Commercial Auto Insurance
Coverage for every vehicle your business puts on the road
Trucks, vans, and personal cars used for work — with the liability limits your contracts and the DOT require.
Commercial auto covers the vehicles your business owns, leases, rents, or borrows, and the people who drive them. A personal auto policy will not respond to a work-related accident in a titled business vehicle, and many personal policies exclude business use entirely — which means a denied claim at the worst possible moment. If a vehicle carries your logo, hauls your equipment, or makes your deliveries, it belongs on a commercial policy.
Auto claims are the largest single-loss exposure most service businesses face. Medical costs, vehicle values, and jury verdicts have all climbed steeply, and a serious multi-vehicle accident can exceed a $1 million limit quickly. That is why fleets of any size usually pair commercial auto with an umbrella: the underlying auto limit satisfies the contract, and the umbrella covers the tail risk that would otherwise end the business.
Two coverages get overlooked constantly. Hired and non-owned auto protects you when an employee runs an errand in their own car or you rent a truck for a week — cheap coverage for a real exposure. And for anyone hauling goods, motor truck cargo covers the freight itself, which the liability section of the policy does not touch. We ask about both on every fleet we quote.
What's covered
- Auto liability. Bodily injury and property damage you cause to others in an at-fault accident, plus legal defense.
- Physical damage. Collision and comprehensive coverage for your own vehicles, including theft, fire, hail, and vandalism.
- Medical payments / PIP. Medical costs for your driver and passengers regardless of fault, where required.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist. Injuries and damage caused by a driver with no insurance or not enough of it.
- Hired and non-owned auto. Liability arising from rented vehicles and employee-owned cars used for company business.
- Trailer, equipment, and cargo. Attached trailers, permanently mounted equipment, and hauled goods when cargo coverage is added.
What it doesn't cover
- Personal-only vehicles. A car never used for business belongs on a personal auto policy.
- Unlisted drivers. Drivers excluded from the policy or lacking a valid license can void coverage for a loss.
- Wear and mechanical failure. Breakdowns, transmissions, and maintenance are not insurable losses.
- Cargo without an endorsement. Goods you are hauling are not covered by auto liability; motor truck cargo must be added.
- Intentional acts and racing. Deliberate damage and non-business competitive use are excluded.
How claims actually play out
The intersection on a rainy morning
A plumbing van rear-ended a sedan at a wet intersection. The other driver reported neck and back injuries and missed nine weeks of work; the sedan was totaled.
Outcome: Auto liability paid $137,000 in medical costs, lost wages, and the vehicle, plus $19,000 in defense. The van's own repairs came under collision coverage.
The trailer that came loose
A landscaping trailer separated from its hitch on a state highway and struck a guardrail and two vehicles before stopping.
Outcome: The policy covered $84,500 in third-party damage and the trailer itself, and the carrier's risk team helped the company implement a pre-trip hitch checklist.
The employee's own car
An office manager drove her personal sedan to pick up supplies and caused an accident in the parking lot exit. Her personal insurer paid its limit, then the injured party pursued the business.
Outcome: Hired and non-owned auto coverage responded to the $46,000 excess claim — an exposure the business did not know it had until the demand letter arrived.
What drives your price
- Vehicle type and value
- A one-ton box truck rates very differently than a sedan, and physical damage premium scales with value.
- Driver records
- MVRs are pulled on every listed driver; violations and at-fault accidents are the fastest way to raise a fleet rate.
- Radius of operation
- Local, intermediate, and long-haul radius classes carry very different rates for the same truck.
- Liability limit
- $1M combined single limit is standard for contracts; DOT-regulated carriers often need $750K to $1M by law.
- Telematics and safety programs
- Dash cameras, GPS, and documented driver screening earn credits with most fleet carriers.
Commercial Auto questions
Ready to price commercial auto?
One application, shopped to up to 10 A-rated carriers. A licensed agent presents the options side by side — usually within one business day.