A Texas moving company deals with two insurance requests. The state wants proof on file before it issues a registration, and a building manager wants a different piece of paper before the truck backs up to the loading dock. This guide quotes the state rules as written, as of October 2026, then covers what a certificate of insurance is and who asks for one. I am a landlord and a cost estimator, not an agent or an attorney. This guide reports what the rules say. It does not tell you what to buy.
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Who has to register
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) runs motor carrier registration. Its TxDMV Number page lists the cases that require it. One of them reads:
Transport household goods for compensation, regardless of vehicle weight
That item sits in a list of cases where a carrier “must register as a motor carrier.” A mover with a small truck is in the list because of what it hauls, not because of how heavy the truck is. The same page says Texas “requires all INTRAstate motor carriers to register with TxDMV and file proof of insurance or financial responsibility.”
What the statute says
Chapter 643 of the Transportation Code is the motor carrier registration law. Section 643.101 covers the amount required. Subsection (a) reads:
A motor carrier required to register under Subchapter B shall maintain liability insurance in an amount set by the department for each vehicle requiring registration the carrier operates.
Subsection (c) is the one that names movers:
A motor carrier required to register under Subchapter B that transports household goods shall maintain cargo insurance in the amount required for a motor carrier transporting household goods under federal law.
The statute leaves the dollar figures to TxDMV and to federal law. The department’s rule is where the numbers live.
What the TxDMV rule says
Title 43, Section 218.16 of the Texas Administrative Code is titled Insurance Requirements. It is the rule that carries the figures. The text below is from 43 TAC Section 218.16, as reproduced by Cornell’s Legal Information Institute. Subsection (b) is about cargo and applies only to household goods carriers:
(b) Cargo insurance. Household goods carriers shall file and maintain with the department proof of financial responsibility. (1) The minimum limits of financial responsibility for a household goods carrier is $5,000 for loss or damage to a single shipper’s cargo carried on any one motor vehicle. (2) The minimum limits of financial responsibility for a household goods carrier is $10,000 for aggregate loss or damage to multiple shippers’ cargo carried on any one motor vehicle. In cases in which multiple shippers sustain damage and the aggregate amount of cargo damage is greater than the cargo insurance in force, the insurance company shall prorate the benefits among the shippers in relationship to the damage incurred by each shipper.
Subsection (a) covers automobile liability. It says a carrier “must file proof of automobile liability insurance with the department on a form acceptable to the director for each vehicle required to be registered under this subchapter.” The dollar amounts for that coverage sit in a table in the rule. TxDMV prints the household goods row of that table on its registration page:
Household Goods Movers Household goods carriers with a gross weight, registered weight or gross weight rating less than 26,000 pounds $300,000
TxDMV’s table lists other carrier classes with other figures, including “All Others” rated in excess of 26,000 pounds. Which row fits a particular truck is a question for TxDMV or a licensed agent. TxDMV’s page prints the cargo figures as “Loss of or damage to total cargo carried on any one motor vehicle $5,000” and “Aggregate loss of or damage to multiple shipper cargo carried on any one motor vehicle $10,000.” The rule says “single shipper’s cargo” where the web page says “total cargo,” so the wording differs between the two. TxDMV’s page is a summary, and the rule is the text to read.
Subsection (c) adds an employee coverage rule for some carriers:
(c) Workers’ compensation or accidental insurance coverage. (1) A motor carrier that is required to register under this subchapter and whose primary business is transportation for compensation or hire between two or more municipalities shall provide workers’ compensation for all its employees or accidental insurance coverage in the amounts prescribed in paragraph (2) of this subsection.
Subsection (e) says how the proof reaches the state:
(B) A household goods carrier shall also file and maintain proof of cargo insurance for its cargo at all times. This proof shall be on a form acceptable to the director.
TxDMV’s registration steps put the filing on the insurer’s side. After the application is approved, the page says: “Notify your insurance company so they can file your required insurance.” It adds that the “insurance policy must remain active in TxMCCS while operating as a motor carrier in Texas.” TxMCCS is the TxDMV online system.
Big-city rules
I did not search city codes for moving companies. The state registration above is the rule the TxDMV page presents for carriers operating within Texas. Whether Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, or Fort Worth adds a local requirement for movers is not something I confirmed.
What a certificate of insurance is
A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a one-page summary of a policy, prepared by the insurer or agent and sent to whoever asked for it. Texas Insurance Code Section 1811.152 says what it is not:
A certificate of insurance is not a policy of insurance and does not amend, extend, or alter the coverage afforded by the referenced insurance policy.
That is why the TxDMV filing and a COI are two different documents. The filing goes from the insurer to the state. The certificate goes from the insurer to a person who asked. Our guide to the certificate of insurance in Texas walks through the standard ACORD 25 form field by field and what it cannot prove.
Who asks a mover for one
The state is not the only party that wants paper. A building that controls a loading dock or a freight elevator can set conditions for access. One published example is the move-in policy of the Esperson Building, an office building in Texas, posted by its manager, Cameron Management. It says:
Contractor shall furnish client a Certificate of Insurance (with all pertinent endorsements) for all coverages herein listed at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to commencement of the move
That is one building’s policy, not a state rule. Each building writes its own. For how a work truck is classified for insurance, see our guide to personal versus commercial auto insurance for a work truck. For other trades with a written state rule, see which Texas trades must carry liability insurance by law.
What the rules above do not answer is whether a specific mover meets them. The registration, the vehicle class, and the policy form all affect that. Ask a licensed agent, and ask TxDMV for the current rule before you rely on any quoted line here.
Want a licensed Texas agent to call you?
Leave your name and number. We pass your request to one licensed Texas insurance agency, and that agency calls you back. PolicyCompared does not sell insurance.