Tanker Trucking Companies

Last updated: 2026-10-05

federal BI&PD floor (typical)$1,000,000Not cargo insurance. Confirm the 49 CFR 387.9 row for this shipment.

when $1,000,000 applies

Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101 requires $1,000,000. Hazardous substances in bulk (cargo tanks, hopper vehicles, and the other 387.9 bulk descriptions) require $5,000,000. Non-HM bulk property can still be $750,000. Match the commodity, not the trailer photo.

FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints

code 11 — Liquids/gases
code 22 — Commodities dry bulk

Commodity-driven minimum

Do not quote a single tanker insurance number. Read 49 CFR 387.9 against the product.

49 CFR 387.9

first look on a tank carrier

Resolve the docket before the tank talk. Run the USDOT on DOT lookup or the MC on MC number lookup. If the dispatcher only gives a company name, resolve the legal entity on carrier name search. Census cargo code 11 or 22 says the carrier claims bulk work. It is not a tank spec, a wash record, or a terminal approval.

Then confirm on Licensing & Insurance: Active authority and a BMC filing at the 387.9 row for this product. $1,000,000 for oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101. $5,000,000 for hazardous substances in bulk as described in 387.9. $750,000 for non-HM bulk property. Verifreta is a second opinion before booking. SAFER and L&I stay the confirmation sources.

bulk equipment is not one insurance number

Census codes 11 (liquids/gases) and 22 (commodities dry bulk) are hints. They do not tell you whether the tank is MC-406 gasoline service, a 407 chemical tank, food-grade stainless, or a dry-bulk hopper.

Liability minimums jump with the commodity. Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101 is $1,000,000. Hazardous substances in bulk as described in 387.9 are $5,000,000. Non-HM bulk property can still be $750,000. Match the product, not the trailer photo.

National tanker counts from those two cargo codes would mix milk, cement, and gasoline. Match the product, then the tank spec.

tank spec, wash, and prior cargo

Ask the spec (406, 407, 412, food-grade, pneumatic) and the last inspection the shipper cares about. QCMobile will not show tank spec. The carrier’s office should.

Food-grade and chemical service both care about prior cargo and wash tickets. A tank that last hauled a bittering agent is not covering a food-grade load on a promise to “rinse it.” Get the wash record or pass.

If the product is HM, run PHMSA registration and HMSP when required, plus the 387.9 row. If it is food-grade non-HM, you still have cargo and contamination exposure the federal BI&PD floor does not address.

tank spec on the plate: 406, 407, 412, 331, 338

Cargo tank specs are DOT specifications in 49 CFR Part 178, not FMCSA census fields. DOT 406 is the usual petroleum tank. DOT 407 is common in chemical service. DOT 412 covers many corrosives. MC 331 is a pressure tank for compressed gases such as propane. MC 338 is an insulated tank for cryogenic liquids.

Ask which spec is on the tank's specification plate. If the shipper or terminal requires a specific spec for this product, match it before you send a rate con.

Cargo tanks also carry periodic test and inspection markings under 49 CFR Part 180. If the shipper asks for a current test date, get it from the carrier in writing or as a photo of the marking. The census record will never show it.

loading rights and transloading

Some terminals require carrier approval lists, TWIC, or specific hose and fitting standards. Active MC authority does not put a truck on a refinery list. Ask who is approved at this origin.

Transload to drums or totes is a different operation than a cargo-tank highway move. Confirm what actually rolls. If a van is picking up totes, you are not on this hub’s equipment path even if the commodity started in a tank.

Overfill, vapor recovery, and retain are operational. Write who is responsible if the origin cannot load the ordered quantity.

Hazmat loading and unloading rules for cargo tanks, including who must attend the transfer, sit in 49 CFR Part 177. The terminal and the carrier's procedures own that. Your file needs the terminal's approval of this carrier and the name of the driver who will be at the rack.

hours, wash bays, and split loads

Tank work is appointment-driven. A carrier who is “an hour out” with an unwashed tank is not covering a food-grade window. Get current location, wash status, and remaining HOS before you send a rate confirmation.

Split loads and multi-drop chemicals add compatibility problems. If stop two cannot follow stop one’s product, you need a wash between them or a second tank. Census cargo codes will not tell you that. The dispatcher who names the product sequence will.

Owner-operators in bulk are common. Fleet size on the snapshot does not equal a spare trailer. If they have one tank and it is already loaded, this pickup is not covered. Ask which unit, not how many they “run.”

equipment and desk questions

UN/NA or product name, bulk or not, and which 387.9 row applies?
Tank spec and last inspection date the shipper requires?
Prior cargo and wash ticket, especially food-grade or chemical?
BI&PD amount on L&I today — $750k, $1M, or $5M?
Is the carrier approved at this terminal, TWIC if needed?
Who owns retain, and what happens if the origin short-loads?
Which spec is on the tank plate (406, 407, 412, 331, 338), and does the terminal accept it for this product?
If the shipper requires it, what test and inspection date is marked on the tank?

fuel, $750,000 BMC-91, “we haul gas all the time”

Oil in 172.101 is a $1,000,000 row. Habit is not the table. Wait until L&I shows the correct filing, or use a carrier already at $1M / $5M as required.

food-grade, last cargo a non-food chemical

Do not cover on a verbal wash. Get the ticket or find another tank. Contamination is a cargo and product-liability problem the census will not flag.

desk checklist

Resolve the docket on DOT or MC lookup, then confirm Active authority and the 387.9 BMC amount on L&I before tank talk.
Identify the UN/NA number and whether the move is bulk before you talk about insurance floors.
Confirm tank spec, last inspection, and wash/prior cargo when the shipper requires it.
If HM, run the hazmat checks (registration / HMSP) as well.

tanker trucking companies.