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Broker guide
How to verify a carrier's insurance with FMCSA
Filings, insurers, effective dates, cancellations and what a certificate of insurance does not prove.
What the public record shows
- Liability coverage for for-hire property carriers is certified to FMCSA by the insurer on form BMC-91 or BMC-91X; the filing names the insurer, policy number and effective date.
- A cancellation is filed on BMC-35 and takes effect 30 days after FMCSA receives it, so a carrier can be on notice while still showing coverage.
- A certificate of insurance from the carrier is not an FMCSA record; compare it to the L&I filing and call the insurer's number from the insurer's own site.
Today's numbers
Live from the public record (2026-10-25T17:58:34+00:00): 125,716 active authorities, 5,609 brokers of property, 6,312 authority grants in the last 30 days, 865 insurance cancellations and 2,003 revocations or suspensions in the last 30 days.
Sources
FMCSA Licensing & Insurance · SAFER · SMS · FMCSA insurance filing requirements · data.transportation.gov
More guides
How to vet a carrier before tendering a load How to check if an MC number is active What is a BMC-91 filing What 'authority revoked' means What is an involuntary revocation Vetting a carrier with a new MC number What is double-brokering Contact changes after authority approval
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Questions
What is the minimum liability coverage?
$750,000 for general freight property carriers, $1,000,000 for oil, $5,000,000 for certain hazardous materials, and $1.5 or $5 million for passenger carriers by seating capacity (49 CFR 387).
Does FMCSA require cargo insurance?
Only for household goods carriers and freight forwarders (BMC-34). General freight cargo coverage is a contract matter between broker and carrier.
Data reflects official public records published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (FMCSA) as of Oct 25, 2026 11:58 MDT. CarrierDaily provides factual public-record change monitoring and is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA.