Required filings
Confirm the financial-responsibility requirements that apply to your authority, vehicles and cargo.
Commercial Auto Liability
Commercial auto liability.
Liability limits, operating authority and customer contracts need to work together. Federal minimums are only the starting point.
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What we look at.
Contract limits
Compare shipper requirements and additional insured requests against the actual policy and endorsements.
Excess protection
Check attachment points and exclusions. An excess policy may not follow every primary term.
Bodily Injury to Others
Legal liability for bodily injury to others arising from covered auto operations, subject to the policy.
Property Damage
Legal liability for covered third-party property damage. Review the combined limit and relevant exclusions.
Legal Defense
Compare defense obligations, counsel arrangements and whether defense costs reduce the available limit.
BMC-91 Filing
Applicable insurer filings establish financial responsibility with FMCSA. Confirm the required form and timing for the operation.
MCS-90 Endorsement
A financial-responsibility endorsement with a public-protection function. It is not a replacement for policy coverage and can create reimbursement obligations.
Umbrella and Excess Layers
Additional limits over scheduled primary coverage. Review exclusions and attachment carefully.
Hired and Non-Owned Auto
Business liability involving hired or employee-owned vehicles requires attention to the selected coverage and insured use.
What to bring to a review
Share authority details, operating radius, vehicles, contracts and current primary and excess policies.
Questions & answers
Good questions to ask.
What federal liability limits apply?
FMCSA's requirements depend on the operation. For interstate for-hire carriers of non-hazardous property, the federal minimum is generally $750,000 for vehicles with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more and $300,000 below that threshold. Higher requirements apply to certain hazardous materials. Contracts and state rules may require more. Confirm the applicable limits and filings before operating.
What does the MCS-90 do?
It supports federal financial-responsibility requirements and protects the public in specified circumstances. It does not broaden every part of the insured's coverage, and the insurer may have reimbursement rights for certain payments. Review it with the actual policy.
Do excess layers automatically match the primary?
No. Attachment, insured definitions, exclusions and other provisions can differ. Compare each layer and confirm how the policies would respond together.
From our journal
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