Does North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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.

North Dakota Trucking Insurance Requirements (2026)

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 27, 2026

What North Dakota requires

These are the state-level rules attached to North Dakota 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: $25,000 for the main class; the operation-type table below lists each class
Cargo minimum: No state cargo insurance minimum was found in the Highway Patrol handbook, NDDOT registration pages, or NDCC chapters 39-04, 39-08, and 39-16.1, so none is recorded rather than guessed.
Differs from federal: Yes

Minimum liability by operation type

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

North Dakota minimum liability coverage by operation type
Operation type	Minimum liability	Notes
Any registered motor vehicle (general financial responsibility)	$25,000	25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per accident bodily injury, plus 25,000 dollars property damage (NDCC 39-16.1-11, applied to every vehicle by NDCC 39-08-20).
Hazardous materials carrier, interstate or intrastate	See note	The handbook points these carriers to the federal minimums of 49 CFR 387.9, which vary by commodity; the dollar tiers are federal and are not restated here.
Seasonal permit holder (commercial hay, fertilizer spreader, chemical applicator, forage harvester, grain cleaner, hay grinder moves)	$300,000	No seasonal permit issues unless proof of financial responsibility of at least 300,000 dollars is filed (NDCC 39-12-04(1)(d)).
Manufactured home single-trip permit (power unit)	$100,000	100,000 dollars bodily injury per person, 300,000 dollars bodily injury per accident, and 50,000 dollars property damage on the power unit (Highway Patrol E-Permits page).

Scroll sideways to see every column.

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

North Dakota trucking insurance requirements

What North Dakota requires

Minimum liability by operation type

The federal minimums, for contrast

Where insurance fits in the North Dakota launch