What are Georgia's commercial auto insurance minimums?

What does Georgia law require for commercial auto insurance?

Georgia requires every registered commercial vehicle to carry minimum liability insurance. The state mandates 25/50/25 coverage - $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident. These numbers match Georgia's personal auto minimums and are set by O.C.G.A. § 33-34-4.

What does each number in the 25/50/25 limit cover?

Each figure caps a different slice of a claim:

• $25,000 bodily injury per person: the most the policy pays for one injured person's medical bills, lost wages, and related costs.
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident: the combined ceiling for all injured people in a single accident. If two people are hurt and each has $30,000 in damages, the policy pays $50,000 total, not $60,000.
• $25,000 property damage: the most paid to repair or replace other people's property, including vehicles, fences, or storefronts your vehicle damages.

Are Georgia's minimums enough for most business operations?

Those floors are low for business use. A single rear-end collision involving a newer vehicle can push past $25,000 in property damage before anyone files a medical claim. A serious injury - broken bones, surgery, lost income - can produce bills and legal judgments well into six figures.

For example, a delivery van rear-ends a car and the driver's medical and legal costs total $180,000. A policy at the state minimum pays $25,000. The business owes the remaining $155,000 out of pocket. A policy with a $1,000,000 combined single limit covers the full amount.

That is why most Georgia businesses carry limits well above the statutory floor, commonly $500,000 or $1,000,000 per occurrence, sometimes higher depending on vehicle type and how the business operates.

Do federal rules ever require higher limits than Georgia's state minimums?

Federal minimums also apply to certain operations. For-hire trucks crossing state lines, motor carriers, and some passenger-transport vehicles face federally mandated limits set by the FMCSA that exceed Georgia's state minimums. If your vehicles operate interstate or carry freight for hire, the applicable floor is higher and depends on the type and weight of cargo.

What gaps does a minimum-limits commercial auto policy leave open?

Commercial auto liability covers only third-party claims - injuries and property damage to others. Physical damage to your own vehicles (collision and comprehensive coverage), medical payments for your drivers, and uninsured motorist exposure each require separate coverage. A minimum-limits policy leaves all of those gaps open.

For example, a company truck is totaled when an uninsured driver runs a red light. The minimum-limits policy pays nothing for the truck itself, because it covers only liability to others, not your own vehicle. Without collision coverage and uninsured motorist protection, the business absorbs the full replacement cost.

Setting the right limits depends on how many vehicles you operate, what they haul, where they travel, and how exposed your business assets are. A free coverage review with our team can work through those specifics and show what limits make sense for your operation. Request a free coverage review.