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What Trucking Insurance Requirements Apply in South Carolina?

South Carolina requires most intrastate for-hire property carriers to receive a Class E Certificate of Compliance and keep its safety and insurance qualifications current; the SCDMV lists $750,000 for nonhazardous freight vehicles at or above 10,000 pounds and $300,000 below that weight. The E-LC class also requires cargo coverage, while qualifying low-value dump-truck commodities may use E-L without cargo insurance.

What Is Trucking Insurance?

Trucking coverage can address liability, damage to your trucks and cargo losses, but one quote may not include all three. If you haul goods for customers or yourself, compare those protections and check whether the quote needs motor-carrier or other commercial auto coverage. Read the national Trucking guide.

South Carolina Trucking Insurance Requirements

RequirementDetails
Nonhazardous freight, GVWR at least 10,000 lb$750,000 liability 1,3
Nonhazardous freight, GVWR below 10,000 lb$300,000 liability 1,3
Hazardous freight$1,000,000 or $5,000,000, depending on material and quantity 1,3
Class E-LC cargo$5,000 per vehicle 1,3

What Should You Watch for With Trucking Insurance in South Carolina?

  • Receive A Class E Certificate Before For-Hire Hauls

    South Carolina law bars most intrastate for-hire property carriers from operating without an issued Class E Certificate of Compliance; household-goods and hazardous-waste carriers follow separate authority paths. The company must keep satisfying the insurance and safety terms or the certificate can be suspended, revoked, or placed on probation. 2,1

  • Choose E-L Or E-LC Based On The Freight

    SCDMV describes E-L as the class for Department-designated, extremely low-value commodities such as dump-truck materials, which do not require cargo insurance; E-LC covers property properly insured to carry any cargo. Verify the commodity classification and use the matching cargo filing before operating. 1,3

  • Make The COC And Insurance Names Match Exactly

    SCDMV says the COC application name must match the insurance filings and the business formation record exactly, and discrepancies result in rejection. Check legal name and punctuation across the application, insurer filing, and Secretary of State record before submission. 1

  • Identify The Hazardous-Material Limit By Freight Type

    South Carolina’s DMV lists $5 million for hazardous freight in vehicles at either weight tier; the state rule also distinguishes $1 million and $5 million categories by material and quantity. Give the insurer the precise hazardous-material class and shipment quantity before binding to use the correct limit. 1,3,4

Which Providers Have Documented South Carolina Licenses?

No provider in our research documents both a state license record and this coverage line. This does not establish that providers are unlicensed. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm availability with a provider when requesting a quote.

Who Regulates Insurance in South Carolina?

South Carolina Department of Insurance

The South Carolina Department of Insurance licenses and regulates insurance companies and producers and accepts complaints involving entities it licenses and policies incepted in South Carolina. Its consumer page links to the online complaint form and explains limits on the Department’s authority. 5,6,7

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in South Carolina

Reported tax rate. 6% blended broker premium tax: 4% state plus 2% municipal 8,9

SCDOI’s January 2026 instructions set a 6% blended surplus-lines broker premium tax: 4% state and 2% municipal; the Department collects both and the Municipal Association of South Carolina allocates the municipal share. The filing system also asks brokers to identify one to three insurers that declined the indicated coverage; check the policy notice for any guaranty-association disclosure.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Trucking in South Carolina

  1. Does our intrastate for-hire freight operation need Class E-L or E-LC, or does a separate household-goods or hazardous-waste authority apply?
  2. Does each truck fall above or below South Carolina’s 10,000-pound GVWR liability cutoff?
  3. Are our commodities low-value E-L cargo or E-LC freight that needs the $5,000 cargo filing?
  4. Will the COC legal name exactly match the insurance filings and our Secretary of State formation record?
  5. Do our hazardous materials require $1 million or $5 million under the South Carolina and federal schedules?

Trucking Insurance in South Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance does South Carolina require for an intrastate freight truck?

For nonhazardous freight, SCDMV lists $300,000 for a vehicle below 10,000 pounds GVWR and $750,000 at or above 10,000 pounds. Hazardous freight has higher limits, and the E-LC class also requires cargo coverage. 1,3

Does South Carolina require a certificate for intrastate for-hire trucking?

Yes. Most intrastate for-hire property carriers must receive a Class E Certificate of Compliance before operating, with separate authority paths for household-goods and hazardous-waste carriers. 2,1

Sources for Trucking Insurance in South Carolina

  1. Certificate of Compliance. South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles; Certificate classes, exact-name application rule and insurance limits by freight GVWR and hazard type. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. South Carolina Code § 56-3-661: Certification Requirements; Insurance Requirements. South Carolina Legislature; § 56-3-661: Class E COC prerequisite and continuing compliance. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. South Carolina Code of Regulations, Chapter 38: Motor Carriers. South Carolina Legislature; Regulations 38-413 through 38-415: Form E/Form F filings, freight liability schedule and E-LC cargo coverage. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Insurance Filing Requirements. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Motor Carrier of Property chart: federal liability filing levels by freight category. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  5. south-carolina insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; Official home and consumer services pages describe regulator scope. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. SCDOI Online Services. State insurance regulator; General Public offers Licensee Lookup for licensed individuals and insurers. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. SCDOI Consumer Services. State insurance regulator; Complaint process and stated authority covers licensed entities and policies incepted in SC; online complaint form is linked. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. 2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, January 26 2026 memo: 6% blended rate, 4% state plus 2% municipal; DOI collects both and MASC allocates municipal portion. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. 2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, Jan. 26, 2026 instructions: broker filing due-diligence field requires one to three named insurers declining the indicated coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  11. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  12. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  14. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  15. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, email The General Average with a supporting source.

Trucking Insurance Guides for Other States

Other coverage in South CarolinaEvery coverage guide for South Carolina, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.

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