What a combined single limit (CSL) is
A combined single limit, or CSL, is one liability amount that pays bodily injury and property damage together for one accident, instead of separate amounts for each. A $1,000,000 CSL can go entirely to injuries, entirely to property, or any mix, up to that total.
Personal auto policies in California are usually written as split limits; Vehicle Code section 16056 states the minimum that way, 30/60/15. Commercial filings use a CSL. Vehicle Code section 34631.5 sets a $750,000 combined single limit floor for most motor carriers of property, and $300,000 for a carrier running only vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR that haul no hazardous material or bulk petroleum.
Contracts, brokers, and shippers often ask for $1,000,000 CSL even where the statute asks for less. That is a contract requirement, not the legal floor. See commercial auto insurance and the trucking hub.
Questions
What is a combined single limit?
One liability amount for bodily injury and property damage together per accident, instead of split limits.
What CSL does California require for a trucking company?
Vehicle Code section 34631.5 sets a $750,000 floor for most motor carriers of property, and $300,000 for carriers using only vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR without hazardous material or bulk petroleum.
How is that different from 30/60/15?
30/60/15 under Vehicle Code 16056 is a split limit: separate amounts per person, per accident, and for property damage.
Sources
- Vehicle Code section 34631.5 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, checked October 7, 2026). Motor carrier liability floors.
- Vehicle Code section 16056 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, checked October 7, 2026). Split-limit minimum 30/60/15.
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