dry van trucking companies.

when $750,000 applies

For-hire property carriers in interstate or foreign commerce operating vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more GVWR/GCWR, not transporting the hazardous materials listed in 49 CFR 387.9.

FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints

• code 1 — General freight
• code 20 — U.S. Mail
• code 25 — Paper products

Standard property liability

Most dry-van interstate moves fall under the $750,000 BI&PD minimum in 49 CFR 387.9.

49 CFR 387.9

general freight is the default checkbox

Census cargo class 1 is general freight. Almost every for-hire property carrier marks it. That is why a dry-van hub cannot be a list of “the van companies.” The checkbox does not prove a 53′ dry van, drop-trailer pool, or seal process exists today.

Use this page for the ordinary interstate van check: identity, authority, public liability, cargo that matches commodity value, and the person on the thread matching the legal entity. Then ask about the actual trailer.

National van counts from cargo class 1 would count nearly the whole for-hire property file. That checkbox is not a dry-van market. Look up the specific carrier, then ask about the trailer.

ordinary property still has a federal floor

Most interstate dry-van moves in vehicles over 10,000 pounds GVWR fall under the $750,000 BI&PD minimum in 49 CFR 387.9. Confirm the BMC-91/91X (or surety) on L&I. Pending cancellation before pickup is a stop.

Electronics, wine, pharma, and other high-value freight inside a van are still cargo problems. The federal liability floor is not coverage for a stolen trailer of TVs. Match cargo limits to commodity value and theft exposure.

Drop-and-hook does not change the insurance analysis. It changes detention and who holds the keys. Write who owns the trailer and who holds the seal numbers.

identity theft prefers ordinary vans

Double-brokering and chameleon operations show up most on dry van because the freight looks interchangeable. The extra work on a van load is identity: census callback, W-9 match, rate-con name block, and driver name the office will claim.

A Gmail dispatch and a Google Voice number can belong to a real one-truck MC. They can also belong to someone using that MC. You do not know until you call the telephone on the census record and match the legal name.

If the MC on the rate con and the DOT on the load board resolve to different legal names, you have two entities. Do not stitch them. Pick one, verify it, or pass.

seals, drop trailers, and team vs solo

Shippers that require a seal need a seal number in the file. A carrier who “doesn’t do seals” is not covering that account. Ask before you book, not at the dock.

Drop trailer means the carrier must have a trailer to leave, or the shipper is supplying one. Census power units do not equal trailers. Ask the pool: how many trailers, where they sit, and whether this pickup is live-load or drop.

Team versus solo changes transit, not authority. A solo operator promising a 2,000-mile overnight is a hours-of-service conversation. Do not fix that with a second, unverified driver from a text thread.

equipment and desk questions

• Live-load or drop, and whose trailer sits at the shipper?
• Trailer number and whether it is 53′ dry, with working doors and no reefer unit “just in case”?
• Seal process if the shipper requires one — who applies it, who records the number?
• Solo or team, and current HOS available for this appointment?
• Cargo limit versus commodity value, named to this motor carrier?
• Census telephone callback completed, legal name matched?

high-value electronics, $750k BI&PD, $25k cargo

The authority check can pass. The cargo check fails. Do not cover a trailer of electronics on a $25,000 cargo policy because “it’s just dry van.” Raise cargo, add a rider, or find a carrier whose policy matches the invoice.

MC on the rate con, different DOT in the email footer

Those are two identifiers that must join on one census record. If QCMobile docket lookup and DOT lookup return different legal names, stop. Someone is mixing files. Cover only after one entity owns both numbers.

desk checklist

• Active common or contract authority for the lane (interstate vs intrastate).
• Legal name / DBA / MC / DOT all match the rate confirmation.
• Cargo limit covers commodity value (electronics and pharma are not “general freight” for insurance purposes).
• Phone and email on the dispatch thread match the FMCSA contact block.

common mistakes

• Skipping identity checks because the cargo class looks ordinary.
• Accepting a cargo certificate that lists a different named insured than the MC on the load.