The regulated-operator category — BMC-84 and beyond
Freight broker, waste hauler, motor-vehicle transportation and union wage & welfare bonds. Written for first-time filers and permanent bond lines alike, filed direct with FMCSA, municipal authorities and union trust funds.
Where "commercial" ends and "license & permit" begins
ACS now presents license and permit bonds under their own top-level category — License & Permit Bonds. This page covers the operator-facing commercial sureties: bonds a regulated business posts to run its operation (freight brokerage, waste hauling, motor-vehicle transport, unionised trades). If you're filing to be licensed by a state contractor board, DMV or professional-licensing agency, the License & Permit category is the right place.
The FMCSA $75,000 filing, step by step
The federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires every licensed property freight broker and freight forwarder to file a $75,000 surety bond (Form BMC-84) as a condition of maintaining operating authority. It's the industry's compensation fund: if a broker fails to pay a motor carrier for hauling a load, the carrier can file a claim against the bond, and the surety pays up to the $75,000 aggregate.
- Apply — send the broker's MC / MX number, contact info and personal-credit consent. Prime-credit files quote instantly.
- Underwrite — the carrier reviews the application; most standard-market files clear same-day.
- File — surety files the bond electronically with FMCSA on Form BMC-84.
- Effective date — FMCSA reviews and posts the bond; operating authority activates on their timeline (usually a few business days).
- Renew annually — we calendar the anniversary and renew before FMCSA sees a lapse. A lapse costs authority; don't miss it.
Bad-credit and post-decline files are placed through a specialty desk with partial collateral. If a prior broker has posted a claim against the applicant's authority, tell us up front — a hidden history slows the file more than an honest one.
Commercial bond programs — by sub-program
BMC-84 Bonds
Federal FMCSA freight broker and freight forwarder bonds. Filed electronically; renewed annually. Specialty markets for post-claim and bad-credit files.
Details & quoteNow under Transportation Bonds →
Motor-vehicle dealer, IFTA / IRP fuel-tax, DMV title service, DOT permit and school bus bonds are now their own top-level category so state DMV / DOR / DOT / school-district files route to the right underwriter directly.
Open Transportation BondsWaste Hauler Bonds
Municipal waste-hauler, recycler and construction-and-demolition permit bonds. Environmental-compliance amounts vary widely by municipality; specialty markets cover the hard-to-place programs.
Details & quoteWage & Welfare Bonds
Union fringe-fund bonds — the bond most collective-bargaining agreements require to guarantee the signatory contractor pays into the health, pension and welfare trust funds. Filed to the fund's exact wording.
Details & quoteWarehouseman / bailee bonds
Bonds required of public warehousemen and bailees under state warehouse-receipt statutes. Amount and form set by state law.
Utility deposit bonds
Bonds posted in lieu of a cash deposit to a utility (electric, gas, water). Common for large commercial accounts where the utility would otherwise require six-figure cash on deposit.
Union fringe-fund bonds — what the trust actually requires
Under most collective-bargaining agreements, a signatory contractor must post a bond running to the health, pension and welfare trust funds. The bond guarantees the contractor's monthly fringe-benefit contributions; if the contractor falls behind, the trust files a claim, and the surety pays the missed contributions up to the bond amount.
The bond form is set by the individual trust fund — Local X's health and welfare fund uses different wording from Local Y's pension fund — so we file the exact bond the trust names in the collective-bargaining agreement. New signatory contractors typically post the bond at execution of the CBA; existing signatories often need increases when their union headcount grows.
Frequently asked questions
Good to KnowCommercial-bond questions we hear most.
Prime-credit applications typically quote and file same-day. Once FMCSA has the bond electronically, activation of operating authority takes an additional few business days on their timeline.
The BMC-84 is a surety bond; the BMC-85 is a trust-fund alternative where the broker posts $75,000 in cash into a trust account. The BMC-84 costs a small annual premium; the BMC-85 ties up $75k of working capital. Most brokers file the BMC-84.
Standard markets underwrite on personal credit; specialty markets accept files with credit hits or prior claims, usually with a higher premium and partial cash collateral. We hold both.
Missing a monthly fringe-benefit contribution to the union trust fund. The fund's auditor issues a delinquency notice, and if unpaid, the fund files a claim against the bond for the missed contributions plus interest and audit fees.
Yes — we calendar every BMC-84 in our book and invoice the renewal 30–45 days before anniversary. Once paid, the surety files the continuation certificate with FMCSA; no gap in authority.
Send us the filing form or MC number
For BMC-84: send the MC/MX number and personal-credit consent. For waste-hauler and transportation bonds: send the obligee's bond form. For wage & welfare: send the trust fund's bond form.
- 201-661-2381 — Anthony Spina, direct line
- aspina@acsbonding.com
- 1200 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 302A, Mahwah, NJ 07430
Request received!
Anthony will be in touch shortly. For an urgent filing, call 201-661-2381.