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Last updated: General Michigan freight broker bond information — confirm current requirements with the licensing authority.
America's #1 Truck Port for Canada Trade

Michigan Freight Broker Bond$75,000 BMC-84 for the Busiest Border in North America

Every Michigan-based freight broker needs the same bond every U.S. broker needs: a $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond under 49 U.S.C. § 13906 and 49 CFR § 387.307. No separate Michigan Public Service Commission broker bond gets layered on top of it. What Michigan adds is geography most brokers never have to think about: Detroit is the #1 U.S. truck port for Canada trade, the new Gordie Howe International Bridge just opened alongside the Ambassador Bridge, and the region's automotive plants run freight on zero-buffer delivery windows. See our authority guide and BMC-84 vs BMC-85 comparison.

$75,000
Federal BMC-84
49 CFR § 387.307
None
State Bond Required
No MPSC broker filing
#1
Detroit US-Canada Rank
Truck port by BTS 2025 data
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 Michigan or arranges loads through the state. Michigan 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

"Each broker subject to the requirements of this section shall provide financial security of $75,000 for purposes of this subsection, regardless of the number of branch offices or sales agents of the broker."
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — 49 CFR § 387.307, implementing 49 U.S.C. § 13906 • 49 CFR § 387.307
Why Detroit Is Different From Every Other Broker Market

Detroit Is the Busiest U.S. Truck Port for Canada Trade — Full Stop

Bond compliance is the same everywhere: every broker in every state files the same $75,000 BMC-84. What's not the same is what a Michigan brokerage sits on top of. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Transborder Freight Data Annual Report for 2025, Detroit, Port Huron, and Buffalo are the top three U.S. truck ports for freight moving with Canada — and two of those three are Michigan crossings. Detroit alone processed roughly $94.2 billion in truck freight value and about 1.13 million truck crossings in 2025, making it the single busiest U.S.-Canada truck port in the country. Nearly all of that freight funnels across one bridge: the Ambassador Bridge, the only commercial truck route at the Detroit crossing (the parallel Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is passenger-vehicle only).

Vehicles & Parts Are the #2 Commodity Crossing Detroit

Per BTS data, vehicles and vehicle parts are the second-largest commodity category by value in truck freight crossing the Detroit port, behind only computer and electronic machinery. That's the automotive supply chain showing up directly in the freight mix — and it's a category most brokers outside the Detroit-Windsor corridor rarely quote at this volume.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Transborder Freight Data Annual Report: 2025

Top 3 U.S. Truck Ports for Canada Trade — Two Are Michigan Crossings

2025 truck freight data, U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics Transborder Freight Data Annual Report

Port / CrossingStatePrimary Bridge2025 Rank (Truck Freight)
DetroitMichiganAmbassador Bridge (+ Gordie Howe, opened July 2026)#1
Port HuronMichiganBlue Water Bridge#2
Buffalo-NiagaraNew YorkPeace Bridge / Lewiston-Queenston / Rainbow#3

Ranked by U.S.-Canada truck freight flows. Michigan holds two of the top three U.S. truck ports for Canada trade — no other state holds more than one.

U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder Freight Data Annual Report: 2025

Opened July 27, 2026

The Gordie Howe International Bridge Just Doubled Detroit's Truck Crossings

For as long as most brokers working the Detroit-Windsor corridor have been in the business, the Ambassador Bridge has been the only practical commercial truck route between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. That changed on July 27, 2026, when the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic — a six-lane, cable-stayed span with an 853-meter main span, the longest cable-stayed main span in North America, running about two miles downriver from the Ambassador Bridge. The project connects directly into I-75 on the Michigan side and Ontario's Highway 401 corridor on the Canadian side, per the official Gordie Howe International Bridge project office.

Redundancy That Didn't Exist Before

The February 2022 Ambassador Bridge blockade shut down roughly $390 million a day in cross-border trade for nearly a week because there was no comparable alternate truck route. A second modern bridge means a broker can reroute around an incident at one crossing instead of telling a shipper the corridor is closed.

New — Not Yet Priced Into Most Broker Playbooks

Because the bridge only opened in the summer of 2026, most carrier routing guides and broker playbooks outside Michigan haven't caught up. Michigan-based brokers who update carrier instructions now — which bridge, which approach roads, which port-of-entry technology applies — have a knowledge edge that's genuinely new to the market.

Source: Gordie Howe International Bridge project office (official opening announcement, July 2026); Transport Canada backgrounder on the 2022 Ambassador Bridge blockade.

One federal bond, no MPSC filing; FMCSA sets its own processing time. Get your Michigan BMC-84 quote now.

Get Michigan QuoteBMC-84 Complete Guide
Cross-Border Brokerage Mechanics

What a Cross-Border Michigan Broker Needs to Know That a Purely Domestic Broker Doesn't

Every U.S. freight broker files the same $75,000 BMC-84. Brokering freight that actually crosses into Canada adds mechanics that don't show up on a page about, say, Kansas or Nebraska.

Freight Broker Bond ≠ Customs Broker Bond

Your BMC-84 is an FMCSA bond covering your obligations to carriers and shippers as a property broker. A customs broker's bond is a separate, CBP-administered bond under 19 CFR part 113 tied to a customs broker's license and covers duties and customs clearance. Most freight brokers hand customs clearance to a licensed customs broker or the carrier's in-house team rather than holding a customs broker license themselves.

FAST Lanes & C-TPAT Carriers

CBP's Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program gives pre-cleared drivers and carriers dedicated express lanes at the Ambassador Bridge, cutting wait times that can otherwise run hours during peak periods. Enrollment requires the manufacturer, carrier, and importer all hold Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification. Knowing which carriers in your network are FAST-enrolled is a real dispatching advantage on tight cross-border windows.

In-Bond Movements & the Carrier Handoff

Freight moving in-bond through the U.S. (arriving from overseas, transiting to Canada without formal U.S. entry) is a distinct category CBP tracks separately, and it comes up regularly at the Detroit and Port Huron crossings given their rail and port connections. A Michigan broker doesn't need to become a customs expert, but knowing when a load is in-bond versus a standard cleared shipment changes which carrier and paperwork handoff is correct — get it wrong and the load sits at the border, not on the road.

Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Program fact sheet; 19 CFR part 113 (customs broker bonds).

Automotive Just-in-Time Freight

When a Missed Load Doesn't Just Miss a Delivery Window — It Can Stop a Line

Michigan is home to the largest concentration of automotive assembly and Tier-1 supplier plants in the country, and those plants run on just-in-time (JIT) delivery — parts arrive scheduled to a specific window, often with little or no on-site buffer inventory. That's a fundamentally different risk profile than spot-market truckload: a broker quoting an automotive JIT lane isn't just promising a delivery day, they're promising a delivery hour, and a carrier that misses it can trigger an assembly line slowdown or stoppage at the receiving plant. Vehicles and vehicle parts ranking as the #2 commodity category by value at the Detroit crossing (per BTS 2025 data) is the direct result of this freight pattern running cross-border as well as domestically — many Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers sit on the Ontario side and ship parts into Michigan assembly plants on the same JIT schedule.

Cross-Border JIT Adds a Border Variable

A domestic JIT lane only has to beat traffic and the clock. A cross-border JIT lane also has to clear the Ambassador Bridge or Gordie Howe crossing on schedule — which is exactly where FAST-enrolled, C-TPAT-certified carriers earn their keep over carriers stuck in general processing.

Why This Matters for Broker Vetting

Brokers building an automotive JIT book of business get evaluated on reliability more than price. A carrier network with a track record on tight cross-border windows — and a bond in good standing that keeps your own authority active — is the underlying qualification shippers are really buying.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder Freight Data Annual Report: 2025 (Detroit port commodity data).

Michigan Freight Broker Bond Cost

The $75,000 BMC-84 is priced as an annual percentage of face value, not a deposit — you never pay $75,000 up front, and Michigan adds nothing to the price since there's no separate state bond. See our freight broker bond cost by state guide and surety bond cost overview for broader pricing context.

No Second Filing Fee

Because Michigan doesn't require an MPSC broker bond, you skip the second filing fee, second bond premium, and second renewal date that some states layer on top of the federal BMC-84. One bond, one renewal, regardless of how many of your loads cross into Canada.

Why Michigan Has No State Broker Bond: MPSC Regulates Carriers, Not Brokers

Michigan's Motor Carrier Act (Public Act 254 of 1933, MCL 479.9) gives the Michigan Public Service Commission authority to set insurance or bond requirements it deems necessary for intrastate-only for-hire motor carriers of general commodities and household goods — companies that own trucks and physically haul freight within Michigan. Intrastate for-hire carriers get their operating authority (CVED Authority) through the Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, a separate process from broker authority entirely. A property broker who arranges transportation but doesn't operate trucks isn't the entity that statute is regulating — that's why the $75,000 BMC-84 filed with FMCSA is the complete bond requirement for a Michigan freight brokerage.

Good to know: If your business also operates trucks and hauls freight intrastate within Michigan — not just arranging loads as a broker — that carrier operation falls under MPSC/MSP-CVED intrastate authority separately. That's a different license than freight brokering and outside the scope of this page; the BMC-84 above covers your brokerage activity only.

The January 2026 FMCSA Rule: What Changed for Every Broker, Michigan Included

FMCSA's Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibility rule (88 FR 78656) finished phasing in on January 16, 2026, after an earlier compliance-date extension. It applies identically in every state — there's no Michigan-specific variation — but it compresses the timeline brokers have to respond to a bond drawdown, which matters more when your freight is mid-transit across a border.

7-Day Replenishment Rule

If a claim payment drops your BMC-84 below $75,000, your surety notifies FMCSA within 2 business days; after FMCSA's written notice you have 7 business days to restore full coverage. Miss it, and FMCSA suspends your authority nationwide, with no exception for freight already staged at the border.

BMC-85 Trust Fund Restrictions

Trust funds may now hold only cash, irrevocable letters of credit from federally insured depository institutions, or Treasury bonds. Brokers holding non-compliant BMC-85 arrangements must restructure or move to a BMC-84 surety bond. See our BMC-84 vs BMC-85 analysis.

Identity Verification via Login.gov

New broker applications require completing FMCSA's Identity Verification process through Login.gov before the application is processed. Budget extra time in your authority timeline for this step.

Cancellation Still 30 Days

Bond cancellation still requires 30 days written notice to FMCSA from your surety. Since Michigan has no second bond, that's the only renewal date on your calendar.

Getting Broker Authority as a Michigan-Based Brokerage: One Federal Track

Because there's no separate MPSC broker filing, Michigan brokers only run the federal FMCSA process — no parallel state application to coordinate. See our full guide to getting freight broker authority for the complete step-by-step process.

Michigan Freight Broker Bond — Frequently Asked Questions

Questions specific to Michigan brokers, cross-border freight, and the new Gordie Howe crossing

Does Michigan require a separate state freight broker bond on top of the federal BMC-84?

No. The Michigan Public Service Commission's authority under the Motor Carrier Act (MCL 479.9) covers insurance and bond requirements for intrastate-only for-hire motor carriers — companies that physically haul freight within Michigan under MPSC or Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division operating authority. That authority doesn't extend to property brokers arranging interstate transportation. If you're brokering freight — even freight that starts or ends in Michigan — the $75,000 BMC-84 under 49 U.S.C. § 13906 and 49 CFR § 387.307 is your bond requirement, filed once with FMCSA. Michigan doesn't layer a second broker-specific bond on top of it.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge opened in 2026. Does that change anything for a broker who never touches a truck at the actual crossing?

It changes capacity and reliability, which changes what you can promise a shipper. The Gordie Howe International Bridge — a six-lane, cable-stayed span with an 853-meter main span, the longest of its kind in North America — opened to traffic on July 27, 2026, connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario about two miles downriver from the Ambassador Bridge. For decades, Detroit-Windsor freight had one practical truck route: the Ambassador Bridge. A closure, an accident, or a protest blockade (as happened in February 2022) stopped cross-border freight cold. A second modern crossing means a broker can route around a bridge closure instead of telling a shipper the load is stuck. That redundancy is new to the market as of mid-2026 — brokers who update their carrier routing now have a real answer the first time a customer asks "what if the bridge is down."

What's the difference between my BMC-84 freight broker bond and the bond a customs broker posts at the border?

They're unrelated bonds covering unrelated licenses. Your BMC-84 is an FMCSA financial-responsibility bond tied to your property broker authority — it guarantees you pay carriers and shippers you contract with. A customs broker's bond is a separate CBP-administered bond (governed by 19 CFR part 113) tied to a customs broker's license, which covers clearing goods through U.S. Customs and paying duties correctly. A Michigan freight broker arranging a cross-border move doesn't need a customs bond unless that broker is also acting as the customs broker of record — most freight brokers hand the customs clearance off to a licensed customs broker or the carrier's in-house customs team and stick to the transportation side. Know which hat you're wearing on a given load; the two licenses and the two bonds don't substitute for each other.

How does CBP's FAST program affect which carriers a Michigan broker can dispatch across the Ambassador Bridge?

CBP's Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program gives pre-cleared, low-risk commercial drivers and carriers dedicated express lanes at the Ambassador Bridge and other northern-border crossings, cutting wait times that can otherwise run into hours during peak periods. Enrollment requires that every link in the shipment's chain — manufacturer, carrier, and importer — hold Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification, and the driver personally holds a FAST card. For a Michigan broker quoting recurring cross-border freight, this is a real qualifying question for ythe carriers we submit to: a FAST-enrolled carrier can hit a tight automotive delivery window that a non-enrolled carrier stuck in the general lane can't reliably promise. Brokers who track which carriers in their network are FAST/C-TPAT certified can price and route time-critical cross-border loads with more confidence than brokers who don't ask.

How much does a Michigan-based BMC-84 freight broker bond cost?

The annual premium runs 1%–15% of the $75,000 bond — $750 to $11,250 a year — priced on personal credit, not on being based in Michigan or near the border. Excellent credit (750+) typically runs $750–$1,125/year. Good credit (700–749) runs $938–$1,875. Average credit (650–699) runs $2,250–$4,125. Fair or challenged credit runs $3,750–$11,250. New brokerages without operating history often see $1,500–$9,000/year even with strong credit, since sureties add a startup surcharge that usually phases out after 12–18 months of clean history.

If a claim drops a Michigan broker's BMC-84 below $75,000, does having freight already moving across the border change the 7-business-day replenishment clock?

No — the clock is the same regardless of where your freight is. Under the FMCSA financial responsibility rule that finished phasing in January 16, 2026, once a claim payment reduces your bond coverage below $75,000, your surety must notify FMCSA within 2 business days, and after FMCSA’s written notice you have 7 business days to restore full coverage or FMCSA suspends your broker authority nationwide. For a Michigan brokerage running cross-border lanes, a suspension is worse than for a purely domestic broker: loads already staged for Ambassador Bridge or Gordie Howe crossings, with carrier appointments and customs paperwork lined up, don't pause gracefully — a suspended broker can't legally arrange the next leg, so a lapsed bond can strand freight mid-corridor, not just delay a new booking. Staying ahead of the 7-business-day window matters more when your freight has a border crossing baked into the plan.

Who needs a Michigan freight broker bond?

Property brokers and freight forwarders based in Michigan 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 Michigan 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.

FMCSA Broker Registration

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

CBP FAST Program

Free and Secure Trade — dedicated commercial lanes at the Ambassador Bridge for C-TPAT-certified carriers and drivers.

Michigan Public Service Commission

MPSC — intrastate for-hire motor carrier oversight (separate from freight broker BMC-84 filing).

Treasury-Listed Carriers
FMCSA Sets Processing Time
Single Filing — No MPSC Layer
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 — the same nationally, Michigan included

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

All Michigan Surety Bonds

Every bond type Michigan businesses need — auto dealer, contractor, notary

Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.

One Bond. Two Bridges. Zero MPSC Filing.

Get Your Michigan Freight Broker Bond

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

Get Your Michigan Bond NowBack to Freight Broker Bonds
Treasury-Listed Carriers
FMCSA Sets Processing Time
Est. 1%–4% of $75K (good credit)

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