South Carolina Trucking Insurance

Trucking in South Carolina

Two engines drive South Carolina freight: the port and the plants. The Port of Charleston is the number 8 container port in the United States with the deepest channel on the East Coast at 52 feet, and the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal that opened in March 2021 is still expanding capacity. The Upstate I-85 corridor between Greenville and Spartanburg is an automotive manufacturing powerhouse — BMW produces vehicles at their Greer plant, Michelin runs their North American headquarters from Greenville, and a dense network of suppliers keeps truck traffic heavy along the I-85/I-26 interchange.

South Carolina requires all intrastate commercial motor vehicles to obtain an SC Intrastate DOT number. It is free, but it is required, and it must be displayed on vehicle sides. This catches out-of-state carriers who assume their federal USDOT number is sufficient for intrastate operations. The state has 13 weigh stations with a color-coded sign system — green means open, red means closed — and a specialized STP HAZMAT/Level VI Team that is among the most highly trained in the region, partly because of Savannah River Site nuclear material transport through Aiken County on I-20.

Insurance rates in South Carolina are moderate for the Southeast — lower overall traffic density than Florida or Georgia helps. RMS recommends $1,000,000 CSL. Port drayage at Charleston and Upstate manufacturing supply chain operations both create significant freight density, and I-95 long-haul exposure adds to the picture. The only toll road is the Southern Connector (I-185) in Greenville at $1.80-$7.50 by axle count. Every other interstate in the state is free.

Starting a Trucking Company in South Carolina?

If you’re launching a new carrier in South Carolina, our free guide walks you through every step from business formation to passing your first FMCSA safety audit. Start with the decision guide or jump to insurance costs for new authorities.