BMC-91 vs BMC-34: trucking insurance filings explained

BMC-91 and BMC-91X are the FMCSA filings that prove a motor carrier carries the required public liability (BIPD) insurance; the BMC-34 is a combination cargo and liability filing used by certain household-goods carriers. Each is submitted to FMCSA by the insurer, not the carrier, and each keeps a specific piece of the carrier's operating authority alive.

BMC-91 and BMC-91X: liability proof

A BMC-91 certifies that the insurer has issued the carrier a policy meeting the federal minimum for bodily injury and property damage (BIPD) liability — $750,000 for general freight, higher for passenger and hazmat. The BMC-91X does the same job when coverage is split across multiple insurers or written with underlying limits; in practice it is the form you will see most often on small and mid-size carriers.

Without an active BIPD filing, FMCSA revokes authority and the carrier cannot legally haul. That is why an insurance filing problem is an existential business problem, not paperwork.

BMC-34: cargo for household-goods carriers

The BMC-34 is a combined cargo-liability certificate of insurance used primarily by household-goods (HHG) carriers to satisfy cargo-insurance requirements. It addresses a different requirement than the BMC-91 — cargo coverage versus public liability — and applies to a narrower set of carriers. Most freight carriers you prospect for liability will be on a BMC-91 or BMC-91X.

Why the filing type matters for agents

The filing on record tells you what coverage a carrier is required to maintain and what is at risk if it lapses. When an insurer files a BMC-35 cancellation against a BMC-91 filing, the carrier has 30 days to replace its liability coverage or lose authority — the highest-intent moment to reach them. Knowing the filing landscape lets you read a carrier's public record and speak to exactly the coverage in question.

XDate Alert surfaces the pending cancellations of these filings daily, so you can call a carrier the day its insurer files to walk away.