TL;DR: Intrastate for-hire carriers register as GIMC with DPS and file 100/300 liability through their insurer on Form E, with continuous coverage explicitly required. Interstate carriers follow federal tiers with FMCSA filings. Workers comp applies at three employees, and Georgia's verdict environment pushes working limits above the $1,000,000 broker standard.
What insurance does Georgia law require for truckers?
By layer, with the courtroom as context. Intrastate for-hire carriage requires GIMC registration with DPS and an insurer-filed Form E at the state floors, 100/300 bodily injury plus property damage for vehicles over 10,000 pounds, $500,000 for larger passenger configurations, continuous with no lapse permitted. Interstate carriage requires the federal stack: 49 CFR 387.9 tiers, BMC filings, MCS-90. Workers comp attaches at three employees. And the operative numbers come from contracts and Georgia's liability environment: $1,000,000 and $100,000 cargo to book freight, with excess layers earning their premium in a state whose verdicts made national news often enough to spawn tort-reform campaigns.
What are the required amounts?
| Requirement | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Intrastate for-hire property, over 10,000 lbs | 100/300 BI plus PD | DPS GIMC rules |
| Passenger, 12 or more | $500,000 | DPS rules |
| Hazmat | $1,000,000 / $5,000,000 | Federal tiers |
| Interstate general freight | $750,000 | 49 CFR 387.9 |
| Registration, light vehicles | 25/50/25 | Georgia law |
| Brokered freight | $1,000,000 + $100,000 cargo | Contracts |
How do the GIMC filings work?
On the uniform Form E, transmitted electronically by the insurance company to DPS, in the exact registered name, with Georgia's rules stating flatly that certificates must evidence continuous coverage and that no lapse is permitted. The operational meaning is standard filing-state discipline with extra emphasis: replacement filings posted before old policies cancel, verification after every insurer change, and automated payments so the no-lapse rule never gets tested. Interstate carriers run the federal BMC filing in parallel, each system verified independently.
What does workers comp require in Georgia?
Coverage at three or more employees, counting part-timers, through the private market under the State Board of Workers' Compensation, with penalties for gaps and the usual classification analysis for owner-operators. Georgia's trucking employment concentrates around the Atlanta hub and Savannah drayage, both employee-heavy models, and comp rates price the trade's injury reality. Below the threshold, occupational accident coverage in leases fills the gap, with the federal leasing rules governing disclosure.
How does Georgia's verdict environment shape the program?
It is the program's biggest variable. Georgia juries have delivered repeated eight and nine figure trucking awards, the plaintiff bar invests in trucking litigation infrastructure, and insurers responded with pricing and appetite adjustments that make Georgia one of the harder Southeast states to place. The practical consequences: cameras are effectively mandatory equipment, since disputed-fault claims that settle cheaply elsewhere get tried expensively here; documentation standards matter more; and excess limits above $1,000,000 are standard purchases for fleets with assets. Recent tort-reform legislation changed some litigation rules; treat it as environment, not as a discount.
What does a complete Georgia program look like?
$1,000,000 liability clearing the GIMC filing, federal filings, and broker packets; meaningful excess for any fleet with assets; $100,000 cargo with theft terms for Atlanta-corridor freight; physical damage; workers comp from the third employee; and general liability for shipper and port requirements. Savannah drayage adds interchange schedules and chassis exposures. Cameras and documented driver standards belong in the program as risk controls the market actually prices.
Real questions Georgia owner-operators and fleet managers ask
What insurance do I need to haul freight within Georgia?
GIMC registration with an insurer-filed Form E at the 100/300 floors plus property damage, continuously maintained. Booking brokered freight requires $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo, and Georgia's verdict environment makes excess above that a serious consideration.
What does Georgia's continuous coverage rule mean?
The GIMC rules explicitly permit no lapse in insurance: a cancellation without a replacement filing is an immediate registration problem, not a paperwork delay. Replacement-before-cancellation and post-change verification are the only safe patterns.
When does workers comp apply to a Georgia trucking company?
At three or more employees, counting part-timers, under the State Board of Workers' Compensation. Owner-operator classification follows Georgia's tests, and occupational accident coverage is the standard lease answer below or outside the threshold.
Does Georgia require PIP or no-fault coverage?
No, Georgia is an at-fault tort state with no PIP mandate. Injury claims proceed against liability limits, which is exactly why the state's verdict severity dominates Georgia insurance planning.
How does Savannah port work change my requirements?
Drayage adds the container trade's stack: UIIA and equipment-provider insurance schedules, trailer interchange coverage, and chassis exposures on top of auto liability. The port's growth has brought more insurer attention and more competition for well-documented drayage accounts.
Can Morrow write trucking insurance in Georgia?
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 Georgia, we can refer you to a licensed Georgia agent, and this guide still shows you exactly what to ask that agent for. Everything above comes from public Georgia and federal sources, not from us selling you a policy.
Related Georgia trucking guides
The other Georgia trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in Georgia (start here)
- Intrastate authority and filings
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in Georgia
- 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 Georgia Department of Public Safety before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.