Start with how the truck runs. If you haul other people’s non-hazardous freight across state lines, or on one leg of a shipment that does, in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more, federal rules set a $750,000 liability floor, and proof has to be on file with FMCSA before your authority is active. If you stay inside one state, that state’s rules apply, and they differ from state to state. Then come the coverages that protect the business itself: cargo, physical damage on the truck, general liability and, once you have employees, workers’ comp where your state requires it. The contracts you sign with platforms and shippers often ask for more than the law does, so read them before you buy.
When the federal minimums apply
The federal financial responsibility rules in 49 CFR Part 387 apply to for-hire motor carriers hauling property in interstate or foreign commerce. Interstate covers more than crossing a state line: a trip between two points in one state counts if it is part of a shipment that starts or ends outside the state. For non-hazardous freight, the minimum is $750,000 in public liability for a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more. That part of the rules doesn’t apply to vehicles rated under 10,001 pounds unless certain hazardous materials are aboard.
If you run for hire under your own authority, a certificate of insurance (or a surety bond) has to be filed with and accepted by FMCSA, and authority isn’t issued or kept in force without it. For a fleet made up only of vehicles under 10,001 pounds GVWR hauling non-hazardous property, the filing minimum is $300,000. Proof kept at your principal place of business can be an MCS-90 endorsement on the auto policy, an MCS-82 surety bond or FMCSA approval to self-insure. How to get MC authority and what the MCS-90 endorsement is.
Intrastate rules vary by state
A box truck that never leaves its home state on intrastate work answers to that state, and the weight thresholds and limits vary by state. Two examples:
- California generally requires a Motor Carrier Permit for anyone operating a commercial vehicle with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more, in commercial or private use, and for anyone paid to haul property whatever the vehicle’s size. Required liability runs from $300,000 to $5,000,000 combined single limit depending on the vehicle and what it hauls, and applicants show proof of workers’ comp or a signed exemption.
- Texas requires a TxDMV number for intrastate commercial vehicles over 26,000 pounds, and for anyone moving household goods for pay regardless of weight. Most carriers over 26,000 pounds need at least $500,000; household goods movers under 26,000 pounds need $300,000. You need a USDOT number first, registered as intrastate.
Check your own state’s rules before assuming a lighter truck is exempt. Truck insurance rules by state.
The policies in the stack
- Commercial auto liability is designed to pay for injuries and damage your truck causes to others. It is the coverage the federal and state minimums are written around. Commercial auto insurance.
- Motor truck cargo is designed to respond to loss of or damage to freight in your care. Federally, cargo security is required only of household goods carriers: $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 for losses at one time and place. For other freight, the contract sets the amount. Cargo insurance.
- Physical damage (collision and comprehensive) is for your own truck. No federal rule requires it, but a lender or lease company on the truck may.
- Hired and non-owned auto extends liability to trucks you rent and to employees’ own cars used on business errands.
- General liability is for injuries and damage from your operations that don’t come from driving, such as a customer tripping over a hand truck at your dock. General liability insurance.
- Workers’ comp for drivers and helpers varies by state. California requires it even with one employee; Texas lets private employers opt out as non-subscribers.
Leased onto another carrier
Some box truck owners run under another carrier’s authority instead of their own. Federal leasing rules require a written lease that gives the carrier exclusive possession, control and use of the truck for the lease term. The lease has to state the carrier’s duty to maintain the public liability coverage, say who provides other coverage such as bobtail, and spell out any insurance charges the carrier passes back to you.
Read that section closely. Physical damage on your truck and liability for time you aren’t under dispatch may be left to you. Non-trucking liability vs. bobtail.
What contracts ask for
Legal minimums are a floor. Delivery platforms, shippers and brokers write their own insurance requirements into contracts. Amazon Relay, for example, said in a February 2026 post that its carriers need $1,000,000 in auto liability per occurrence, $100,000 in cargo, general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and, for companies with W-2 employees, workers’ comp meeting state guidelines plus $100,000 in employers liability. It also wants an MC active for at least 180 days. Get the insurance section of any contract before you buy, because you will prove it with a certificate of insurance.
What underwriters ask
- The truck: year, make, VIN, GVWR, body length, liftgate and value.
- Radius: how far from home base you run and which states you enter.
- Drivers: license details, experience and driving records. Whether a box truck needs a CDL is its own question; see do I need a CDL for a box truck.
- Cargo: what you haul and the most valuable load, whether that’s household goods, parcels, food or general freight.
- Operations: USDOT and MC numbers, own authority or leased on, years in business, prior insurance and losses.
- Contracts: the insurance requirements of any platform, shipper or carrier you run for.
Common questions
Do I need $750,000 if I only drive in my state?
The federal $750,000 minimum applies to for-hire interstate work in trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more. If none of your loads is part of a shipment that starts or ends out of state, you follow your state’s rules, which vary. Texas, for example, sets $500,000 for most carriers over 26,000 pounds.
Is cargo insurance required by law?
Federally, only household goods carriers have to file cargo security. For other freight, the shipper, broker or platform contract sets any cargo requirement.
What if my box truck is rated under 10,001 pounds?
For a for-hire fleet of only such vehicles hauling non-hazardous property under its own authority, the federal filing minimum is $300,000. State rules for lighter trucks vary.
Do I need workers’ comp for my helpers?
It depends on the state. California requires it even with one employee, while Texas lets private employers opt out; contracts like Amazon Relay’s ask for it from companies with W-2 employees.
If I’m leased onto a carrier, whose insurance applies?
The lease has to state the carrier’s duty to maintain public liability coverage and who provides other coverage, such as bobtail. Coverage for your own truck and for time off dispatch may be yours to buy.
Sources
- 49 CFR 387.3 (eCFR): applicability of minimum financial responsibility rules
- 49 CFR 387.7 and 387.9 (eCFR): financial responsibility required and minimum levels
- 49 CFR 387.301T and 387.303T (eCFR): security filings and minimum limits for for-hire carriers
- 49 CFR 390.5 (eCFR): definitions of interstate and intrastate commerce
- 49 CFR 376.11 and 376.12 (eCFR): written lease requirements for leased equipment
- California DMV: Motor Carrier Permits
- Texas DMV: TxDMV number and insurance requirements
- California DIR: workers’ compensation for employers
- Texas Department of Insurance: workers’ compensation employer FAQ
- Amazon Relay: understanding Amazon Relay insurance requirements
General information about insurance for box truck businesses as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice; 49 CFR Part 387, your state’s rules, your contracts and the policy itself control. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.