Short answer: The MCS-90 is a federally required endorsement attached to a for-hire interstate motor carrier's auto liability policy. It guarantees that the public gets paid, up to the federal minimum, for bodily injury, property damage and environmental restoration caused by the carrier's negligence, even if the policy itself would not cover the crash. It is not extra coverage for the trucking company. If the insurer pays only because of the MCS-90, the endorsement says the carrier must reimburse the insurer.
Most small fleet owners see "MCS-90" on their policy and assume it is one more layer protecting them. It is closer to a co-signed loan. The injured driver gets paid. Then the bill can come back to you.
Federal law requires for-hire motor carriers to prove financial responsibility before they get operating authority. Under 49 U.S.C. 13906, registration is granted only if the carrier files a bond, insurance policy or other security that will pay final judgments for bodily injury, death and property damage from negligent operation. 49 CFR 387.7 says no motor carrier may operate until it has the minimum levels of financial responsibility in place. The MCS-90 endorsement, a form prescribed by FMCSA, is how most carriers meet that rule.
| Type of freight (for-hire, interstate, 10,001 lbs GVWR or more) | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Nonhazardous property (general freight) | $750,000 |
| Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101 and other listed hazardous materials | $1,000,000 |
| Certain high-hazard categories, such as hazardous substances in bulk cargo tanks and Divisions 1.1 to 1.3 explosives | $5,000,000 |
Most hazmat loads fall in the $1,000,000 tier. The $5,000,000 tier applies only to the specific categories listed in the regulation.
The MCS-90 form defines public liability as "liability for bodily injury, property damage, and environmental restoration." It applies "regardless of whether or not each motor vehicle is specifically described in the policy," and it says no condition, provision or limitation in the policy relieves the insurer of liability to the public.
It does not cover:
The key Fifth Circuit case, which governs federal courts in Texas, is T.H.E. Insurance Co. v. Larsen Intermodal Services, 242 F.3d 667 (5th Cir. 2001). A carrier leased a tractor but never added it to its policy schedule and missed the 24-hour window to request coverage. Twenty-two days into the lease, the truck was in an accident. The insurer denied coverage under the policy, settled with the injured parties under the MCS-90, and sued the carrier to get its money back.
The court held that the insurer's obligations under the MCS-90 "are triggered when the policy to which it is attached provides no coverage," and that the right of reimbursement is triggered only if there is no coverage under the policy. It also held that a settlement, not just a final judgment, counts as a payment the carrier has to reimburse. The insurer won. (It could not recover its defense costs, because it owed a defense under state law.)
So the MCS-90 is a backstop that sits behind your policy. If your policy covers the crash, the policy pays and the MCS-90 never comes into play. If your policy does not, the MCS-90 pays the public and the insurer can turn to you.
In Canal Insurance Co. v. Coleman, 625 F.3d 244 (5th Cir. 2010), a driver was taking a leased truck home without a trailer and hit a car while backing into his driveway. The Fifth Circuit held that "the MCS-90 covers only liability for the transportation of property," and applies to vehicles only when they are presently transporting property in interstate commerce, judged at the time of the accident. The result rested on the parties' agreement that the driver was not hauling property, and the court said bobtail trips are not automatically excluded. The takeaway: the endorsement is trip-specific, and what the truck was doing at the moment of the crash matters.
The form says the insured agrees to reimburse the company for payments made on account of any accident, claim or suit involving a breach of the policy's terms, and for any payment the company would not have been obligated to make under the policy except for the endorsement.
For a small fleet, here is what that looks like. A truck that was never scheduled on the policy is in a serious crash. The policy says no coverage. The MCS-90 says the public still gets paid, so the insurer settles for the limit. Then the insurer sends the carrier a demand for that amount. A July 2026 article written for plaintiff attorneys put it bluntly: reimbursement is "a problem for the trucking company, not for the injured plaintiff." That article lists unscheduled vehicles and disputes over unlisted or permissive drivers among the coverage defenses the MCS-90 overrides.
For a company running a handful of trucks, a reimbursement demand in the hundreds of thousands can end the business.
These are common ways it happens, and they are almost always paperwork, not bad luck:
The MCS-90 is a federal endorsement for interstate for-hire carriers. Carriers that run only inside Texas register with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles instead. Per TxDMV, most carriers operating vehicles over 26,000 lbs need at least $500,000 in liability coverage, with higher limits for hazmat. The insurer files Form E electronically, and the carrier must keep an active insurance filing at all times while operating in Texas. Under 43 TAC 218.16, that limit is a combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage, excluding cargo.
Not yet. The federal minimum has not changed since 1985. FMCSA's 2026 report to Congress estimated it would be about $2.2 million adjusted for inflation, but said it lacks the claims data to fully assess a change. A bill to raise the minimum to $5 million, H.R. 8218, was reintroduced in April 2026, and Overdrive reported no committee action at the time. Separately, many broker and shipper contracts set their own limit requirements above the federal floor, so check your agreements.
No. It is an endorsement attached to an auto liability policy. It guarantees payment to the public up to the federal minimum, and it gives the insurer a right to be reimbursed by the carrier when the policy itself would not have covered the loss.
No. The form excludes property transported by the insured and designated as cargo. Cargo needs its own policy.
For-hire motor carriers transporting property in interstate commerce in vehicles of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, plus carriers hauling certain hazardous materials, under 49 CFR 387. Intrastate Texas carriers file with TxDMV instead.
If the insurer paid only because of the MCS-90, and the policy itself provided no coverage, the endorsement's reimbursement clause allows it to seek repayment from the carrier. Courts, including the Fifth Circuit in Larsen, have enforced that right.
For interstate general freight, the federal minimum is $750,000. For most Texas intrastate carriers over 26,000 lbs, TxDMV requires $500,000. Hazmat limits are higher under both systems.
Donegan works with Texas fleets on placement, driver files, audit prep and the paperwork that keeps a policy paying. If you are not sure every truck and driver on your roster matches your policy, let us check. Learn more about our trucking and transportation insurance, request a quote or call 830-303-8300.
This article is general information, not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Coverage depends on the specific terms, conditions and exclusions of your policy and the facts of each loss.