Does Hawaii 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 a Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.

Hawaii Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026

What Hawaii requires

These are the state-level rules attached to Hawaii 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: No single figure, by design: the PUC states its property-carrier minimum as three split limits, not one figure. HAR 6-62-8(c) requires $250,000 bodily injury or death per person, $750,000 bodily injury or death per accident, and $250,000 property damage per accident, filed with the commission before the carrier operates on any public street or highway.
Cargo minimum: No single figure, by design: the rule sets a formula with ceilings, not a single figure. The two ceilings appear as cargo rows in the operation-type table.
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

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

Hawaii minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability	Minimum cargo	Set by	Notes
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: bodily injury or death, per person	$250,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(1)
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: bodily injury or death, per accident	$750,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(2)
PUC-licensed motor carrier of property: property damage, per accident	$250,000		HAR 6-62-8(c)(3)
Cargo security, property carried on any one motor vehicle (ceiling of the half-of-declared-value rule)	Not applicable	$1,500	HAR 6-62-9(a)(1)	Security must equal at least one-half of the declared value of cargo released to the carrier, up to this amount. Not applicable to carriers hauling only gravity-discharge commodities, who carry cargo insurance equal to market value or $100, whichever is greater (6-62-9(b)).
Cargo security, aggregate loss at any one time and place (ceiling of the half-of-declared-value rule)	Not applicable	$3,000	HAR 6-62-9(a)(2)

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: Form WC-3539, Uniform Motor Carrier Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Certificate of Insurance, with endorsement Form WC-3538; forms are provided by the PUC for execution by insurers authorized to do business in Hawaii (HAR 6-62-12).
Cargo proof: Form MCB-8, Hawaii Motor Carrier Cargo Certificate of Insurance, with endorsement Form MCB-9 (HAR 6-62-13).
Cancellation: Liability insurance may not be canceled until 30 days after the PUC receives notice on Form WC-3547; cargo insurance likewise needs 30 days' notice on Form MCB-10 (HAR 6-62-12(c) and 6-62-13(c)).

Proof of insurance is not needed at filing; the PUC requires it within 120 days after the Decision and Order approving the application (PUC FAQ Q20). Security may also be a surety bond or self-insurance (HAR 6-62-8(a)).

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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii intrastate authority page. For the full order of operations, work through start a trucking company in Hawaii.