BMC-91 is the standard FMCSA form on which a motor carrier's liability insurance is filed. It covers bodily injury and property damage caused by the carrier's operations. Almost every interstate motor carrier is required to have a current BMC-91 on file to maintain operating authority.

Is cargo insurance required by FMCSA?

Cargo insurance (BMC-34) is federally required for household-goods movers and a handful of specialty operations. For general freight, FMCSA does not require a cargo filing — but most broker SOPs do. KnowHaul surfaces the BMC-34 filing whether federally required or not so you can apply your own minimum.

How often does the insurance data refresh?

We pull the L&I register daily. Insurance filings post to L&I within 24 hours of the underwriter submitting, so the data you see is at most a calendar day behind the regulator's record. The same-day check matters most for cancellation dates that fall inside the next 30 days.

Does an 'active' authority mean the insurance is current?

Not always. Authority can be 'active' for a window after an insurance filing lapses — FMCSA gives carriers a grace period before formally revoking. The cancellation date on the BMC-91 itself is the field to watch; authority status is a lagging indicator of an insurance problem.

What if the carrier has no BMC-34 on file?

It means the carrier hasn't filed cargo coverage with FMCSA — common for general-freight carriers, since the filing isn't federally required outside of household-goods. Ask for a certificate of insurance directly to confirm cargo coverage exists at your required limit.

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What insurance fields we surface

Every insurance check pulls the same four fields. Each one maps to a specific L&I form. We don't aggregate from a third-party 'carrier database' — every number on the page traces back to a primary FMCSA filing.

Field	What it tells you	Source filing
Liability coverage	Bodily injury + property damage limit on file	BMC-91 (or BMC-91X for fleets)
Cargo coverage	Per-load cargo limit on file (when required)	BMC-34
Effective date	When the policy first became valid	Form 'effective' field
Cancellation date	When the policy is set to lapse (if any)	Form 'cancellation' field

Why the cancellation date matters more than the status flag

L&I marks a policy 'active' until the cancellation date passes. A policy with cancellation set for 2026-06-30 is technically active today but won't be when your load picks up next week. KnowHaul surfaces this date prominently rather than relying on the 'active' flag alone.

BMC-91 vs BMC-91X vs BMC-34 — what each one is

FMCSA's filing names are confusing on purpose; once you know which letter goes with which coverage, the L&I register stops looking like a wall of acronyms.

Filing	What it covers	Who needs it
BMC-91	Liability — bodily injury + property damage	Required for almost every interstate motor carrier
BMC-91X	Liability for fleets — same coverage, fleet-rated terms	Carriers using a fleet-rated insurance program
BMC-34	Cargo — physical damage to the freight in transit	Required for household-goods carriers; broker-required elsewhere
BMC-84/85	Broker bond — financial responsibility for brokers	Property brokers and freight forwarders (not motor carriers)

Cargo is a broker-required field, not a federal one

Outside of household-goods, FMCSA doesn't require a BMC-34 cargo filing — but most broker SOPs require at least $100k in cargo coverage. We surface the filing whether it's federally required or not so you can match your own coverage minimum.

How to run an insurance check

Two paths. The single-carrier check is what most brokers run before tendering. The lane-driven view is for prospecting where you want carriers that already pass your insurance minimums.

Method	When to use it	Latency
Single-carrier check	You have one carrier to vet before tendering	<1 second
Lane-driven shortlist	You want active carriers on your lane filtered by coverage minimums	<2 seconds

Insurance check — verify carrier coverage in seconds

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Liability (BMC-91)

Cargo (BMC-34)

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Insurance check — verify carrier coverage in seconds

Quick Answer

What insurance fields we surface

Why the cancellation date matters more than the status flag

BMC-91 vs BMC-91X vs BMC-34 — what each one is

Cargo is a broker-required field, not a federal one

Active vs filed: the gotcha that costs brokers claims

The check that actually matters

How to run an insurance check

Pro Tips

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BMC-91?

Is cargo insurance required by FMCSA?

How often does the insurance data refresh?

Does an 'active' authority mean the insurance is current?

What if the carrier has no BMC-34 on file?

Check your next carrier's insurance