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Last updated: General Missouri freight broker bond information — confirm current requirements with the licensing authority.
Two Gateways, One Federal Bond

Missouri Freight Broker Bond$75,000 BMC-84 for Kansas City & St. Louis Brokers

Every Missouri 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. Missouri doesn't add a state-level bond on top of it — but your book of business can run through a major rail freight center (Kansas City) on one end and a major inland river port region (St. Louis) on the other, roughly 250 miles apart on I-70. See our broker authority guide for the full FMCSA process.

$75,000
Federal BMC-84
49 CFR § 387.307
None
Missouri State Bond
MoDOT does not license brokers
250M+ tons/yr
KC Rail Tonnage
Largest rail center by tonnage
369,309
STL River Efficiency
Tons moved per river mile (2022)
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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 Missouri or arranges loads through the state. Missouri 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 Missouri, Specifically

Missouri Is the Only State Where a Broker's Two Ends of the Lane Are Both National Gateways

Every state requires the same $75,000 BMC-84. What varies is what kind of freight a broker in that state actually gets to touch. Missouri splits its freight identity between two entirely different transportation modes — rail intermodal in the west, river barge and interstate trucking in the east — connected by I-70 and, farther south, I-44. A broker headquartered anywhere along that spine can build a book that spans both without ever leaving the state.

Producer Insight: The Two Gateways Underwrite Differently

A broker running Kansas City intermodal transloads carries container-demurrage and chassis-availability risk that a St. Louis broker running river-to-truck grain freight never sees — and vice versa for barge-schedule and water-level risk. Sureties reviewing a Missouri application will ask which end of the state your freight actually moves through, because it changes the claims profile they're underwriting. Brokers who work both corridors should be ready to explain the split, not just the total volume.

Ready to get bonded and start booking Kansas City or St. Louis freight? We file your BMC-84 directly with the FMCSA.

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The Filing Step That Matters More in Missouri: BOC-3 Process Agents

Beyond the bond itself, 49 CFR Part 366 requires every broker to designate process agents — people authorized to accept legal papers on the broker's behalf — in every state where the broker holds operating authority. Brokers with nationwide authority must cover all 48 contiguous states and D.C. under 49 CFR § 366.4. This rule applies to brokers in every state, but it lands differently in Missouri: Kansas City sits directly on the Kansas border and St. Louis sits directly on the Illinois border, so a huge share of freight moving through either metro crosses a state line within the first few miles of the trip.

What BOC-3 Requires

  • Filed on FMCSA Form BOC-3 at the time of initial registration
  • Only one current designation may be on file (49 CFR § 366.2) — it must be refiled, not amended, when it changes
  • Each designated agent must reside in or maintain an office in that state
  • Most brokers use a commercial process-agent service to cover all 48 states at once

Why It Trips Up Missouri Brokers Specifically

A new Kansas City broker who plans to "stay local" often books loads that immediately cross into Kansas without realizing their BOC-3 filing needs to cover it. The same happens in St. Louis with Illinois. Because your BMC-84 bond and your BOC-3 filing are reviewed together before FMCSA activates your authority, an incomplete BOC-3 can delay an otherwise fully bonded Missouri broker from going ACTIVE.

A Seasonal Pattern Most States Don't Have

Missouri's Harvest Surge Moves Through St. Louis — Not Kansas City

Grain barge movement across the Mississippi River system rose roughly 11% in 2025 versus 2024, reaching the highest level since 2022. Third-quarter volumes — which cover the peak of Missouri's corn and soybean harvest — climbed 12% year over year, with soybean shipments alone up 30%. That freight moves from country elevators across rural Missouri into river terminals near St. Louis, then south toward New Orleans. It's a genuine seasonal volume spike, roughly August through November, that a Kansas City intermodal broker's book generally doesn't see, since KC's rail freight runs on a steadier year-round import/export cycle.

What This Means for Bonding & Working Capital

A broker whose book leans agricultural should expect carrier demand — and the cash flow needed to pay them promptly — to spike in the fall. Your BMC-84 bond amount stays fixed at $75,000 year-round regardless of seasonal volume, but sureties reviewing a renewal will ask about how you managed carrier payment timing during last year's harvest crunch if your book is grain-heavy.

Missouri 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 Missouri Add-On Cost

Because Missouri 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 Missouri-Based Broker

Because Missouri 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.

Missouri-Specific Steps

  1. 1

    Register for UCR Through MoDOT Motor Carrier Services

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

Missouri Freight Broker Bond — Frequently Asked Questions

Questions specific to Missouri-based brokers, the Kansas City/St. Louis dual-gateway split, and BOC-3 filing

Does Missouri require its own broker bond in addition to the federal BMC-84?

No. The Missouri Department of Transportation's Motor Carrier Services division issues apportioned plates, fuel-tax credentials, and intrastate operating authority for motor carriers, but it does not license property brokers or require a separate state-level surety bond layered on top of the federal requirement. Whether you're arranging intermodal drayage out of Kansas City or barge-to-truck moves through St. Louis, the $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 Missouri-based freight broker needs.

Why does a Missouri broker need BOC-3 process agents in states it may never physically touch?

Under 49 CFR Part 366, every motor carrier and broker — except one operating exclusively in Alaska or Hawaii — must designate a process agent (someone authorized to accept legal papers on the company's behalf) in every state where it holds operating authority, and brokers with nationwide authority must cover all 48 contiguous states plus D.C. per 49 CFR § 366.4. This isn't a formality specific to Missouri, but Missouri brokers feel it more than most: a Kansas City broker routinely moves freight that immediately crosses into Kansas, and a St. Louis broker sits blocks from Illinois. Only one current Form BOC-3 designation may be on file at a time (49 CFR § 366.2), so if your business address, corporate structure, or authority scope changes, the old BOC-3 has to be refiled — not amended — before your authority is considered active.

How does brokering intermodal freight out of Kansas City differ from standard truckload brokerage?

Kansas City is a major freight rail center served by several Class I railroads and multiple intermodal terminals. A broker arranging a rail-to-truck transload out of one of these ramps is coordinating container dwell time, chassis availability, and drayage capacity within a tight appointment window — a fundamentally different documentation and liability chain than booking a dry-van pickup at a shipper's dock. Sureties underwriting a KC intermodal-heavy book will ask more about drayage carrier vetting and demurrage exposure than they would for a broker running standard truckload lanes.

What happens to a Missouri broker's freight mix during the fall grain harvest surge?

Grain barge movement on the Mississippi River system rose roughly 11% in 2025 over 2024, with third-quarter volumes — the peak of Missouri's corn and soybean harvest — up 12% year over year and soybean shipments alone up 30%. St. Louis sits at the head of the busiest stretch of that system, and Missouri elevators feed it directly. Brokers who carry rural Missouri shipper relationships see a genuine seasonal spike from roughly August through November as grain moves from country elevators to river terminals, which is a different volume pattern than the steady year-round freight a KC intermodal or I-70 dry-van broker sees. If your book leans agricultural, plan working capital and carrier capacity around that window rather than assuming flat monthly volume.

What should a Missouri broker know about BOC-3 coverage and UCR?

Both Kansas City and St. Louis sit close enough to a state line that most Missouri brokers designate BOC-3 process agents in all 48 contiguous states rather than trying to predict which lanes they will touch. UCR is filed through MoDOT Motor Carrier Services — a separate annual filing from your BMC-84. Missouri adds no state broker license. 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 Missouri freight broker bond?

Property brokers and freight forwarders based in Missouri 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 Missouri 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.

MoDOT Motor Carrier Services

Official Missouri source for apportioned credentials, fuel-tax licensing, and UCR registration.

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

Freight Broker Bond Resources

Freight Broker Bond Hub

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BMC-84 Deep Dive

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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

BMC-84 Bond Cost Calculator

Estimate your annual premium by credit score tier

Illinois Freight Broker Bond

Chicago rail-interchange intermodal brokerage, across the STL bridge

Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
Reviewed by
Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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Kansas City & St. Louis Freight, One Bond

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BMC-84 quotes within one business day. No second Missouri 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

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Pacific Northwest broker authority

Pennsylvania Broker Bond

Northeast freight broker BMC-84 filing

Arizona Freight Broker Bond

Southwest property broker bonding

Georgia Freight Broker Bond

Atlanta & Savannah-corridor BMC-84 filing

Montana Freight Broker Bond

BMC-84 requirements & cost for Montana brokers

Wyoming Freight Broker Bond

Fast BMC-84 filing for Wyoming-registered brokers

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