TL;DR: Intrastate for-hire carriers file liability at $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage with the APSC, plus $5,000 cargo, on insurer-filed Forms E and H. Interstate carriers follow federal tiers. Workers comp applies at five or more employees; contracts set the real numbers at $1,000,000 and $100,000.
What insurance does Alabama law require for truckers?
The requirements split by layer. Intrastate for-hire carriage runs on APSC authority under the Alabama Motor Carrier Act, and the Commission's administrative code requires every authority holder to file and maintain proof of liability insurance, with property carriers adding cargo proof. Interstate carriage runs on the federal scheme: 49 CFR 387.9 tiers, BMC filings, the MCS-90. Registration and safety rules from the state overlay both. And as everywhere, the contract layer, $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo in broker packets, sets what working carriers actually buy.
What are the required amounts?
| Requirement | Amount | Filed as |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per person | $100,000 | Form E, by the insurer |
| Bodily injury, per accident | $300,000 | |
| Property damage | $50,000 | |
| Cargo, intrastate property carriers | $5,000 | Form H, by the insurer |
| Interstate general freight | $750,000 | BMC-91 or BMC-91X |
| Hazmat | $1,000,000 / $5,000,000 | Federal tiers |
How do the APSC filings work?
On the uniform state forms, transmitted only by the insurance company: Form E certifies bodily injury and property damage liability, Form H certifies cargo, and the APSC's rules in chapter 770-X-10 prescribe both. Authority is not issued, and does not remain in force, without active filings. The operational discipline is identical to every filing jurisdiction: replacement coverage filed before old policies cancel, names matching the authority exactly, and verification rather than assumption after any change of insurer or entity.
What does workers comp require in Alabama?
Coverage at five or more employees under Ala. Code title 25, chapter 5, with the Alabama Department of Labor administering the system through a private competitive market. The five-employee threshold is among the country's highest, which leaves many small trucking operations outside the mandate, but outside the mandate is not outside the exposure: an injured driver without workers comp benefits becomes a liability claim or an unpaid tragedy. Occupational accident coverage remains common in Alabama owner-operator leases, and classification questions follow the usual state tests.
How does Alabama's tort system affect trucking coverage?
Alabama is an at-fault state with no PIP layer, so there is no mandatory first-party medical coverage riding on registered trucks, and injury claims proceed in tort against liability limits. Alabama is also known for its contributory negligence doctrine, under which a plaintiff's own negligence can bar recovery entirely, a defense-friendly feature, and for certain plaintiff-friendly venues that counterbalance it. The practical reading for carriers: liability limits and documentation matter, and camera evidence works especially well where fault allocation decides everything.
What does a complete Alabama program look like?
For a working carrier: $1,000,000 liability satisfying the APSC filing, any federal filing, and broker contracts at once; $100,000 cargo against the $5,000 filing floor; physical damage priced for rural two-lane exposure and storm seasons; workers comp when the headcount requires it or by election below the threshold; and general liability where shippers ask. Port of Mobile drayage adds interchange requirements, and timber and steel hauling add the severity profiles their markets price.
Real questions Alabama owner-operators and fleet managers ask
What insurance do I need to haul freight within Alabama?
APSC authority with insurer-filed Form E at 100/300/50 and Form H cargo at $5,000 satisfies the state. Booking brokered freight requires the market standard, $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo, which the same policy typically provides above the filing floors.
Is cargo insurance required by Alabama law?
For intrastate for-hire property carriers, yes: proof of cargo insurance at $5,000 is filed on Form H by the insurer and maintained with the APSC. The commercial requirement from brokers is $100,000, so the filing floor is rarely the number that matters operationally.
Does Alabama require workers comp for a three-driver operation?
Not if total employment stays under five employees, Alabama's threshold. At five or more, coverage is mandatory under state law. Operations below the threshold still carry the injury exposure, which occupational accident coverage or elective coverage can address.
Does Alabama have PIP or no-fault insurance?
No. Alabama is an at-fault tort state with no PIP mandate, and its contributory negligence doctrine can bar recovery for plaintiffs who share fault. Injury claims against a carrier proceed against its liability coverage, making limits and evidence the operative protections.
Do Alabama intrastate carriers need federal filings too?
Only when operating interstate. A carrier running both layers maintains the APSC Forms E and H alongside the FMCSA BMC filing and MCS-90, usually from one policy, with each filing able to lapse independently and each worth verifying at renewal.
Can Morrow write trucking insurance in Alabama?
Not directly today. Morrow is the brand name of Afthonea Inc, licensed in Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Texas. If your trucking company is based in Alabama, we can refer you to a licensed Alabama agent, and this guide still shows you exactly what to ask that agent for. Everything above comes from public Alabama and federal sources, not from us selling you a policy.
Related Alabama trucking guides
The other Alabama trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in Alabama (start here)
- Intrastate authority and filings
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in Alabama
- Federal minimum liability limits by commodity
- What is an MCS-90 endorsement?
- Federal minimum liability limits by commodity
- Workers comp for transportation companies
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Limits, forms, and deadlines change, so verify current requirements with the Alabama Public Service Commission before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.