Injuries and damage you cause
Injuries and property damage you cause with a covered vehicle, plus lawyers.
What to watchLimits are often set by contract. $1 million per accident is standard for most business use.
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Commercial auto
Commercial auto insurance
Commercial auto insurance covers the vehicles your business owns or leases. It can also cover your liability for vehicles you rent or borrow, and for employees who drive their own cars on company business.
Who needs it
If a vehicle is titled to the business, used for deliveries or hauling, or rented for a job, a personal auto policy usually will not pay.
- Businesses that own or lease cars, vans, trucks or trailers
- Contractors and service businesses driving to job sites
- Production companies renting cube trucks, camera cars and passenger vans
- Agencies and firms whose employees drive their own cars to client meetings
- Delivery, courier and mobile service operations
What it covers
What is covered, and what to watch
Summaries only. The policy wording governs, and every insurance company's policy is different.
Damage to your own vehicles
Repairs after a crash, and after theft, weather, vandalism or hitting an animal.
What to watchA deductible applies per vehicle. On older vehicles it may not be worth carrying.
Rented vehicles
Your liability for vehicles you rent or borrow for business.
What to watchDamage to the rental itself is a separate add-on. Check the rental contract.
Employees' own cars
Your liability when employees drive their own cars on company business.
What to watchDoes not cover damage to the employee's car. Their personal policy may, if it allows business use.
Drivers with no insurance
Your injuries when the driver at fault has little or no insurance.
What to watchRequired or offered in most states. Match it to your liability limit.
Small medical bills
Medical bills for people in the vehicle, whoever was at fault.
What to watchLow limits. Useful, but not a substitute for health insurance or workers' compensation.
How we work
An independent agency, so the policy fits you and not the other way around
Many insurance companies, one agent
We are appointed with national and specialty companies, so your policy goes where it fits rather than where we happen to have a contract. See who we work with.
Plain English, line by line
Send your current policy and we compare it with what we would offer: what we would keep, what we would change, and why, in writing.
Nothing changes until you say so
No coverage starts and no policy changes until a licensed agent confirms it with you in writing. You always know what you have. How we work, in full.
Exclusions
What it does not cover
- Cargo and equipment inside the vehicle (needs its own coverage)
- Vehicles not listed on the policy, or outside the categories it names
- Personal use by family members, on some policies
- Racing, taxi or ride-share use unless declared
- Mechanical breakdown and wear
The policy spells out which vehicles it applies to. We walk through that list with you so a truck rented on a Friday is not an uncovered claim on a Saturday.
How to get it
From first call to bound coverage
- 01List vehicles and driversEverything titled to the business, plus who drives.
- 02Describe the useHow far they travel, what they carry, who rides, rentals and employee driving.
- 03Set the limitsMatch contract requirements and make sure rented vehicles and employees' cars are included.
- 04Keep it currentAdd and remove vehicles as they come and go. Use the policy change form.
Common questions
My personal auto policy covers me. Why do I need commercial?
Personal auto policies exclude vehicles titled to a business, deliveries and taxi-style use, and most use beyond ordinary driving. If the vehicle earns money or the company owns it, it belongs on a commercial policy.
What is hired and non-owned auto coverage?
Hired covers vehicles you rent or borrow. Non-owned covers employees driving their own cars for work. Both protect the business if someone is hurt, and both are missing from most policies until someone asks.
Does it cover the rental truck itself if it is damaged?
Only if damage coverage for rented vehicles is added. Otherwise the rental company's contract makes you responsible for the vehicle out of your own pocket.
We rent passenger vans for crew. Anything special?
Vans with more than about nine seats are priced differently, and some insurers decline fifteen-passenger vans. The rental company's requirements are usually stricter too. Send us the rental agreement.
How do I add a vehicle?
Use the policy change form on this site with the VIN, where it is kept and the date you need it covered. The change takes effect only once the insurer has processed it, and we confirm in writing when it has.
Related
Often placed alongside
Workers' compensation
Pays medical care and lost wages for employees injured at work, as Minnesota law requires.
Workers' compensationGeneral liability
Covers injuries and property damage your business causes to others, and satisfies the proof of insurance landlords and clients ask for.
General liabilityBusiness owner's policy
Bundles general liability, property insurance and lost income coverage into one policy for small and mid-size businesses.
Business owner's policyGet a quote
The online application takes a few minutes for standard business lines. If there is a wrinkle, call or email and we will tell you what we need.