Does Texas set its own trucking insurance minimums?

Yes. Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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.

Texas Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 18, 2026

What Texas requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Texas 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 $500,000; the operation-type table below lists each class
Cargo minimum: Cargo insurance is required only for household goods movers: $5,000 per vehicle for loss to a single shipper and $10,000 aggregate for loss to multiple shippers on one vehicle, filed on Forms H and I.
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.

Texas minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
General freight, vehicles over 26,000 lb	$500,000
Household goods movers, vehicles under 26,000 lb	$300,000
Hazardous materials, oil, lubricants, and other listed materials	$1,000,000
Hazardous materials, high-risk classes including Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3	$5,000,000
Commercial school bus	$500,000
Passenger vehicles, 16 to 26 passengers	$500,000
Passenger vehicles, 27 or more passengers	$5,000,000

Scroll sideways to see every column.

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: Form E
Household goods cargo: Forms H and I
Cancellation: Form K

Filings are made by the insurance company; the state charges a $100 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.

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

Scroll sideways to see every column.

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