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.
BMC-84 quote — 2-minute form, 24-hr approval
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
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
- Prologis alone holds 265 Georgia properties totaling more than 60 million sq. ft. of industrial space
- Link Logistics manages roughly 40 million sq. ft. in metro Atlanta — the Southeast's largest industrial market
- I-85 North corridor (Gwinnett to Jackson County) is e-commerce territory for Amazon, Home Depot, and Walmart — it drew roughly a third of all metro Atlanta industrial leasing activity in early 2026, more than any other submarket
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? We file your BMC-84 directly with the FMCSA.
The Filing Step Competitors Skip: 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
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?
What is Georgia's Unified Carrier Registration requirement for freight brokers, and what does it cost?
Why does the Port of Savannah matter to a freight broker who never touches a container?
What makes Atlanta's I-75/I-85 corridor different from other logistics hubs for a broker's book of business?
Does Georgia require anything beyond the federal BMC-84 filing?
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.
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
Contractor, dealer, mortgage broker, and court bonds statewide
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov) and verified before publication. BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-certified, A-minimum rated surety carriers serving all 50 states.
Get Your Georgia Freight Broker Bond
BMC-84 approval in 24 hours. No second Georgia bond to manage — just the federal $75,000 requirement. Rates from $750/year, all credit levels accepted.
Freight Broker Bonds by State
State-specific guidance for filing your $75,000 BMC-84 and securing FMCSA property broker authority.
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