Glossary

Certificate of Insurance (COI)

A certificate of insurance is a one-page document an insurer or its agent issues to summarize a carrier's coverage. It lists the insurer of record, the named insured, the policy types (liability, cargo, and others), the coverage limits, and the policy effective and expiration dates. Brokers and shippers routinely request a COI as proof that a carrier they are about to book carries the coverage their contract requires.

What it is, and what it is not

The certificate is a summary for information only. It does not amend the underlying policy, and it does not itself confer coverage; the policy governs. It is also a snapshot taken on the day it was issued. A policy can be cancelled, reduced, or allowed to expire after the certificate is printed, and the paper in your file will not change. That is the gap most vetting mistakes fall into: a valid-looking certificate that no longer reflects a live policy.

Where the federal record fits

For for-hire interstate carriers, the coverage that matters most is also filed with FMCSA by the insurer directly, and that filing carries a live cancellation notice when coverage is terminated. So a certificate and the federal record answer related but different questions: the certificate is what the carrier hands you, while the BIPD filing and its cancellation ledger are what the insurer told the government. Reading both, rather than the certificate alone, is how you catch a coverage that lapsed after the paperwork was cut.

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