Commercial Auto Insurance discounts and questions
Insures vehicles a business owns, leases or uses for work, from a single pickup to a fleet. It pays what the business owes after a crash, repairs its own vehicles, and, with the right symbols, covers employees driving their own cars on company errands, which a personal auto policy does not.
Discounts carriers commonly offer
- Fleet or multi-vehicle
- A schedule of several vehicles is rated as an account with a credit over single-vehicle pricing.
- Package with a BOP or general liability
- Writing the auto with the rest of the business's policies with one carrier earns a credit on both.
- Driver record and hiring practices
- Clean motor vehicle records for every listed driver, and a written policy of checking records before hiring.
- Telematics and dash cameras
- Some carriers credit fleets that run a telematics program or install forward-facing cameras.
- Higher deductibles
- Raising collision and comprehensive deductibles on a fleet that can absorb them lowers the physical damage premium.
- Paid in full
- Annual payment instead of monthly instalments.
Questions people ask
My truck is in my own name. Can I keep it on my personal policy?
If it is used for business, telling the personal carrier is the only way to know. Some will endorse a pickup for light business use by a sole proprietor; many will not cover deliveries, hauling for hire, a vehicle titled to a company, or a heavy vehicle. An undisclosed business use is a reason to deny a claim after a crash, which is the worst moment to learn the answer.
Are employees covered when they drive their own cars for me?
Their own policy is primary for their own car, and the business is covered for the claim against it only if the policy carries non-owned auto. The employee's policy may also exclude business use. The prudent setup is non-owned auto on the business policy, proof that employee drivers carry their own insurance, and a record check before allowing anyone to drive on company business.
What limit do contracts usually ask for?
Contracts specify a combined single limit, and larger general contractors, government bodies and property managers ask for more, frequently with an umbrella above it and additional insured status on the auto policy. Federal and state authorities set their own floors for vehicles over a certain weight and for carrying passengers or hazardous materials; those figures depend on the vehicle and the operation, and we confirm them against the current rule before writing the policy.
Do I need a filing or a certificate for my truck?
Operations that cross state lines or carry passengers or hazardous cargo may need a federal filing proving liability coverage, and intrastate for-hire haulers may need a state filing; the carrier files it on request. A certificate of insurance is different: a one-page summary issued by the agency to a customer or contractor showing the auto limits, sent on request at no charge.
How is a company vehicle covered when an employee takes it home?
The business's liability covers the employee as a permissive user while driving a covered auto, including on the way home. What is often missing is coverage for the employee and their family as insureds for personal use, and for the employee's own liability; a drive-other-car or broadened coverage endorsement fills that for an owner or key employee whose only vehicle is the company one.