A hot shot rig in Georgia hits state rules sooner than in Texas. GIMC starts at a weight rating or actual weight of 10,001 pounds, so a one-ton pickup pulling a loaded gooseneck for pay usually counts even when it would fall short of Texas's 26,000-pound line. The paperwork is more than a filing: DPS wants the GIMC application, a notarized affidavit, a secure and verifiable document, and proof of an authorized safety seminar from the past 12 months, along with the Form E your insurance company sends. Parts runs to Savannah plants or Atlanta job sites can look local, but crossing into Alabama or South Carolina means UCR instead of GIMC and the $750,000 federal limit.
Hot shot means a pickup or medium-duty truck pulling a gooseneck or bumper-pull trailer on time-sensitive loads: parts, tools, machinery and construction or oilfield equipment. The truck looks small, but the rules follow the weight rating. A rated combination over the federal 26,000-pound line can bring CDL requirements, and for-hire interstate work at 10,001 pounds GVWR or more needs the same $750,000 minimum as a semi.
What it costs
Across 14 policies Protec sold in 2026, commercial auto liability for this type of truck ran about $11,300 to $17,300 per truck per year, with a middle of $13,700. That's before taxes and fees, mostly from new and small Texas carriers, so your state and record can move it. It isn't a quote.
Filings in Georgia
Staying inside Georgia? You register under the Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) program with the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS). It applies to commercial motor vehicles with a weight rating or actual weight of 10,001 pounds or more, and to placarded hazmat, with exemptions such as certain covered farm vehicles. Private carriers register too, but the Form E is required of for-hire carriers only.
What DPS asks for: the GIMC application, the Form E filed by your insurance company (not your agent), a notarized Georgia Security and Immigration Act affidavit, a copy of a secure and verifiable document, and proof of a DPS-authorized motor carrier safety seminar taken within the past 12 months.
Minimum liability: DPS Rule 570-38-2-.05(8) lists $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $50,000 for property damage. An agent should confirm which limits apply to your operation, including any cargo limits.
If you cross state lines, the federal rules apply. A for-hire carrier of general freight in interstate commerce with vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more needs at least $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9. The policy carries the MCS-90 endorsement, and your insurance company, not you, files the BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA. Hazmat limits run higher.
Interstate carriers register under UCR rather than GIMC.
Coverages to ask about
- Commercial auto liability written for for-hire use
- Physical damage on the truck and trailer
- Motor truck cargo
- General liability, when a shipper requires it
- Occupational accident
What underwriters look at
- GVWR of the truck and trailer, separately and combined
- Radius, since hot shot loads can run long
- Commodities, including oilfield or heavy machinery
- Driver record and commercial experience
- Age of the MC and any prior commercial coverage
- Who owns the trailer and how it is titled
Other trucks in Georgia
- Dump truck insurance in Georgia
- Dry van insurance in Georgia
- Flatbed insurance in Georgia
- Box truck insurance in Georgia
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Protec Consulting Group is a licensed insurance agency in Georgia.
Sources: Georgia DPS, Instructions for Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) · Georgia DPS, GIMC Application 2025 · Georgia DPS Rules, Chapter 570-38 (2026 compilation) · Georgia Rules, Subject 560-10-31 Commercial Vehicles · Georgia DPS Fact Sheet 07, Trucks Using Multi-Lane Highways · 49 CFR 387.9, schedule of limits (Cornell LII) · 49 CFR 390.5, definition of interstate commerce (Cornell LII) · FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements · USGS, The Mineral Industry of Georgia · USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2020, Crushed Stone (2019 data) · Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Ports CEO: We are Preparing for Growth · Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Ports expanding inland connectivity · Georgia Department of Economic Development, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America · GDOT, Oversize Permits and Regulations. Reviewed: 2026-11-03.