Get Started

Commercial Auto Insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee’s minimum liability amounts are $25,000/$50,000/$25,000, and the Department of Revenue says a vehicle with a commercial plate must have a commercial auto policy. The state’s verification process matches coverage against active registered vehicles, so a fleet policy should identify each operating VIN. 1,2

What Is Commercial Auto?

Commercial auto suits businesses that use vehicles for work and need liability protection; damage to your own vehicles is a separate coverage choice. If employees drive personal or rented cars, check how those trips are handled. Read the national Commercial auto guide.

Tennessee Requirements

RequirementDetails
Liability proof baseline$25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident / $25,000 property damage 1

What to Watch for in Tennessee

  • Match the Policy to the Commercial Plate

    Tennessee Revenue says a vehicle with a commercial plate must be covered under a commercial auto policy. Check plate class and policy type together; a personal policy for an employee or owner may not satisfy this instruction for a commercial-tagged unit. 1

  • Make Sure Each Registered VIN Verifies

    The state verification system compares registration records with insurers’ reported policy data, and Revenue says active registered VINs driven on Tennessee roads must carry required liability coverage. Confirm added, replacement, and leased units are reported against the right VIN before use. 2

  • Use the Current Property-Damage Floor

    Tennessee raised the property-damage minimum from $15,000 to $25,000 for split-limit policies issued or renewed after December 31, 2022. Check older declarations and renewal dates if a policy record still shows the former figure. 3,1

  • Track the 2027 Registration Changes

    Public Chapter 1077 takes effect July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2029 for proof at initial registration; renewals are excluded. It also changes insurer reporting frequency from monthly to weekly, but the Department says this reporting change does not apply to commercial policies. 4

Who Regulates Insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance

TDCI regulates and licenses insurance companies, agents, brokers, surplus-lines agents, and public adjusters. Its complaint process accepts complaints about agents or companies when the policy was written in Tennessee, and its property/casualty unit reviews filed policy rates, rules, and forms. 5,6,7

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 5% of gross premium plus 0.175% SLAS transaction fee For Tennessee-home-state surplus-lines policies, TDCI lists a 5% tax on gross premium and a 0.175% SLAS transaction fee on gross premium; the agent receives an invoice and pays both through SLIP. The sources reviewed do not establish that the fee is always separately charged to the policyholder or resolve guaranty-association treatment, so ask your broker to itemize charges and review the policy notice. 8,9

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Commercial auto; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Tennessee. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 12
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 15

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Tennessee

  1. Does every Tennessee commercial plate correspond to a VIN on a commercial auto policy?
  2. How soon will the insurer’s monthly report include a replacement vehicle so the state can verify it?
  3. Does a policy issued or renewed after December 31, 2022 show the current $25,000 property-damage minimum?
  4. Will Public Chapter 1077’s initial-registration proof rule affect our vehicles starting July 1, 2027, and is our policy treated as commercial for the reporting exception?

Commercial Auto in Tennessee: FAQ

Does a Tennessee commercial plate require a commercial auto policy? 1

Yes. The Tennessee Department of Revenue says a vehicle with a commercial license plate must be covered under a commercial auto policy. 1

What are Tennessee’s current minimum liability amounts? 1,3

Tennessee Revenue lists $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. The increased property-damage floor applies to split-limit policies issued or renewed after December 31, 2022. 1,3

When do Tennessee’s new initial-registration insurance checks begin? 4

The Department of Revenue says the initial-registration proof requirement begins July 1, 2027 and ends June 30, 2029; registration renewals are excluded. The weekly insurer-reporting change also begins July 1, 2027 but does not apply to commercial insurance policies. 4

Commercial Auto in Other States

Other Coverage in Tennessee

Sources

  1. Financial Responsibility Law. Tennessee Department of Revenue; Minimum liability limits; commercial license plate must use commercial auto policy; current page accessed 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Insurance Verification Program Overview. Tennessee Department of Revenue; Active registered VINs driven on roads need minimum liability; insurers submit monthly book-of-business data; VIN match and verification consequence; accessed 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. 2022 Legislative Summaries. Tennessee Department of Revenue; Public Chapter 860: split-limit property-damage minimum increased to $25,000 for policies issued/renewed after Dec. 31, 2022; accessed 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Vehicle Title and Registration Notice 26-16: Updates to Vehicle Financial Responsibility Requirements. Tennessee Department of Revenue; Public Chapter 1077 (2026): initial registration proof only 2027-07-01 through 2029-06-30; registration renewals exempt; insurer reporting weekly from 2027-07-01 but commercial policies excluded; June 2026 notice, accessed 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. tennessee insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; TDCI official insurance-division and consumer pages describe department scope, review units and complaint role. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. TDCI Agent/Producer Resources. State insurance regulator; Agent Licensing Section licenses producers, business entities, surplus-lines agents, brokers, and public adjusters; page links to Verify License. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. File an Insurance Complaint. State insurance regulator; TDCI accepts online complaints about insurers and agents only for policies written in Tennessee; third-party claimants are directed to call. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Surplus Lines Filing Procedures. Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance; Tax Payments section: 5% gross premium plus .175% of gross premium SLAS transaction fee; agents receive quarterly invoices and pay via ACH in SLIP. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Tennessee Public Chapter 446 (2011), T.C.A. §56-14-113. Tennessee Secretary of State; Current tax framework enacted in §56-14-113: 5% applies when Tennessee is the insured’s home state; tax collected from insured in addition to premium. Read with current TDCI filing-procedure page for current fee and SLIP handling. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  11. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  12. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  14. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  15. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot