What Is a Certificate of Insurance (COI)?
A Certificate of Insurance is a one-page document issued by your insurance agent or carrier that summarizes your active insurance coverage. In commercial trucking, you will provide COIs to freight brokers, direct shippers, terminal operators, port authorities, and any other party that requires proof of insurance before awarding you a load or granting facility access.
Understanding what a COI contains — and what brokers specifically require on it — prevents the frustrating situation of showing up for a load only to be turned away because your certificate is missing a required additional insured or has the wrong liability limit shown.
The ACORD 25 Certificate — Reading the Standard Form
Most commercial insurance certificates in the United States use the ACORD 25 form. Here's how to read it:
Producer — Your insurance agent's name and contact information. Brokers who have questions about your coverage call this number.
Insured — Your legal business name and address, exactly as it appears on your operating authority. Mismatches between your COI insured name and your MC number registration create delays.
Coverage sections — The form has rows for Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, Workers' Compensation, and Umbrella/Excess. For trucking, the key fields are:
| Field | What Brokers Check |
|---|---|
| Commercial Auto Liability limit | Must show $750,000+ (or $1M+ for most brokers) |
| Policy effective and expiration dates | Coverage must be active on your load date |
| Additional Insured box | Must show broker's legal name and address |
| Cancellation notice | Must show 30 days (some require 10) |
| Description of Operations | May need to specify "commercial trucking" or cargo type |
Certificate Holder — The party receiving the certificate. For a freight broker, this is the broker's legal company name and address. The certificate holder is typically also named as additional insured.
What Freight Brokers Require on a COI
Freight brokers have widely varying COI requirements. Here are the most common:
Primary liability minimum — $1,000,000. While FMCSA requires only $750,000 for general freight, virtually every freight broker and load board requires $1,000,000 minimum liability on their carriers' certificates. If your policy shows $750,000, you cannot activate on most broker panels — even though you're technically FMCSA compliant.
Cargo insurance — $100,000 minimum. Most brokers require $100,000 motor truck cargo with no special exclusions for the freight type they move. Some brokers who move high-value loads (electronics, pharmaceuticals) require $250,000 or more.
Additional insured. The broker wants to be named as additional insured on your liability policy. This means your policy extends to cover the broker for liability claims arising from loads you haul for them. Your agent processes this as an endorsement — it costs nothing extra.
30-day cancellation notice. Standard policies provide 10 days' notice for non-payment cancellation. Brokers typically require 30 days. Your agent can add a 30-day notice endorsement, which is then reflected on COIs issued for that broker.
Specific description of operations. Some brokers require the certificate's "Description of Operations" box to reference their load number, broker agreement number, or the type of freight you'll haul for them.
How to Get a COI Quickly
Your insurance agent issues COIs from your policy. For standard broker requirements, a good trucking insurance agent should be able to issue a compliant COI within a few hours. Here's the process:
- Call or email your agent with the broker's legal company name, address, and their specific COI requirements (ask the broker for a "sample certificate" or "insurance requirements document" — most have one)
- Confirm the additional insured information — the exact legal name and address of the broker matter. An error in the broker's name can cause the broker's system to reject your certificate
- Request the cancellation notice language the broker requires
- Receive the PDF via email — your agent sends it directly to you and often directly to the broker
For brokers you work with regularly, your agent can set up a blanket additional insured that speeds up future certificate requests.
Common COI Problems That Delay Loads
Name mismatch. Your COI insured name must exactly match your operating authority registration. If your MC number is registered to "Smith Trucking LLC" but your COI says "John Smith Trucking," brokers will reject it.
Expired certificate. A COI showing your previous policy period does nothing for a current load. Always verify the policy effective and expiration dates shown on a COI before submitting it.
Wrong liability limit. If you have $1,000,000 liability but your COI template only shows "each occurrence" and doesn't display the combined single limit clearly, brokers may flag it. Ask your agent to format the certificate to show the limit clearly.
Missing cargo coverage. Some agents issue certificates that show only auto liability without the cargo section completed. Brokers who require cargo proof will reject an incomplete certificate. Confirm your agent fills in the cargo section on every broker COI.
Wrong additional insured name. Every freight broker has a legal entity name that may differ from their DBA name. "Acme Freight, Inc." and "Acme Freight LLC" are different legal entities. Get the exact legal name from the broker's requirements document.
MCS-90 Endorsement — What It Is and Why Brokers Sometimes Ask For It
The MCS-90 (Motor Carrier Act endorsement) is a federally mandated endorsement attached to your primary liability policy. It's not a separate certificate — it's part of your policy. FMCSA requires it as part of the electronic filing that proves your insurance to the agency.
Brokers occasionally ask for a copy of your MCS-90 endorsement. Your agent can provide a copy. The MCS-90 ensures that FMCSA-regulated carriers maintain the minimum liability coverage required by federal law, even if a claim would otherwise fall outside your standard policy terms.
FMCSA Electronic Filing vs. the COI
When you first activate your operating authority, your insurance agent files your coverage electronically with FMCSA through the BI&PD filing system. This filing — not a paper certificate — is what activates your MC number for legal operation.
The COI you provide to brokers is separate from this FMCSA filing. FMCSA filings are checked by brokers who look up your DOT number in the FMCSA SAFER system. Both your FMCSA filing and your COI must show active, compliant coverage for brokers to activate you in their carrier system.
Also see our guide to FMCSA insurance requirements and the owner-operator insurance guide for more on managing your insurance filings and requirements.