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Last updated: General Georgia freight broker bond information — confirm current requirements with the licensing authority.
One Bond — No Second State Layer

Georgia Freight Broker Bond$75,000 BMC-84 for Savannah & Atlanta Brokers

Every Georgia freight broker needs a $75,000 surety bond filed on FMCSA Form BMC-84, as required by 49 U.S.C. § 13906 and 49 CFR § 387.307. Georgia does not add a second state-level bond on top of it — the whole requirement is federal, and it's identical whether you broker drayage out of the Port of Savannah or dry-van lanes through the Atlanta I-75/I-85 warehouse corridor. What makes Georgia worth a dedicated page isn't the bond math — it's the freight volume behind it. See our broker authority guide for the full FMCSA process.

$75,000
Federal BMC-84
49 CFR § 387.307
None
Georgia State Bond
No PUC-style second layer
5.7M
Savannah 2025 TEUs
2nd busiest year on record
Prompt
Submission
Direct FMCSA filing
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BMC-84 quote — 2-minute form, quote within one business day

Quick answer
A BMC-84 freight broker bond is the $75,000 federal surety bond FMCSA requires before it will grant or keep a property broker's operating authority, whether your brokerage is based in Georgia or arranges loads through the state. Georgia does not add a separate state freight broker bond. You pay a yearly premium that is a small percentage of $75,000 (an estimate; the carrier sets the final price), not the full amount.
  • Who requires it: FMCSA, for every property broker and freight forwarder in interstate commerce (49 U.S.C. 13906; 49 CFR 387.307).
  • Amount: $75,000, set by federal law. A BMC-85 trust fund of $75,000 is the alternative.
  • Typical cost (estimate): about 1%–4% of $75,000 per year with good credit, roughly $750–$3,000. The carrier sets the final price.
  • Timing: We submit complete applications to the carrier promptly; most quotes within one business day.
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Official Federal (FMCSA) Requirements

"A broker shall provide a surety bond, trust fund agreement, or other financial security in the amount of $75,000 in a form, manner, and amount as the Secretary may prescribe."
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — 49 CFR § 387.307, implementing 49 U.S.C. § 13906 • 49 CFR § 387.307
Why Georgia, Specifically

The Savannah-to-Atlanta Freight Pipeline Is Why Georgia Ranks as a Launch State

Every state requires the same $75,000 BMC-84. What varies is how much brokerable freight actually moves through a state's ports and warehouses — and Georgia's combination of a surging container port and the Southeast's dominant inland distribution hub, 250 miles apart and connected by I-16 and I-75, is close to unmatched.

Port of Savannah — Container Growth

  • 5.7 million TEUs in 2025 — the port's second busiest year ever, up 2.6% (about 146,000 TEUs) from 2024
  • 2024: fastest-growing container port on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts — roughly 5.6 million TEUs, up ~618,000 (12.5%) over 2023
  • 540,850 containers moved by rail through the Mason Mega Rail Terminal in 2024, up 5.7%
  • Georgia Ports Authority is targeting 12.5 million TEUs of capacity by 2035, backed by a $4 billion terminal expansion

Atlanta I-75/I-85 Distribution Hub

  • Only major Southeastern metro where I-75, I-85, and I-20 converge
  • Large institutional owners hold tens of millions of sq. ft. of Georgia industrial space
  • Metro Atlanta is a major Southeastern industrial market
  • I-85 North corridor (Gwinnett to Jackson County) is a hub for e-commerce and retail distribution centers

Producer Insight: Port-Drayage Brokers Underwrite Differently

A broker running Savannah drayage — pulling containers from Garden City Terminal to a rail ramp or local warehouse — carries a different claims profile than a broker running long-haul dry van out of Atlanta. Drayage moves are short, high-frequency, and time-sensitive to terminal free-time windows, so late-pay disputes with owner-operators tend to surface faster and more often than on long-haul lanes. Sureties reviewing a Savannah-heavy book of business will ask more pointed questions about carrier payment terms and dispatch documentation than they would for an inland Atlanta broker running standard truckload freight. Knowing which profile you fit before you apply speeds up underwriting.

Ready to get bonded and start booking Savannah or Atlanta freight? The surety files your BMC-84 with the FMCSA electronically.

Get Georgia QuoteBMC-84 Complete Guide

The Filing Step That Is Easy to Miss: Unified Carrier Registration Through Georgia DPS

Georgia doesn't add a second surety bond, but it does have one filing step that's easy to miss: the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR), required for brokers under 49 U.S.C. § 14504a and administered in Georgia by the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

What UCR Requires of Brokers

  • Annual registration, separate from the BMC-84 bond and FMCSA authority
  • Brokers pay the smallest fee bracket: $46 for the 2026 registration year
  • Filed online at ucr.gov, or by mail/fax through Georgia DPS
  • 2026 window opened October 1, 2025; enforcement begins January 1, 2026

Why It Trips Up New Brokers

A new broker can have a perfectly filed BMC-84 and still get flagged if UCR lapses, because the two filings run on independent renewal clocks and neither system automatically reminds you about the other. Since UCR is federally mandated but state-administered, Georgia brokers file through Georgia DPS specifically as their base-state UCR contact — even though the bond itself goes straight to the FMCSA. Track both renewal dates separately.

Why Georgia Doesn't Need a Second Bond (Unlike Pennsylvania or Texas Intrastate Filings)

Some states layer a state-level broker bond on top of the federal BMC-84 for brokers who also arrange wholly intrastate freight. Georgia isn't one of them. The Georgia Department of Public Safety's Motor Carrier Compliance Division regulates commercial motor carriers — safety inspections, hazmat shipments, new-entrant compliance reviews — but it does not issue a separate property-broker license or require a state-specific surety bond the way Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission does. If you're brokering freight that starts or ends in Georgia, your $75,000 BMC-84 covers you whether the load crosses state lines or not.

What This Means in Practice

One bond, one renewal date, one filing to track. Compare that to a two-bond state, where brokers manage separate cancellation-notice periods and separate premium renewals for each bond. Georgia brokers spend that saved administrative overhead on the thing that actually matters here — building carrier relationships on both ends of the Savannah-to-Atlanta lane.

Georgia Freight Broker Bond Cost

The $75,000 BMC-84 is priced as a percentage of face value — you never pay $75,000, only the annual premium. Pricing is driven by credit, not geography; see our freight broker bond cost by state guide and surety bond cost overview for broader context.

No Georgia Add-On Cost

Because Georgia doesn't require a state-level broker bond, there's no second premium to budget for. The only additional line item is the $46/year UCR fee — a flat federal filing cost, not a bond premium, and unaffected by credit score.

Getting Broker Authority as a Georgia-Based Broker

Because Georgia has no separate state track, the entire process runs through the FMCSA. See our full guide to getting freight broker authority for more detail on each step.

Georgia-Specific Steps

  1. 1

    Register for UCR Through Georgia DPS

    $46/year for brokers; separate from your BMC-84 renewal date

Georgia Freight Broker Bond — Frequently Asked Questions

Questions specific to Georgia-based brokers, the Savannah-Atlanta freight pipeline, and UCR filing

Does Georgia require its own broker bond on top of the federal BMC-84?

No. Unlike Pennsylvania, which layers a separate $10,000 PUC bond on top of the federal requirement for intrastate moves, Georgia does not issue its own broker license or require a state-level surety bond. The Georgia Department of Public Safety does not regulate property brokers the way it regulates motor carriers. Your $75,000 BMC-84 bond, filed with the FMCSA under 49 U.S.C. § 13906 and 49 CFR § 387.307, is the only surety bond a Georgia-based freight broker needs — whether the loads originate at the Port of Savannah, move through Atlanta, or stay entirely within the state.

What is Georgia's Unified Carrier Registration requirement for freight brokers, and what does it cost?

Separately from the BMC-84 bond, federal law (49 U.S.C. § 14504a) requires brokers to register annually under the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan. Because brokers operate no vehicles of their own, they fall into the smallest UCR fee bracket — $46 for the 2026 registration year, per the UCR Plan's published fee schedule. Georgia-domiciled brokers file this registration through the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which serves as Georgia's base-state UCR administrator. The 2026 registration window opened October 1, 2025, with enforcement beginning January 1, 2026 — a broker without current UCR registration risks being placed out of service at a roadside or terminal check even with a fully compliant BMC-84 on file.

Why does the Port of Savannah matter to a freight broker who never touches a container?

Savannah posted its second-busiest year on record in 2025 — nearly 5.7 million TEUs, up 2.6% from 2024 — after 2024 itself was the fastest-growing container year on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts (roughly 5.6 million TEUs, up about 618,000 units, a 12.5% jump). Every one of those containers needs a drayage move off the terminal and, in most cases, a broker arranging the inland leg to a distribution center, cold-storage facility, or rail ramp. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail Terminal alone moved 540,850 containers by rail in 2024. A broker who understands drayage turn-times at Garden City Terminal and the rail-versus-truck economics out of Savannah has a structural edge that a national broker unfamiliar with the port simply doesn't.

What makes Atlanta's I-75/I-85 corridor different from other logistics hubs for a broker's book of business?

Atlanta sits at the junction of I-75, I-85, and I-20 — the only Southeastern metro where all three intersect — and it has become the region's dominant warehouse market. The I-85 corridor running from Gwinnett County north into Jackson County has become a hub for e-commerce and retail distribution centers. For a broker, that means constant freight volume moving inland from Savannah into Atlanta warehouses, then back out to retail distribution across the Southeast — a two-leg lane structure that rewards brokers who carry relationships on both ends.

Does Georgia require anything beyond the federal BMC-84 filing?

No state broker license — but UCR registration runs through Georgia DPS, and it is a separate annual filing from your BMC-84 with its own renewal date. The federal sequence itself is identical in every state and is walked through step by step in our guide to getting freight broker authority.

Who needs a Georgia freight broker bond?

Any freight broker with FMCSA property broker authority. The $75,000 BMC-84 bond, filed with FMCSA under 49 U.S.C. § 13906 and 49 CFR § 387.307, is the only surety bond a Georgia-based broker needs; Georgia does not issue its own broker license or require a state-level surety bond.

How do I get a Georgia freight broker bond?

Request a BMC-84 quote with the form on this page. The federal sequence is identical in every state, and the process from MC number to ACTIVE status is laid out step by step in our guide to getting freight broker authority.

What happens after I apply for a Georgia freight broker bond?

We submit complete applications to the carrier promptly; most quotes come back within one business day. Your BMC-84 is then filed directly with FMCSA. UCR registration is a separate annual filing with its own renewal date.

FMCSA Broker Registration

Official FMCSA portal for broker authority applications, BMC-84 filing status, and SAFER system lookups.

Georgia Ports Authority

Official Savannah and Brunswick port statistics, capacity plans, and terminal operations data.

Treasury-Listed Carriers
FMCSA Sets Processing Time
Direct FMCSA Filing
All Credit Reviewed

Freight Broker Bond Resources

Freight Broker Bond Hub

Complete BMC-84 guide — requirements, costs, claims, 2026 changes

BMC-84 Deep Dive

FMCSA filing mechanics, bond vs trust fund, personal guarantees

Cost by State Guide

How pricing varies by credit tier, not by state

BMC-84 vs BMC-85

When the trust fund makes sense — and when it never does

How to Get Broker Authority

Step-by-step FMCSA authority process from MC# to ACTIVE status

Georgia BMC-84 Calculator

Savannah port vs. Atlanta metro premium estimator

All Georgia Surety Bonds

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Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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Savannah & Atlanta Freight, One Bond

Get Your Georgia Freight Broker Bond

BMC-84 quotes within one business day. No second Georgia bond to manage — just the federal $75,000 requirement. Premiums commonly run about 1%–4% of $75,000 with good credit (the carrier sets the price), all credit levels reviewed.

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Treasury-Listed Carriers
FMCSA Sets Processing Time
Est. 1%–4% of $75K (good credit)

Freight Broker Bonds by State

State-specific guidance for filing your $75,000 BMC-84 and securing FMCSA property broker authority.

Alaska Freight Broker Bond

BMC-84 cost & barge/AlCan rules

California Freight Broker Bond

BMC-84 filing for California property brokers

Texas Freight Broker Bond

Laredo & Gulf-corridor brokerage bonding

Washington Freight Broker Surety Bond

Pacific Northwest broker authority

Pennsylvania Broker Bond

Northeast freight broker BMC-84 filing

Arizona Freight Broker Bond

Southwest property broker bonding

Montana Freight Broker Bond

BMC-84 requirements & cost for Montana brokers

Wyoming Freight Broker Bond

Fast BMC-84 filing for Wyoming-registered brokers

Freight Broker Bond Resources

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