Commercial Auto Insurance

Keep Your Business Moving: Reliable Commercial Auto Insurance

If your business uses vehicles—whether it’s a fleet of delivery vans, a single contractor truck, or even your personal car used for client visits—you need Commercial Auto Insurance. Personal auto policies almost universally exclude coverage for business use. One accident while making a delivery could lead to a denied claim and personal financial disaster. At Goosehead Insurance – Cristina Morales, we ensure your vehicles, drivers, and cargo are protected on the road.

What is Commercial Auto Insurance?
This policy covers vehicles owned, leased, or hired by your business. It is similar to personal auto insurance but with higher liability limits and specific coverages designed for business risks. It covers the costs of bodily injury and property damage caused by your vehicles, as well as damage to the vehicles themselves.[9]

Detailed Coverage Breakdown

• Bodily Injury Liability: Pays for medical expenses and legal fees if your driver causes an accident that injures others. Business limits usually start at $500,000 or $1 million (Combined Single Limit) because business lawsuits tend to be much costlier than personal ones.
• Property Damage Liability: Covers damage your vehicle causes to other cars or property (like fences, buildings, or light poles).
• Collision Coverage: Pays to repair your business vehicle if it hits another object or overturns.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Pays for non-collision damage, such as theft, vandalism, fire, flood, or hitting a deer.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist: Protects your driver and vehicle if they are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance.
• Hired and Non-Owned Auto: This is crucial. If your employees drive their own personal cars for work (e.g., sending an office manager to the bank or a pizza delivery driver using their own sedan), your business can still be sued if they cause an accident. This coverage protects the business in those scenarios.
• Loading and Unloading: Covers liability for accidents that happen while moving goods in or out of the vehicle (e.g., dropping a heavy box on a pedestrian).

Why You Need It: Scenario Analysis

• The “Work Truck” Accident: You are a plumber driving your branded van to a job. You rear-end a luxury sedan. Your personal auto policy denies the claim because the van is used for business. Commercial Auto covers the damages.
• The Employee Errand: You send your receptionist to pick up lunch for a client meeting in her own car. She runs a red light and hits a pedestrian. The pedestrian sues your company because she was “on the clock.” “Non-Owned Auto” coverage protects your business assets.
• Theft of Fleet: One of your delivery trucks is stolen from your parking lot overnight. Comprehensive coverage pays to replace the truck so you can get back to deliveries.
• Tool Coverage: While standard auto policies don’t cover the tools in the back of the truck, we can often endorse the policy or add an Inland Marine floater to cover the expensive equipment you haul.

The Goosehead Difference
Commercial auto insurance rates are rising nationwide. We combat this by shopping for multiple carriers to find the “sweet spot” for your specific vehicle type and driver history.

• Driver Screening: We can help you understand how hiring a driver with a bad record impacts your premium.
• Fleet Discounts: If you have multiple vehicles, we help you access fleet rating tiers for better pricing.
• Fast Filings: If you need state or federal filings (like an MCS-90 for trucking), we handle the paperwork quickly to keep you legal on the road.

FAQs

• Can I just use my personal policy? Only if you use the vehicle strictly for commuting. If you visit job sites, transport goods, or carry clients, you need a commercial policy. Relying on personal insurance is a massive coverage gap.
• Does it cover the goods inside the van? Generally, no. You need “Motor Truck Cargo” or “Inland Marine” coverage for the goods being transported. We can add this for you.

Drive with Confidence
Whether you have one truck or twenty, your vehicles are the lifeline of your business. Contact Goosehead Insurance – Cristina Morales to secure a Commercial Auto policy that keeps your business moving forward safely.