Glossary

MCS-90 endorsement

The MCS-90 is a federally mandated endorsement attached to a for-hire motor carrier's liability insurance policy. It exists to protect the public: it obligates the insurer to pay any final judgment for bodily injury or property damage arising from the carrier's operations, up to the federal financial-responsibility minimum, even in situations the underlying policy would not otherwise cover. It is required under the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 and the financial-responsibility rules in 49 CFR Part 387.

How it works

Ordinary insurance can exclude losses: an unlisted vehicle, an unauthorized driver, a gap in a schedule. The MCS-90 sets those exclusions aside for injured members of the public. If a judgment falls within the endorsement, the insurer pays the claimant first. The insurer can then seek reimbursement from the carrier for anything it paid that the policy did not actually cover. So the endorsement is a safety net for third parties, funded by a claim against the carrier, not a broadening of the carrier's own protection.

What it is not

The MCS-90 is public protection, not first-party coverage. It does not pay for damage to the carrier's own truck or freight, and it is not proof that the carrier carries adequate insurance for its business. It guarantees the federal floor to victims; it says nothing about the higher limits a broker's contract may require. For vetting, the live questions remain what liability coverage is on file with FMCSA and whether that filing is active, which the BIPD filing answers.

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