Dry van work in Texas runs through two big gates. Laredo took 38.8 percent of southern-border truck traffic in 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and Port Houston handles about three quarters of Gulf Coast container traffic, by its own count. That matters for your filing. Under 49 CFR 390.5, a move between two Texas cities can count as interstate commerce when it is part of a shipment that starts or ends outside the state or the country. So a van hauling Laredo freight to Dallas may not fit under the $500,000 Texas minimum, even though the wheels never leave Texas. Tell your agent where the freight originates, not only where you pick it up.
Dry van is an enclosed trailer, usually 53 feet, for palletized and boxed freight that does not need temperature control: retail goods, packaged food, paper and consumer products. Most van authorities depend on brokers and shippers for loads, so what your certificate shows matters almost as much as the policy itself. Theft, cargo claims and long miles shape the risk.
What it costs
Across 14 policies Protec sold in 2026, commercial auto liability for this type of truck ran about $11,300 to $16,000 per truck per year, with a middle of $14,600. 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 Texas
Staying inside Texas? Your state authority is the TxDMV number, a certificate of registration from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division. You need it when a vehicle or combination exceeds 26,000 pounds by gross weight, registered weight or weight rating. You also need it to haul household goods for pay at any weight, or to haul placarded hazmat. Get your USDOT number first, then apply through TxDMV.
Minimum liability: $500,000 for private or for-hire carriers over 26,000 pounds. Household goods movers under 26,000 pounds need $300,000 plus cargo coverage. Placarded hazmat needs $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 depending on the material.
Who files: your insurance company files the Form E electronically with TxDMV. Forms H and I prove household goods cargo coverage, and Form K reports a cancellation.
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.
Coverages to ask about
- Primary auto liability
- Motor truck cargo
- Physical damage on the tractor and owned trailer
- Trailer interchange, if you pull trailers you do not own
- Non-trucking liability, for leased owner-operators
- General liability, when a broker or shipper requires it
What underwriters look at
- Radius and the lanes you actually run
- Commodities, especially high-value or theft-prone freight
- Motor vehicle records for every driver
- Age of the MC and years of trucking experience
- FMCSA safety data and inspection history
- Prior insurance and loss runs
Other trucks in Texas
- Dump truck insurance in Texas
- Flatbed insurance in Texas
- Hot shot insurance in Texas
- Box truck insurance in Texas
Free FMCSA check · New authority checklist
Protec Consulting Group is a licensed insurance agency in Texas.
Sources: TxDMV, TxDMV Number requirements · TxDMV, Tips for Compliant Operations as a Texas Intrastate Motor Carrier · 43 Tex. Admin. Code 218.16 (Cornell LII) · 49 CFR 387.9, schedule of limits (Cornell LII) · 49 CFR 390.5, definition of interstate commerce (Cornell LII) · FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements · USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Sand and Gravel (Construction) · Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border Crossing Data Annual Release 2025 · Port Houston, Port Statistics · Port Houston, 2024 Annual Report · Railroad Commission of Texas, Permian Basin release · 43 Tex. Admin. Code 219.11, oversize and overweight permits (Cornell LII) · TxDOT, aggregate supply contract plans, Harrison County (legal-load and delivery notes). Reviewed: 2026-11-03.