Does Arkansas set its own trucking insurance minimums?

The stored record marks state and federal minimums as different. Review the operation-specific rows and source notes; the difference does not establish one amount for every carrier.

Do federal insurance minimums still apply to an Arkansas carrier?

Federal insurance requirements depend on the vehicle, commodity and operation. Review the federal table and its cited regulation alongside the applicable state requirements; state location alone does not settle coverage or filing scope.

What insurance does a new Arkansas carrier line up first?

Review the liability, cargo and filing requirements for your operation before comparing coverage. The source notes identify the stored state and federal scope; insurer and contractual requirements need their own check.

Where do these figures come from?

The tables show stored amounts with their recorded sources. A field marked "Not confirmed" is a verification gap. Review its note; that label does not establish that the agency publishes no amount or that no requirement applies.

Arkansas Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 27, 2026

What Arkansas requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Arkansas intrastate operating authority. A field reading "Not confirmed" means this guide has not confirmed that value. The note explains the gap; unknown is not evidence of absence.

Liability minimum: Arkansas sets split limits rather than a single combined figure. For each vehicle hauling property, 27 CAR § 110-1301 (State Highway Commission Rule 13.1) requires $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $100,000 for all persons in one accident, and $30,000 for property damage in one accident, which ARDOT's application states as $50,000/$100,000/$30,000. Passenger vehicles carry the same $50,000 and $30,000 figures with a per-accident bodily injury limit of $80,000 to $200,000 by seating capacity, and hazardous materials carriers carry $1 million or $5 million.
Cargo minimum: $5,000 (The rule requires all common carriers of property by motor vehicle to file cargo insurance with minimum liability of $5,000 and a cargo endorsement. ARDOT's general freight application packet asks only for proof of public liability and property damage insurance and does not list a cargo filing.)
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

Review the operation-specific scope and source notes before relying on a coverage amount.

Arkansas minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability
Hazardous materials: oil, and hazardous materials, wastes, and substances not in the $5 million class (intrastate carriage in bulk only), vehicles of 10,000 lb GVWR or more	$1,000,000
Hazardous materials: hazardous substances in cargo tanks, portable tanks, or hoppers over 3,500 water gallons, bulk Class A or B explosives, poison gas, or compressed gas, or highway route-controlled radioactive materials, vehicles of 10,000 lb GVWR or more	$5,000,000

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Who files the proof of insurance

The rows identify stored proof-of-coverage filings. Confirm which filing applies to your authority and who submits it before requesting a form.

Liability proof: Certificate of insurance or ACORD form showing public liability and property damage coverage, filed with the application and again with every annual renewal even if the insurer filed previously.

27 CAR § 110-1301(a) calls for insurance or a certificate of insurance on the State Highway Commission's form with the Arkansas public liability and property damage endorsement attached.

The federal minimums, for contrast

Federal financial-responsibility requirements depend on the operation, vehicle and commodity. Review the rows and exclusions in 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Arkansas.