The MCS-90 endorsement: what it is and what it actually covers.
The MCS-90 is the federal endorsement on your liability policy that promises the public will be paid — even when your policy would not. Here is what that means for your premium and your risk.
Applies to
For-hire interstate carriers under FMCSA financial-responsibility rules
Limits certified
$750,000 general freight · $1,000,000 oil and most hazmat · $5,000,000 highest-hazard bulk
Related filings
BMC-91 (single insurer) or BMC-91X (more than one insurer)
What the MCS-90 does
Federal rules (49 CFR Part 387) require for-hire motor carriers to prove financial responsibility. The MCS-90 endorsement attached to your auto liability policy is how the insurer certifies it: if a member of the public is injured or their property damaged by your operation and the policy would otherwise not pay — an excluded vehicle, a driver not on the schedule, a lapsed premium — the insurer pays up to the federal minimum anyway, and then has the right to recover that money from you.
It is a guarantee to the public, not extra coverage for you. The limits it certifies are $750,000 for general freight, $1,000,000 for oil and most hazardous materials, and $5,000,000 for the highest-hazard materials in bulk. Your BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing with the FMCSA tells the government the endorsement exists; the endorsement itself sits on the policy.
What the MCS-90 is — and is not
Common questions
Does the MCS-90 mean I am always covered?
No. It means the injured public is paid. If the loss was excluded under your policy, the insurer pays the claimant and then bills you for it. Keep your drivers scheduled, your vehicles listed, and your premium current so the policy itself responds.
What is the difference between MCS-90 and BMC-91?
The MCS-90 is an endorsement on your insurance policy. The BMC-91 (or BMC-91X when more than one insurer is involved) is the filing your insurer sends to the FMCSA to prove that coverage. Your authority stays active only while a valid filing is on record.
Do intrastate carriers need an MCS-90?
The federal MCS-90 rules apply to interstate operations and to intrastate hazardous-materials carriers; many states have their own intrastate financial-responsibility forms and filings. We confirm which filings your operation actually requires.
Why did my premium change when the MCS-90 was added?
Because the insurer is taking on a guarantee beyond the policy terms. Markets price that exposure, and some will not write it at all — which is why for-hire authority narrows the list of carriers that will quote a new operation.
Which carriers write this?
Market appetite for guide changes by state and by year. Carrierlens is the free directory of trucking insurance markets our agency built: carriers, MGAs, and wholesalers, with the states they write and their appetite documents.
See markets for trucking on Carrierlens →Other operations we insure
- Dump truck insurance
- Hotshot insurance
- Box truck insurance
- Reefer truck insurance
- Hazmat trucking insurance
- Tow truck insurance
- NEMT insurance
- Semi truck insurance
- Bobtail & non-trucking liability
- Car hauler insurance
- Cargo van insurance
- Amazon Relay insurance requirements
By state
Need liability with the MCS-90 and filings done right?
We place for-hire carriers with markets that file the BMC-91 promptly and quote at the limits your brokers require.
A quote request does not bind coverage. Availability, limits, exclusions, and effective dates are subject to carrier approval and policy terms.