Texas · state requirements

Commercial auto insurance in Texas

For Texas businesses that run work trucks, vans, box trucks or rigs: the liability minimums, TxDMV and federal filings, penalties and what coverage typically costs.

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What similar businesses pay

Commercial auto in Texas: About $326 a month
Commercial auto, national: About $245 a month
Business auto, national: $207 a month per vehicle

Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.

Cost

What commercial auto insurance in Texas costs

About $326 a month

Commercial auto in Texas

Insureon average for its Texas customers, updated March 2026

About $245 a month

Commercial auto, national

Insureon national average, updated March 2026

$207 a month per vehicle

Business auto, national

Progressive Commercial national median, 2025 new policies, clean records

$821 a month per truck

For-hire truck, national

Progressive Commercial national median, 2025 new policies, clean records

Insureon reports that its Texas customers pay an average of $326 a month, or $3,910 a year, for commercial auto, above its national average of $245 a month. Its customers are mostly businesses with fewer than five employees. Progressive Commercial’s national figures show how much the vehicle and the work matter: a 2025 median of $207 a month per vehicle for business autos such as service vans, against $821 a month for for-hire transport trucks, both for liability and physical damage with no driver violations. A Texas contractor with one or two pickups should expect a bill closer to the first figure; a for-hire tractor-trailer carrying the $750,000 federal minimum will cost several times more.

What moves your price

Vehicle type and weight, from a pickup to a tractor over 26,000 pounds
Liability limits, especially a $750,000 federal or $500,000 TxDMV minimum
Driving records of everyone who drives for you
Garaging location, with Harris, Dallas and Bexar counties logging the most truck and bus crashes
Radius of operation and whether you haul for hire
Claims history and years in business
Physical damage deductibles and the value of each vehicle

Texas

What’s different in Texas

30/60/25 is the floor, not the goal

Texas Transportation Code 601.072 requires at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. A single crash involving a loaded work truck can exceed those limits quickly, and anything above the limit falls on the business, so most commercial policies are written far higher.

PIP comes with the policy unless you reject it

Texas Insurance Code 1952.152 makes insurers include personal injury protection in every auto liability policy unless a named insured rejects it in writing. The required amount is $2,500 per person under section 1952.153. Decide deliberately for your fleet rather than by default.

Heavy trucks need a TxDMV number and Form E

TxDMV requires intrastate operating authority for vehicles over 26,000 pounds, placarded hazmat loads, vehicles built for more than 15 passengers and household goods movers of any size. Your insurer must file proof electronically, on Form E, before TxDMV grants the certificate, and the filing must stay active.

Truck crashes are frequent in Texas

TxDOT counted 39,393 crashes involving commercial motor vehicles in Texas in 2024, with 546 fatal crashes and 608 deaths. Harris County alone recorded 6,313. Underwriters price that exposure by garaging county and route.

Trucking lawsuits run in two phases

Since House Bill 19 took effect in September 2021, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 72.052 lets a defendant in a commercial motor vehicle collision case ask for a bifurcated trial, so liability and compensatory damages are decided before any exemplary damages. Records of driver hiring and training still matter in the second phase.

Going uninsured costs more than the fine

Under Transportation Code 601.191, a first conviction for driving without insurance carries a fine of $175 to $350, and later ones $350 to $1,000. Section 601.231 suspends the driver’s license after a subsequent conviction unless proof of insurance is filed and kept for two years.

Coverage

Coverage Texas businesses need

Auto liability

Pays for injuries and property damage your vehicles cause to others. It is the coverage Texas, TxDMV and the FMCSA require, and the one clients and shippers ask to see on a certificate.

How commercial auto works →

Personal injury protection

Pays medical bills and lost wages for your driver and passengers regardless of fault. Texas policies include it unless you reject it in writing.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

Covers your drivers and vehicles when the other driver has no insurance or only the 30/60/25 minimum, which can be far less than the cost of an injury.

Physical damage

Collision and comprehensive pay to repair or replace your own trucks after a crash, theft, hail or flood. A lender or lessor may require it.

Hired and non-owned auto

Covers liability when employees drive their own cars on errands or you rent a vehicle. A personal auto policy may not respond to business use.

Motor truck cargo

Covers freight in your care. TxDMV requires household goods carriers to file cargo insurance of at least $5,000 per shipper per vehicle and $10,000 in aggregate.

Umbrella or excess liability

Adds limits above the auto policy when a contract, shipper or your own exposure calls for more than the primary policy provides.

How umbrella / excess works →

Rules

Texas requirements

Which rules apply depends on vehicle weight, what you haul and whether you cross state lines. Each row cites the statute, regulation or agency page it comes from.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
State liability minimum	Every vehicle operated in Texas	$30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 property damage (Texas Transportation Code 601.072).
Personal injury protection	Every Texas auto liability policy	Included unless a named insured rejects it in writing; required amount $2,500 per person (Texas Insurance Code 1952.152 and 1952.153).
TxDMV operating authority and Form E	Intrastate carriers over 26,000 pounds, placarded hazmat, more than 15 passengers, household goods for hire	TxDMV certificate with liability insurance filed electronically by the insurer on Form E; $500,000 for private or for-hire carriers over 26,000 pounds (TxDMV).
TxDMV hazmat and oil limits	Intrastate hazmat, oil and hazardous waste carriers	$1,000,000 for oil, hazardous waste and petroleum products; $5,000,000 for specified high-risk hazmat (TxDMV).
Household goods movers	Movers paid to move household goods in Texas	$300,000 liability under 26,000 pounds, plus Forms H and I cargo filings of $5,000 per shipper and $10,000 aggregate per vehicle (TxDMV; 43 TAC 218.16).
Passenger carriers	Buses and commercial school buses	$500,000 for vehicles designed for 16 to 26 people including the driver and for commercial school buses; $5,000,000 for 27 or more people (TxDMV).
Federal minimum, general freight	Interstate for-hire carriers of nonhazardous property, 10,001 pounds or more	$750,000 (49 CFR 387.9).
Federal minimum, hazmat	Interstate carriers of oil and hazardous materials	$1,000,000 for oil and listed hazardous materials; $5,000,000 for the highest-hazard bulk loads (49 CFR 387.9).
Penalty for no insurance	Anyone driving without proof of financial responsibility	$175 to $350 first offense, $350 to $1,000 after; license suspension after a subsequent conviction (Transportation Code 601.191 and 601.231).

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Pay less

How to lower the cost

Hire drivers with clean motor vehicle records and check them at least yearly; driving records are among the main price factors Insureon lists.
Keep TxDMV and FMCSA filings active so a lapse never triggers penalties, revocation or a gap that insurers surcharge.
Garage vehicles securely and record where each one is kept, since location drives Texas pricing.
Raise physical damage deductibles on older trucks, or drop collision on vehicles worth little.
Document driver hiring, training and vehicle maintenance; it supports both underwriting and the defense of a negligent entrustment claim.
Compare quotes from several insurers at each renewal, because each insurer prices the same fleet differently.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

Each vehicle’s VIN, year, make, model, weight rating and garaging address
Every driver’s name, date of birth, license number and years of experience
USDOT and TxDMV numbers, if you have them
What you haul and how far, including any interstate trips
Current limits and the limits your contracts require
Three to five years of loss runs
Whether you want to keep or reject PIP in writing

Common questions

Commercial auto insurance in Texas: questions

What is the minimum commercial auto insurance in Texas?

Every vehicle needs at least 30/60/25 under Transportation Code 601.072. Intrastate carriers that need a TxDMV number must file higher limits, generally $500,000 for vehicles over 26,000 pounds, and interstate for-hire freight carriers need $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9.

Do I need a TxDMV number for my pickup truck?

Usually not. TxDMV requires its number for vehicles over 26,000 pounds, placarded hazmat, vehicles designed for more than 15 passengers, commercial school buses and household goods movers of any size. A light pickup used for your own business falls outside those categories, though the state liability minimum still applies.

What is a Form E in Texas?

It is the electronic proof of liability insurance your insurer files with TxDMV. TxDMV will not grant operating authority until it receives the filing, and you must keep it active while you operate.

Can I use my personal auto policy for business driving in Texas?

It depends on the policy and the use. Personal policies often limit business use, so vehicles titled to the business, heavier trucks and vehicles hauling for hire generally need a commercial policy; ask the insurer before relying on a personal policy.

Is PIP required on a Texas commercial auto policy?

Insurers must include it, at $2,500 per person, but any named insured can reject it in writing under Texas Insurance Code 1952.152. A rejection carries over to renewals until you ask for it again in writing.

How much does commercial auto insurance cost in Texas?

Insureon reports an average of $326 a month for its Texas customers, updated March 2026. A for-hire heavy truck costs far more: Progressive Commercial’s 2025 national median for for-hire transport trucks is $821 a month per truck.

Who can help me compare Texas commercial auto quotes?

Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers. Have your vehicle list, driver list and any USDOT or TxDMV numbers ready.

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Sources (15)

Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.