TL;DR: Intrastate for-hire carriers file 50/100/30 liability and $5,000 cargo with ArDOT through their insurer on Forms E and H, renewed with annual permits. Interstate carriers follow federal tiers with FMCSA filings. Workers comp applies at three or more employees, and broker contracts set the working numbers at $1,000,000 and $100,000.
What insurance does Arkansas law require for truckers?
By layer. Intrastate for-hire carriage requires ArDOT operating authority backed by insurance at the Rule 13.1 floors, with proof filed by the insurer and verified at roadside. Interstate carriage requires the federal stack: 49 CFR 387.9 tiers, BMC filings, MCS-90. Workers comp attaches at three employees. And the contract layer, $1,000,000 liability with $100,000 cargo in broker packets, sets what working carriers actually carry, since the state floors are permit paperwork rather than operational protection.
What are the required amounts?
| Requirement | Amount | Filed as |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per person | $50,000 | Form E, by the insurer |
| Bodily injury, per accident | $100,000 | |
| Property damage | $30,000 | |
| Cargo, common 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 ArDOT filings and renewals work?
On the uniform forms, transmitted only by the insurance company, against authority that renews annually. The operational rules are the familiar ones: exact name matching, continuous coverage, replacement filings posted before old policies cancel. Arkansas adds teeth at the roadside, with inspections that verify coverage documentation and immediate out-of-service orders for gaps, and adds the annual permit cycle, which makes a once-a-year full compliance check, permit, filings, UCR if applicable, the natural rhythm for Arkansas carriers.
What does workers comp require in Arkansas?
Coverage at three or more employees under Arkansas law, purchased in a private competitive market and administered by the Workers' Compensation Commission. The three-employee threshold catches growing operations earlier than Alabama's five but later than the one-employee states, and the counting includes part-timers. Classification of owner-operators follows Arkansas's tests, with occupational accident coverage the common lease answer for drivers outside the system. Poultry-plant and timber-adjacent hauling operations, staples of the state's economy, tend to run employee drivers and should budget trucking-class comp rates from the third hire.
How does Arkansas's first-party coverage regime work?
Arkansas is an at-fault state with an offer-and-rejection system: insurers must offer medical payments and related first-party coverages on auto policies, and the insured can reject them in writing. There is no mandatory PIP layer on trucks. For fleets, the decision usually tracks workers comp: where drivers are covered employees, med-pay adds little; where owner-operators run outside comp, first-party medical options deserve a look before rejection forms get signed.
What does a complete Arkansas program look like?
$1,000,000 liability clearing the ArDOT filing, any federal filing, and broker contracts; $100,000 cargo against the $5,000 filing floor, with commodity terms for poultry, timber, and aggregates as the freight requires; physical damage priced for I-40 exposure and ice-storm seasons; workers comp from the third employee; and general liability where shippers ask. The annual permit cycle then keeps the whole stack on one renewal calendar, which, used well, is a compliance advantage rather than a burden.
Real questions Arkansas owner-operators and fleet managers ask
What insurance do I need to haul freight within Arkansas?
ArDOT authority with insurer-filed Form E at 50/100/30 and, for common carriers, Form H cargo at $5,000. Booking brokered freight requires the market standard, $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo, which the same policy provides above the filing floors.
Is cargo insurance required by Arkansas law?
For intrastate common carriers, yes: $5,000 minimum with a cargo endorsement, filed on Form H. The commercial requirement from brokers is $100,000, so the filing floor rarely matters operationally, but the filing itself must stay active for the permit.
Does Arkansas verify insurance at roadside?
Yes, inspections check coverage documentation, and operating without valid insurance draws immediate out-of-service orders. The verification-first habit, confirming filings posted after any change, is worth more in Arkansas than in states that rely on paperwork alone.
When does workers comp apply to an Arkansas trucking company?
At three or more employees, counting part-timers, through the private market under the Workers' Compensation Commission. Operations below the threshold still carry the exposure, and occupational accident coverage is the usual answer in owner-operator leases.
Do I need both ArDOT and FMCSA filings?
Only if you run both layers: intrastate loads need the ArDOT Forms E and H, interstate loads need the federal BMC filing and MCS-90. Mixed operations maintain both from one policy, renewing through UCR, with each filing verified independently.
Can Morrow write trucking insurance in Arkansas?
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 Arkansas, we can refer you to a licensed Arkansas agent, and this guide still shows you exactly what to ask that agent for. Everything above comes from public Arkansas and federal sources, not from us selling you a policy.
Related Arkansas trucking guides
The other Arkansas trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in Arkansas (start here)
- Intrastate authority and filings
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in Arkansas
- 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 Arkansas Department of Transportation before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.