Every vehicle on the roadway must be covered under an insurance policy. California law stipulates this, both for drivers of personal vehicles as well as commercial vehicle drivers. Commercial truck insurance requirements in California are different than the requirements for most other types of passenger vehicles.
Here, we want to examine California’s commercial motor vehicle insurance requirements so that you have an understanding of what level of coverage may be available in the event that you are injured in an accident with one of these vehicles occurs.
California Truck Insurance Requirements
In the state of California, there are various minimums for liability insurance that commercial trucking companies and drivers must follow. These insurance requirements vary depending on the types of freight and the destination of the freight.
Any commercial truck driver traveling within California state lines in a vehicle that is more than 10,000 gross vehicle weight (GVW) must be labeled with a California intrastate identification number and liability insurance that applies depending on their freight:
- $1,000,000 liability insurance if transporting oil
- $5,000,000 liability insurance if transporting hazardous materials
- $750,000 liability insurance if transporting general freight
If a commercial vehicle must travel across state lines (which is most commercial vehicles in this state), then the driver and the company will have to follow regulations set forth under the guidelines of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in order to obtain the operating authority number (MC number).
Similar to California requirements, the FMCSA provides public liability insurance that covers property damage and bodily injury in amounts depending on the type of freight involved:
- $300,000 for vehicles under 10,000 pounds carrying non-hazardous freight
- $750,000 to $5,000,000 for vehicles over 10,000 pounds (depending on the freight type)
Accidents involving large commercial trucks can result in significant injuries as well as fatal injuries. Insurance minimums, like the ones mentioned above, play a significant role in the aftermath of these incidents. If the truck driver or trucking company is found to have been negligent, they will have to pay a crash victim.
It is important to have a skilled California delivery truck accident attorney from the Walkup Law Firm by your side handling every aspect of your injury claim. This will include factual investigation, witness interrogation, evidence collection, and uncovering any evidence that can prove liability. This will also include dealing with opposing insurance carriers. Your Walkup truck accident team members will determine whether it is necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit against the trucking company and driver in order to recover maximum compensation for your losses.
