New York truck insurance

Hauling across state lines

Interstate for-hire freight needs the federal set: USDOT number, operating authority (MC), BMC-91 or BMC-91X filed with FMCSA by your insurer, a BOC-3 and at least $750,000 of liability for general freight in vehicles rated 10,001 lbs GVWR or more. See the new authority guide.

Hauling for pay inside New York: NYSDOT authority

New York law bars intrastate hauling of property as a common carrier without a certificate, or as a contract carrier without a permit, from the Commissioner of Transportation — including advertising the service (Transportation Law §172). NYSDOT grants property authority to carriers that are “fit, willing and able” when there are no valid safety protests:

• you apply online through NYSDOT’s Carrier Certification System; filing the application does not let you operate;
• the application is posted in NYSDOT’s Weekly Bulletin for 30 days, and protests may be filed on safety grounds only;
• you have 90 days to complete compliance: a Form E, proof of workers’ compensation and disability benefits coverage (or a certificate of exemption), and a USDOT number;
• each vehicle operating only under intrastate authority carries an intrastate vehicle identification receipt — $10 per vehicle a year; carriers that also run interstate register with UCR instead.

What does not need NYSDOT authority

Transportation Law §171 exempts, among others:

• hauling wholly within a municipality, between contiguous municipalities or within a commercial zone set by the commissioner — unless it is part of a continuous shipment to or from outside that area;
• private carriage incidental to and in furtherance of your primary business or farm, when that business is not transportation;
• sand, gravel, dirt, debris, road materials, ready-mixed concrete and similar commodities hauled in dump trucks and unloaded by dumping;
• wrecked or disabled vehicles moved by the tow-away method;
• certain farm, livestock, milk and newspaper hauling, and occasional hauling by someone not in the trucking business.

Insurance for carriers with NYSDOT authority

Bodily injury, one person

$100,000

Bodily injury, one accident

$300,000 (up to $100,000 per person)

Property damage (excluding cargo)

$50,000

Cargo — household goods movers

$5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence, on Form H

NYSDOT’s rules for these filings: the Form E (and the movers’ Form H) must come from the insurance company itself — not from you or your agent — in the exact name in which you applied, from an insurer authorized to do business in New York; ACORD certificates are not accepted. Keep in mind that the New York minimum is lower than the federal $750,000 — a truck that also runs interstate for hire needs the federal level, and contracts can ask for more.

Highway use tax, USDOT and safety rules

• Highway use tax (HUT). Before operating on New York’s public highways, a truck, tractor or other self-propelled vehicle with a gross weight over 18,000 lbs needs a HUT certificate of registration and decal — $1.50 per vehicle. The tax is based on miles driven on New York public highways, excluding toll-paid portions of the Thruway, at rates set by weight.
• USDOT number. NYSDOT says you need one to operate a truck for business with a GVWR — or a truck and trailer with a GCWR — of 10,001 lbs or more, and must display it whether you run intrastate or interstate; there is no charge for an intrastate number. The information must be updated every two years.
• Safety rules. New York has adopted the federal safety regulations in 49 CFR Parts 390, 391, 392, 393, 395, 396 and 397 and the hazardous materials regulations, with exceptions for vehicles operated only within the state (17 NYCRR Part 820).
• Marking. Both sides of the vehicle show the legal business name or DBA as registered with the USDOT number, in a contrasting color readable from 50 feet.

Getting truck insurance quotes in New York

• USDOT number, MC number if you haul interstate, and your NYSDOT authority or application.
• Exempt or not — dump-truck aggregates, local hauling and private carriage may not need NYSDOT authority.
• Your exact legal name as on the application — the Form E must match it.
• For each truck: VIN, year, make, model, GVWR and gross weight — the HUT starts over 18,000 lbs.
• Drivers’ license details and experience, and loss runs from recent insurers.

Running into New Jersey too? See the New Jersey guide.