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MMBONDING
FMCSA (federal)

Freight Broker Bond (BMC-84)

Freight brokers and forwarders must keep $75,000 of financial security on file with the FMCSA to hold operating authority. Since January 16, 2026 the rules around it bite harder: a drawdown now has to be replenished in seven days, not the 30 days brokers were used to, or your authority is suspended.

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Key facts
Bond amount
$75,000
Authority
FMCSA (federal)
Statute
49 U.S.C. §13906

The premium is a percentage of the bond amount, set by underwriting. The figures above are the bond amounts, not what you pay.

Illustration for the Freight Broker Bond (BMC-84)

What it is

The BMC-84 is the surety bond form that satisfies the FMCSA's financial responsibility requirement for freight brokers and freight forwarders. It guarantees that you will pay the motor carriers and shippers you broker for, and it protects them, not you. 49 U.S.C. §13906 sets the $75,000 minimum, and you file the bond through FMCSA's Unified Registration System. If the surety pays a claim, you reimburse it in full: this is a credit instrument, not insurance.

BMC-84 or BMC-85? The answer changed in 2026

Both satisfy the same $75,000 requirement. A BMC-84 is a surety bond: you pay a premium and your capital stays in the business. A BMC-85 is a trust that ties up the full amount. As of January 16, 2026 the trust route is materially harder: the assets must be genuinely liquid on a seven calendar days test, and loan and finance companies can no longer serve as trustees at all. If your current trustee is one of those, you have 30 days from a finding of ineligibility to file a replacement before your authority is suspended.

Who needs it

  • New freight brokers applying for FMCSA operating authority
  • Freight forwarders required to file financial security
  • Brokers replacing a BMC-85 trust whose trustee no longer qualifies
  • Brokers renewing, replacing or reinstating an existing BMC-84

Bond amounts and requirements are general guidance and can change. Confirm the current requirement with the listed agency before you file. We will quote your exact bond.

Tough credit or a prior claim? It's welcome here. See how we place hard-to-place surety bonds, or get a quote and we'll place your exact bond.

Questions

Freight Broker Bond FAQs

What is a freight broker bond?
A freight broker bond, filed on form BMC-84, is the $75,000 surety bond the FMCSA requires before it will grant or maintain broker or freight forwarder operating authority. It guarantees you pay the carriers and shippers you broker for. They are the protected parties; if the surety pays them, you reimburse it in full.
What changed for freight broker bonds in 2026?
The FMCSA's Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibility rule became enforceable on January 16, 2026. The headline change: a broker used to have 30 days to cure a drawdown on its security. Now the surety must tell FMCSA within two business days, and you have roughly seven days from FMCSA's notice to replenish before your authority is suspended.
What happens if a claim draws my bond below $75,000?
Your authority is at risk within days. The surety must notify FMCSA within two business days of paying a claim, or of concluding that payment is inevitable. FMCSA then notifies you, and if the security is not back to the full $75,000 within about seven days, it suspends your operating authority registration. You cannot broker loads while suspended.
Should I use a BMC-84 bond or a BMC-85 trust?
For most brokers, the bond. A BMC-85 trust ties up the entire $75,000; a BMC-84 costs a premium and leaves your capital in the business. Since January 16, 2026 the trust is also harder to hold: assets must liquidate to cash within seven calendar days and be limited to cash, irrevocable letters of credit from a federally insured (FDIC or NCUA) depository institution, or U.S. Treasury bonds.
My BMC-85 trustee is a finance company. Is that still allowed?
No. Under the rule now in force, loan and finance companies are not eligible to act as trustees, because they do not meet the liquidity and safety standard the FMCSA set. If your trust provider is ruled ineligible you have 30 days to file a replacement from a qualifying provider before FMCSA suspends your authority. Switching to a BMC-84 is the usual fix.
How much does a freight broker bond cost?
You pay an annual premium, a percentage of the $75,000, not the amount itself. Credit is the biggest driver, with business finances and time in the industry behind it. Because the figure moves with your file rather than being fixed, our BMC-84 cost guide sets out the range and what pushes you up or down it.
Can I get a BMC-84 with bad credit?
Often, yes. Credit sets the rate, not your eligibility outright, and a thin file as a new broker is a different problem from a damaged one. MM Bonding & Insurance Services, Inc. works the markets that write credit-challenged and newly authorized brokers instead of declining at the door. Underwriting still applies, and we will tell you where you stand before you apply.
How fast can a freight broker bond be issued?
Often the same or next business day for a straightforward file, and the filing itself is electronic. The realistic delay is underwriting on a challenged file, not paperwork. If you have an authority deadline, say so up front and we will tell you honestly whether it is reachable.
What do you need from me to place it?
Your USDOT and MC numbers or your pending application, the legal name and entity type exactly as filed with FMCSA, ownership details, and authorization to pull credit. Credit-challenged or larger files also want business financials. The commonest cause of a rejected filing is a name that does not match FMCSA's record exactly.
Does the bond cover my own losses if a shipper does not pay me?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding about it. The BMC-84 protects the motor carriers and shippers you deal with, not you. If a shipper stiffs you, that is a commercial debt you pursue yourself. The bond exists so the parties on the other side of your brokerage are not left unpaid.
When can the surety cancel my BMC-84?
A surety can cancel on notice to FMCSA, and the rule now also requires it to act if it becomes aware you are in financial failure or insolvency, notifying FMCSA and starting cancellation. Cancellation leaves you without security on file, which means suspended authority. Non-payment of premium is the most common trigger, and the most avoidable.
What happens to a surety that breaks these rules?
FMCSA can bar it. A provider that fails to comply can lose its authority to file at all, and faces three years of ineligibility to provide financial security, plus civil penalties per violation that FMCSA adjusts annually for inflation. That is a real reason to place a BMC-84 through a market that intends to still be doing this in three years.
Can I get my authority back after a suspension?
Yes, by curing what caused it. Restore the security to the full $75,000 with a compliant filing from an eligible provider and the suspension can be lifted. The cost is the loads you could not legally broker in the meantime, which is usually far more than the premium. Fixing the security before FMCSA's window closes is much cheaper than fixing it after.
Is a freight broker bond the same as cargo insurance?
No. Cargo insurance indemnifies against loss or damage to freight and pays you or your customer. A BMC-84 is a three-party guarantee that pays carriers and shippers when you do not, and you reimburse the surety afterwards. Brokers commonly carry contingent cargo cover as well; the bond does not replace it.
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