Minimum insurance requirement for trucking companies would skyrocket from $750K to $5 million under proposed bill

Trucking companies would see a dramatic increase in minimum insurance requirements if legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week were to advance.

On April 9, 2026, Congressmen Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Derek Tran (CA-45) reintroduced the Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act.

If passed, the bill would increase the minimum insurance requirement for interstate motor carriers from $750,000 to $5,000,000. It would also mandate that the minimum insurance requirement be updated to reflect inflation and the increasing cost of health care for crash victims.

“The $750,000 minimum insurance requirement for interstate motor carriers was first set in 1980. Not only has the cost of medical care risen dramatically since then, but increases in the weight and size of trucks have also escalated both the number and fatality rate of those crashes. As Congress continues to consider further road safety legislation, motor carriers should at minimum be required to carry insurance that adequately covers victims in the event of a crash,” Garcia said in a news release announcing the bill.

“Before I was elected to Congress, I fought for workers standing up to big corporations in the courtroom. Outdated minimum insurance requirements leave workers and their families buried by medical bills and without a steady income. The Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act ensures that the trucking industry guarantees full and fair compensation for every worker and family hurt on the job. No family should have to choose between paying their rent and getting the medical treatment they need after a devastating crash,” said Tran.

Garcia introduced similar legislation to increase minimum motor carrier insurance requirements in 2023, 2021, and 2019.

Co-sponsors for the bill include Reps. Steve Cohen (TN-09), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jared Huffman (CA-02), and Hank Johnson (GA-04). 

The bill is endorsed by a number of highway safety advocacy groups, including the Institute for Safer Trucking, the American Association for Justice, the Truck Safety Coalition, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, Parents Against Tired Truckers, and Road Safe America. 

“The Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act just makes sense. It is un-American to force truck crash victims to bear the consequences for unsafe motor carriers. As a crash survivor who suffered and continues to suffer from a minimally insured trucking company, I could not be more grateful to Representative García for introducing this bill,” said Anna Guardipee, Chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Truck Safety Coalition Board Member.