BNSF credit for transportation charges bonds.
From $100.
A shipper who wants BNSF Railway Company to bill freight and trailer-use charges on credit has to back that credit line with a surety bond covering credit for transportation charges. It is BNSF's own credit-department requirement, not a Kansas statute. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a BNSF credit for transportation charges bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No long underwriting queue for the standard BNSF credit bond — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and send BNSF the executed bond. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount BNSF's credit department set for your account, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most BNSF credit bonds clear instantly; the soft credit pull informs approval and never affects your score — pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. Larger amounts may get a brief review.
File with BNSF
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to send to BNSF's credit department so your credit terms take effect. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the BNSF credit bond actually guarantees
This bond is not a government license bond — it is a private financial-security requirement BNSF Railway Company sets for shippers and trailer-use customers who want transportation charges billed on credit instead of paid before service. BNSF's published credit-application process (a Salesforce-hosted online form) takes up to three business days to process, and BNSF may require this bond as part of that underwriting.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and BNSF Railway Company (the obligee). If a shipper fails to pay transportation charges within BNSF's standard terms — 15 days for carload freight, 7 days for intermodal and 3PL, and 30 days for miscellaneous charges — BNSF can claim against the bond for the unpaid amount plus any finance charges assessed under BNSF Rule Book 6100 C, and the shipper then reimburses the surety.
There is no statutory or regulatory bond amount — BNSF's credit department sizes the bond to the credit volume it extends to your account, and BNSF reserves the right to suspend or cancel credit privileges at its discretion. Enter the figure BNSF's credit team specified for your account; your premium is priced from a $100 minimum after a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with BNSF. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to send to BNSF's credit department so your credit terms take effect. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including the bond amount BNSF set for your account and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. The pull never affects your score, and your price — 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — is set at application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Kansas bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your BNSF credit terms moving.
2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, soft pull only. Enter the amount BNSF set and send the executed bond to their credit department the same day.