Type of Operation
Property Carrier
Description
A person who transports property.
Authority Document
Permit
Operating Requirements
- This permit authorizes your operations only in Virginia.
- You can transport household goods only if the goods are delivered to a place that is less than 31 road-miles from the place where you picked them up.Household Goods - personal effects and property used or to be used in a dwelling, when transported or arranged to be transported (i) between residences or (ii) between a residence and a storage facility with the intent to later transport to a residence. Transportation of such goods must be arranged and paid for by, or on behalf of, the householder.
- If you receive a written claim of loss or damage on any household goods that you transported, you must:
- On the claim itself, write the date you received it.
- Within 30 days, send the claimant a written acknowledgement of receipt of the claim.
- Within 120 days, you must:
- Pay the claim, or
- Send written notification that you decline to pay the claim, or
- Make a firm compromise settlement offer in writing.
- If the claim is not processed or disposed of within 120 days, send the claimant a written report of the status of the claim every 30 days, along with the reasons for the delay.
- You may not, by contract or otherwise, shorten the length of time a person has for filing a claim to less than 30 days or shorten the time for filing a suit to less than two years.
Tariff and Time Schedule Requirements
None
Insurance Requirements
$750,000 - Bodily Injury and Property Damage
$50,000 - Cargo if transporting household goods, unless doing so exclusively in passenger cars, motorcycles, autocycles, mopeds, and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less.
If your vehicle has:
- A GVWR of 7,500 pounds or less: once you have made yourself available to transport property for compensation the minimum required insurance coverage is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident for bodily injury and death and $20,000 per incident for property damage; once you have accepted a request to transport property for compensation and until the property is removed from the vehicle, these liability limits increase to $100,000/$300,000/$50,000. You are not required to file evidence of your insurance with DMV.
- A GVWR of 7,501 – 10,000 pounds: a commercial policy providing liability coverage of at least $300,000 is required all the time. You are not required to file evidence of your insurance with DMV.
- A GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more: a commercial policy providing liability coverage of at least $750,000 is required all the time, along with the applicable operating authority unless you are exempt. Additionally, if you are transporting household goods then you must have at least $50,000 in cargo insurance. You are required to file evidence of your liability and cargo insurance with DMV.
In addition to the above changes, all carriers providing courier services are now required to meet the same insurance requirements as other property carriers.
Bond Requirements
None
Registration and License Plate Requirements
See Registration and License Plate Requirements
Vehicle Registration: Must be registered as for-hire. However, effective 01/01/2018, if you transport property for hire exclusively in passenger cars, motorcycles, autocycles, mopeds, and vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, then you have the option of registering your vehicle for private use instead of for hire.
Operating Authority Registration: The operating authority information will be displayed on the vehicle registration card when the license plates are issued.
Fees
$10 annual fee per vehicle
$3 for a duplicate permit
Miscellaneous Requirements
Address Change - You must report any new address to DMV's Motor Carrier Services within 30 days.
Discontinuing Service - If you go out of business or stop providing the service authorized, you must notify DMV in writing within 30 days.