Last updated: August 26, 2026|General Louisiana freight broker bond information — confirm current requirements with the licensing authority.

One Federal Bond — No Louisiana State Layer

Louisiana Freight BrokerBond ($75,000 BMC-84)

Every Louisiana freight broker arranging interstate loads needs a $75,000 federal BMC-84 bond — that's it. No TxDMV-style second bond, no Louisiana Public Service Commission broker filing. The Port of South Louisiana handles more grain than any other port district in the country, and the brokers who arrange the barge-to-rail-to-truck moves out of it answer to one bond and one federal statute: 49 CFR §387.307.

$75,000

Federal Bond

None*

LA State Bond

~1%–4% of $75K

Typical Premium

Prompt

Submission

*Louisiana's $5,000 LPSC bond under La. R.S. §45:164 applies only to household goods movers — a different license than freight/property brokers. See below.

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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 Louisiana or arranges loads through the state. Louisiana adds no state freight broker bond; its state bond applies to intrastate household goods movers, a different license. 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 must have a surety bond, trust fund agreement, or other financial security of $75,000 in effect. FMCSA will not register a broker until a surety bond or trust fund for the full limits of liability prescribed herein is in effect."

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — 49 CFR §387.307 • 49 CFR §387.307, implementing 49 U.S.C. §13906(b)

The Mississippi River Freight Economy Every Louisiana Broker Works Inside

Fifty-four miles of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge carry more export tonnage than any other stretch of water in the country. Understanding which port does what determines the kind of freight — and the kind of bond risk — a Louisiana broker actually takes on.

The Three Lower-Mississippi Port Districts

Each port drives a different freight profile for brokers working the corridor

Port District	Primary Cargo	What It Means for Brokers
Port of South Louisiana	Grain (soybeans, corn), petrochemicals, crude	America's leading grain-export port district — roughly 15% of all U.S. exports and 57% of Louisiana's exports move through it. Brokers here arrange barge-to-rail-to-truck transload moves feeding Midwest and Gulf elevators.
Port of New Orleans	Coffee, containers, steel, breakbulk	The #1 U.S. port for imported coffee by tonnage. Brokers handle containerized last-mile moves out of the Napoleon Avenue and Louisiana International Terminal container complexes to inland distribution centers.
Port of Plaquemines	Petroleum products, oilfield supply, grain	Twenty miles downriver from New Orleans, closer to the Gulf. Brokers here often work offshore-support and refinery-adjacent freight with tighter delivery windows tied to vessel schedules.

Port of South Louisiana figures per the port district's official overview (portsl.com). Port of New Orleans coffee ranking per Port NOLA public reporting. All three port districts sit within Louisiana's federally regulated interstate freight corridor — none imposes its own broker bond.

The Transload Problem — Where Louisiana Brokers Actually Earn Their Fee

Grain arriving at a Port of South Louisiana elevator by barge is river cargo, not motor freight — FMCSA jurisdiction hasn't attached yet. The moment that grain is loaded onto a truck bound for a feedlot in Mississippi or a processing plant in Arkansas, it becomes interstate motor carrier transportation, and the broker arranging that truck leg needs active FMCSA property broker authority and the $75,000 BMC-84 in place. Brokers who only coordinate the intra-Louisiana drayage from barge to nearby rail siding, with no interstate truck leg, may not trigger the federal requirement at all — but the economics of the grain corridor mean almost every broker eventually books an out-of-state load.

Why Louisiana Doesn't Layer a State Bond on Top of the BMC-84

What Louisiana Revised Statutes §45:164 Actually Covers

Some states — Texas among them — require a separate state bond from intrastate-only brokers. Louisiana takes a narrower approach. La. R.S. §45:164 does require a surety bond filed with the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC), but that requirement is scoped to intrastate household goods movers — companies and brokers handling household-goods relocations within Louisiana — not general freight or property brokers. The statute sets that bond at $5,000, payable to the commission, and ties license suspension to a lapse in coverage.

This isn't an oversight — it tracks federal law. 49 U.S.C. §14501(c) generally preempts states from enacting their own price, route, or service regulation over motor carriers and brokers of property, with an exception preserved for household-goods carriers. That's the exact boundary Louisiana's LPSC bond sits inside. If you broker general freight — grain, chemicals, steel, retail containers — the LPSC household-goods bond was never written to reach you. Your only bonding obligation is the federal BMC-84.

One Exception Worth Knowing

If your Louisiana operation includes household-goods relocation brokerage alongside general freight, the $5,000 LPSC bond applies to that specific line of business — it runs in addition to, not instead of, your federal BMC-84 for general property brokerage. Pure freight brokers arranging commodity, container, or bulk freight never need to file with the LPSC at all.

Official source: Louisiana Revised Statutes §45:164 — Louisiana State Legislature

One bond, filed direct with FMCSA — no LPSC paperwork for freight brokers. most quotes within one business day, all credit levels.

Get Your Louisiana BMC-84 Quote Compare Costs by State

What Louisiana Freight Brokers Pay for Their BMC-84

The $75,000 bond amount doesn't change by state — it's federal. Your premium rate does, and it's driven almost entirely by personal credit score. See the full surety bond cost guide for additional underwriting factors, and the freight broker bond cost by state guide for the full credit-tier premium table.

Producer's Desk: What We See on Louisiana Freight Broker Applications

Louisiana applications skew slightly seasonal in a way most inland states don't. New broker inquiries cluster in late summer and early fall — right after the peak of grain harvest season and Gulf hurricane activity, when brokers who spent the season subcontracting through an established brokerage decide they have enough volume to run their own MC number. Carriers underwriting these applications look closely at whether the applicant has a documented relationship with an elevator, terminal, or petrochemical shipper — evidence of real freight volume matters more here than in states without a dominant export corridor.

Hurricane Season and the 7-Day Bond Replenishment Clock

No other state pairs a hard federal bond-restoration deadline with an annual six-month window of storm risk quite like Louisiana does.

2026 Atlantic Season: Below-Normal, Not Zero

NOAA's 2026 Atlantic hurricane outlook projects a below-normal season — 8 to 14 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, 1 to 3 major hurricanes — running June 1 through November 30. “Below-normal” is a probability, not a guarantee; South Louisiana parishes remain in the direct path of any Gulf-forming storm regardless of the seasonal total.

The 7-Day Rule Doesn't Pause

Under the January 2026 FMCSA financial-responsibility rule, a claim that drops your bond below $75,000 starts a 7-calendar-day replenishment clock the moment your surety notifies FMCSA — which it must do within 2 business days of the drawdown. A named storm making landfall during that window doesn't extend the deadline.

Practical Timing for South Louisiana Brokers

Gulf Coast freight volumes tend to spike ahead of a forecast landfall as shippers reposition goods and evacuation-support freight moves inland, then drop sharply once a port or interstate corridor closes — a pattern that raises claim exposure right when a broker's own office, bank, or staff may be dealing with the same storm. Renewing your BMC-84 well before June 1, and confirming your surety's claims contact and wire instructions in advance, removes one variable from a season that already has enough of them.

Getting FMCSA Broker Authority in Louisiana: The 4-Step Process

Full timeline is 4–6 weeks from application to active authority. See our complete guide to getting broker authority.

Register Your Entity With the Louisiana Secretary of State

1–3 days

Form your LLC or corporation and obtain your Louisiana registration before applying to FMCSA. Sole proprietors operating under a trade name should confirm their assumed-name filing is current with the parish clerk of court. This entity name is what FMCSA will use on your registration.

Apply to FMCSA Motus registration system

1–2 days

Submit your application at portal.fmcsa.dot.gov with your legal entity name, Louisiana business address, and principal information, plus the $300 non-refundable filing fee. FMCSA assigns your MC number on acceptance.

File Your BMC-84 Bond

24–48 hours

Apply for the $75,000 surety bond with your MC number, EIN, and SSN for underwriting. After approval, your surety files electronically with FMCSA, typically appearing in FMCSA systems within 2–3 business days. No LPSC filing is required for freight/property broker authority.

File BOC-3 Process Agents and Clear the Protest Period

10+ days

File Form BOC-3 designating a process agent in every state you operate in — at minimum Louisiana plus every state your River Parishes and I-10/I-55 lanes reach. Your application then sits in the FMCSA Register for a 10-calendar-day protest period before authority activates.

January 2026 FMCSA Rule Changes — What Louisiana Brokers Must Know

The Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibility rule took full effect January 16, 2026 and applies nationwide, including every Louisiana broker.

7-Business-Day Replenishment Rule

If a claim payment drops your bond below $75,000, FMCSA gives written notice and you have 7 business days to restore full coverage before your authority is suspended.

Surety Notification

Sureties must notify FMCSA within 2 business days of any claim payment reducing coverage below $75,000, which prompts FMCSA's written notice to you.

BMC-85 Trust Fund Restrictions

Trust funds may now hold only cash, irrevocable letters of credit issued by federally insured depository institutions, or Treasury bonds, and loan and finance companies can no longer serve as trustees.

Enhanced Surety Enforcement

FMCSA can suspend non-compliant surety providers from the program for up to 3 years, with per-violation penalties reaching into five figures — carrier strength is worth checking before you buy.

Read the complete BMC-84 bond guide →

BMC-84 Bond vs. BMC-85 Trust Fund: The Louisiana Decision

The vast majority of Louisiana brokers use the BMC-84 bond. The full BMC-84 vs. BMC-85 comparison covers every factor — here is the capital-efficiency snapshot most brokers actually weigh:

Factor	BMC-84 Surety Bond	BMC-85 Trust Fund
Upfront capital required	$750–$11,250/yr (premium)	Full $75,000 deposit
Credit check	Yes — drives premium rate	None (cash deposit instead)
Working capital preserved	✓ $73,250–$74,250 stays in your business	✗ $75,000 tied up
Hurricane-season liquidity	Premium already paid; no locked cash to access	Assets must be liquidatable within 7 days if drawn
Best for	Most Louisiana freight brokers	Well-capitalized, poor-credit, or high-claim-risk operations

Louisiana Freight Broker Bond — Frequently Asked Questions

Questions specific to Louisiana brokerage, the Mississippi River corridor, and hurricane-season bond continuity

Does Louisiana require its own state freight broker bond in addition to the federal BMC-84?

No. Unlike Texas or a handful of other states, Louisiana has no separate state-level bond for property (freight) brokers. Louisiana Revised Statutes §45:164 does require a surety bond filed with the Louisiana Public Service Commission — but that $5,000 bond applies only to intrastate household goods movers, a completely different license category regulated under LPSC's household-goods-carrier rules. Freight brokers arranging general property transportation are governed exclusively by federal law. Federal law (49 U.S.C. §14501(c)) also preempts states from layering their own price, route, or service regulation onto property brokers, with the household-goods carve-out being the main exception — which is exactly why Louisiana's LPSC bond stops at moving companies and never reaches freight brokers. If you're brokering general freight — grain, petrochemicals, steel, containers — the $75,000 federal BMC-84 is the only bond you need.

How much does a Louisiana freight broker bond cost in 2026?

The $75,000 BMC-84 bond runs $750–$11,250 annually, priced almost entirely on personal credit score since the bond amount itself is fixed by federal regulation. Excellent credit (750+) pays 1%–1.5%, or $750–$1,125/yr. Good credit (700–749) pays 1.25%–2.5%, or $938–$1,875/yr. Average credit (650–699) runs 3%–5.5%. Fair credit (580–649) runs 5%–8%. Below 580, expect 8%–15%, or $6,000–$11,250/yr. New Louisiana brokers without prior operating authority typically land in the $1,500–$9,000 range regardless of credit score, since carriers weight operating history heavily in year one.

Do brokers arranging grain and bulk freight out of the Port of South Louisiana need a different bond?

No — the same $75,000 BMC-84 applies whether you're brokering a single reefer load or arranging unit-train-to-barge-to-truck transfers of soybeans through the Port of South Louisiana's grain elevators. What changes is the operational complexity, not the bond. A load that starts as river barge cargo and finishes as an interstate truck move to a Midwest feedlot is interstate commerce the moment the truck leg crosses a state line, which is the trigger for needing FMCSA broker authority and the BMC-84 in the first place. Brokers working the elevator-to-truck transload segment exclusively within Louisiana parishes, with no interstate leg, may not need federal authority at all — but almost none stay purely intrastate for long given how much of the grain corridor's freight is headed to out-of-state destinations.

What happens to my bond and FMCSA authority if a hurricane disrupts operations mid-claim?

The clock does not stop for weather. Under the FMCSA financial-responsibility rule (88 FR 78656, with the compliance date extended to January 16, 2026 by 89 FR 107021), if a claim payment reduces your bond below $75,000, the surety must notify FMCSA within 2 business days, and FMCSA then gives written notice that your authority will be suspended unless you restore full coverage within 7 business days. NOAA's 2026 Atlantic outlook projects a below-normal season — 8 to 14 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes — but 'below-normal' still means Gulf landfalls are possible, and a single named storm disrupting your bank, your surety's claims office, or your own ability to wire funds during the replenishment window is a real risk for brokers based in South Louisiana parishes. Renewing before June 1 and keeping a funded reserve for the 7-business-day window matters more here than in most inland states.

Can I get a Louisiana freight broker bond with bad credit?

Yes. Louisiana brokers with credit scores below 580 are still eligible for the BMC-84, typically in the 8%–15% premium band ($6,000–$11,250/yr on the $75,000 bond). Carriers may require a portion of the premium as collateral or a personal guarantee at this tier. The BMC-85 trust fund — depositing the full $75,000 in cash, an irrevocable letter of credit from a federally insured depository institution, or Treasury bonds — is a credit-free alternative, though it ties up significantly more capital than a bond premium.

Does the BMC-84 cover hazmat or petrochemical freight brokered along the River Parishes corridor?

No. The BMC-84 is a financial-responsibility bond that guarantees a broker pays the carriers and shippers it contracts with — it is not cargo insurance and does not cover hazmat liability. Louisiana's River Parishes petrochemical corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans generates significant hazmat and bulk-chemical freight, and brokers arranging those loads still only need the standard $75,000 BMC-84 for their broker authority. Separately, any carrier you place a hazmat load with must hold its own hazmat registration and required insurance under 49 CFR Part 397 and the Hazardous Materials Regulations — verifying that is a carrier-vetting responsibility, not something the broker's bond covers.

Who needs a Louisiana freight broker bond?

Property brokers and freight forwarders based in Louisiana that arrange interstate freight. It is required by FMCSA, under 49 U.S.C. 13906 and 49 CFR 387.307. The bond amount is $75,000, set by federal law (BMC-84 surety bond; a BMC-85 trust fund is the alternative).

How do I get a Louisiana freight broker bond?

Request a quote with the form on this page. A licensed agent submits your application to a Treasury-listed surety carrier; once the carrier issues your bond, file it as the requiring agency directs.

What happens after I apply?

We submit complete applications to the carrier promptly; most quotes come back within one business day. The carrier decides approval and the final premium, and you pay only when your bond is issued.

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Related Freight Broker Resources

BMC-84 Freight Broker Bond GuideComplete federal bond guide

BMC-84 Bond Learning Center GuideIn-depth regulatory analysis

Freight Broker Bond Cost by StateCompare premium rates nationally

BMC-84 vs. BMC-85 ComparisonBond vs. trust fund decision guide

How to Get Freight Broker AuthorityStep-by-step FMCSA authority guide

BMC-84 Bond Cost CalculatorEstimate your annual premium by credit score

Surety Bond Cost GuideHow premiums are calculated across bond types

Surety Bond Renewal GuideKeep your FMCSA authority active

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All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.

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Whether you're brokering grain out of the River Parishes or containers off the Napoleon Avenue Terminal, get your $75,000 BMC-84 quoted within one business day — before the next storm watch, not during it.

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Treasury-Listed Carriers

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Est. 1%–4% of $75K (good credit)

Mississippi River Freight Specialists

Freight Broker Bonds by State

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

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