TL;DR: For-hire intrastate carriers need NYSDOT authority held up by an insurer-filed Form E at 100/300 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage; movers add Form H cargo. Every NY-registered truck carries $50,000 no-fault PIP, workers comp starts at the first employee, interstate work follows federal tiers, and brokers require $1,000,000.
What insurance does New York legally require for truckers?
Four layers stack. NYSDOT operating authority, required for intrastate for-hire carriage, exists only while your insurer keeps a Form E liability filing active with the department, at the state's filing minimums. New York's no-fault system puts $50,000 of personal injury protection on every registered motor vehicle, trucks included. Workers compensation is mandatory from the first employee. And interstate operations add the federal program: 49 CFR 387.9 tiers, FMCSA filings, the MCS-90. Above it all sits the market layer, $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo, which is what actually books freight.
What are the NYSDOT filing minimums?
| Coverage | NYSDOT minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury or death, one person | $100,000 |
| Bodily injury or death, all persons per accident | $300,000 |
| Property damage, excluding cargo | $50,000 |
| Cargo, household goods movers only | $5,000 per vehicle / $10,000 aggregate |
Those numbers come from NYSDOT's own carrier guidance, and the filing mechanics are strict: the Form E must be transmitted by an insurance company authorized in New York, in the exact name on your authority, and NYSDOT explicitly refuses ACORD certificates as evidence. The minimums are filing floors from another era; no broker accepts 100/300 limits, and working carriers file policies written at $1,000,000.
How does New York no-fault coverage apply to trucks?
Every motor vehicle registered in New York carries $50,000 per person of basic economic loss coverage, no-fault PIP, under Insurance Law 5102, paying medical costs and lost earnings regardless of fault. For fleets, employee driver injuries route through workers comp first, and the no-fault layer matters most for other occupants and pedestrians. The $50,000 figure is the country's richest mandatory PIP, and it is part of why New York auto claims cost what they cost, which your premium reflects.
When is workers comp required, and what about owner-operators?
From the first employee, full stop: New York's Workers Compensation Law covers virtually all for-profit employment with severe penalties for gaps, including per-period fines and stop-work orders. For drivers, New York goes further than most states: the Commercial Goods Transportation Industry Fair Play Act creates a presumption that drivers transporting goods commercially are employees unless a strict test is satisfied, with civil and criminal penalties for misclassification. Building a New York operation on owner-operator classification without state-specific legal review is how carriers meet those penalties.
What do interstate carriers based in New York need?
The standard federal stack, liability at the commodity tier filed as a BMC-91 or BMC-91X, the MCS-90, BOC-3, UCR, plus New York's tax credential: the Highway Use Tax certificate and decal for most trucks over 18,000 pounds operating on New York public highways, which is a tax registration rather than insurance but travels the same compliance checklist. New York City adds its own layer of commercial vehicle rules, tolls, and congestion pricing for anyone working the five boroughs.
What does a complete New York program look like?
For a working for-hire carrier: $1,000,000 auto liability written over the no-fault chassis and filed as needed with NYSDOT and FMCSA, $100,000 cargo, physical damage priced for metro exposure and upstate winters, workers comp from hire one, general liability for shipper and facility packets, and excess limits sized to New York's litigation environment, among the most severe in the country. Movers add Form H cargo filings and NYSDOT household goods authority with its consumer rules.
Real questions New York owner-operators and fleet managers ask
What insurance do I need for NYSDOT operating authority?
A liability policy filed by your insurer as a Form E at minimum limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident bodily injury plus $50,000 property damage, from a New York authorized insurer, in your authority's exact name. Movers add a Form H cargo filing at $5,000 per vehicle.
Is the $50,000 PIP required on commercial trucks in New York?
Yes, the no-fault basic economic loss coverage attaches to New York registered motor vehicles including trucks. Employee injuries usually route through mandatory workers comp first, with no-fault covering other occupants and pedestrians regardless of fault.
Are New York's trucking minimums lower than the federal ones?
Substantially. The NYSDOT filing floors of 100/300/50 sit far below the federal $750,000 combined single limit for interstate general freight, and below every broker requirement. Treat them as paperwork floors; the practical New York limit is $1,000,000.
Do I need workers comp for one part-time helper in New York?
Yes. New York requires coverage for virtually all for-profit employment from the first employee, with stop-work orders and escalating fines for gaps. And under the Fair Play Act, commercial drivers are presumed employees unless a strict test says otherwise.
What is a HUT certificate and is it insurance?
The Highway Use Tax certificate and decal are a New York tax registration for most trucks over 18,000 pounds gross weight on public highways, administered by the Tax Department. It is not insurance, but enforcement checks it alongside your filings, so keep it current.
Why truckers work with Morrow
- We know the filings. Morrow is licensed in New York and manages Form E filings, federal filings, and the no-fault and workers comp layers as one program.
- New authority is our normal. First-year carriers pay the most and get declined the most. We work with markets that actually want new ventures and we tell you what the first renewal takes.
- Certificates and filings, fast. Certificates of insurance the same business day for most carriers, and federal or state filings submitted electronically so your authority is not sitting in a queue.
- We quote the whole picture. Liability, cargo, physical damage, and the endorsements shippers and brokers actually check for, priced together so nothing is missing when a load is on the line.
- Real people when something goes wrong. A claim, a lapse notice, or a lost certificate gets a person, not a portal.
Related New York trucking guides
The other New York trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in New York (start here)
- Intrastate authority and filings
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in New York
- 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 NYSDOT and the New York State Department of Financial Services before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.