission in Charleston. The Commission's wrecker instructions state that insurance cards and certificates are not acceptable and that a Form E must physically reach the Motor Carrier Section before registration is processed. No separate insurance filing fee is published beyond the $25.00 annual insurance registration.

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)
Operation	Vehicle	Liability minimum
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardous	GVWR 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 materials	Any	$1,000,000
For-hire and private carriers of explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materials	Any	$5,000,000
For-hire carrier of household goods	GVWR 10,001 lb or more	$750,000
For-hire carrier of passengers	15 or fewer passengers	$1,500,000
For-hire carrier of passengers	16 or more passengers	$5,000,000
Broker of property or household goods	None	None
Freight forwarder of property	None	None
Freight forwarder of household goods	None	None

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