How do I verify a carrier’s insurance?

What federal rules require

For-hire carriers of non-hazardous property in interstate commerce, using vehicles of 10,001 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or more, must have at least $750,000 of public liability coverage; certain hazardous materials require $1,000,000 or $5,000,000.

A for-hire carrier may not operate in interstate commerce, and its authority may not be issued or stay in force, until evidence of that coverage has been filed with and accepted by FMCSA. That evidence is filed on forms such as the BMC-91 and BMC-91X certificates of insurance.

A filing does not end the moment a policy is cancelled: it cannot be cancelled until 30 days after a notice of cancellation is filed with FMCSA. That also means a filing you see today may already be under a cancellation notice.

The federal cargo insurance filing requirement applies to household goods carriers. For general freight, the cargo coverage you need comes from your contracts and your customer, so check the carrier’s cargo policy separately.

Part one: the federal filing

Look up the carrier on the SAFER Company Snapshot and follow its link to the Licensing and Insurance details. Check there that a liability filing is on record, and that it is at least the federal minimum for the freight you are tendering. Note the insurance company named on the filing: it should match the certificate you receive. The Licensing and Insurance search may ask you to answer a challenge question first.

Part two: the certificate

1. Ask the carrier for a certificate of insurance naming your company as the certificate holder.
2. Find the insurance agency’s or insurer’s phone number yourself, for example from its own website reached by typing its address. Do not use the number printed on the certificate or in the email.
3. Call and confirm that the named insured matches the carrier’s legal name on its FMCSA record, and confirm the policy numbers, effective and expiration dates and limits.
4. If the auto policy lists specific vehicles, ask the agent to confirm that the truck hauling your load is on it.
5. Check that the auto liability limit meets the federal minimum for the freight.
6. Check the cargo limit, deductible and exclusions against the load’s value and commodity.
7. Ask the agent to notify you if the policy is cancelled, and recheck repeat carriers before each load.

What to watch out for

• A certificate sent from a free email account or a look-alike domain, both on the FBI’s list of warning signs.
• A named insured that differs from the legal name on the FMCSA record, or an address that does not match.
• An insurer on the certificate that differs from the insurer named on the FMCSA filing.
• An agent who cannot be reached on an independently found number, or who will not confirm the policy.
• Insurance changes made just before a carrier contacts you. The FBI reports criminals updating a legitimate carrier’s insurance information so it can take loads the carrier previously did not accept.

Why both parts matter

The federal filing tells you that a liability policy was on record with FMCSA when you checked. The call to the agent tells you that the certificate in your hands is real and that the policy covers this carrier and this truck. Neither one tells you who is on the phone, so pair them with an identity check.

How to spot a fake carrier covers that part.