We’re here to help with your Commercial Auto Insurance needs
As a business owner, you may have one or more vehicles that you and your employees use on a regular basis. Commercial auto policies can cover vehicles that are used for personal and business purposes (they should be titled in the name of your company, if applicable), as well as light duty trucks, dump trucks, service vehicles, semi tractors and trailers and everything in between! The right commercial auto insurance covers you for accidents, injuries and other incidents that can put your investments at risk.
Use of these automobiles is associated with a range of risk factors, including how you use them, how often, and how many miles they travel each year, among other factors. Insurance companies review these risk factors along with any efforts your company may make to improve driver safety, when they assess the amount of coverage your business needs.
What Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cover?
Commercial auto insurance is similar to personal auto insurance in basic coverage, such as liability, comprehensive, collision and other types of coverage that are specific to business vehicle use. A commercial auto policy is designed to protect your business from significant losses that could affect your company’s financial well being.
Commercial auto insurance policies combine several different types of coverage – some are required and some are optional. A typical policy includes some combination of the following:
Bodily injury liability: $1million liability limits are typically what’s required on a requested certificiate.
Collision
Comprehensive
Uninsured and underinsured motorists:
Additional optional coverage: A wide range of additional coverage types may be available, depending on the insurance company you work with. For example, you may be able to buy coverage for your employees when they drive a car or truck your company does not own.
You might also buy coverage for a rental replacement auto if your company car is in the shop. You could opt to get towing and roadside assistance. Some insurance companies even provide very specific coverage for companies who load and unload cargo, due to the increased liability risk involved.
The right commercial insurance can protect you, your business, and all of the drivers in your commercial vehicles. One of the most critical ways to protect your company is by having adequate liability coverage in case you or one of your employees causes an accident that injures another person or damages their property.
Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cover Personal Use?
Small business owners and entrepreneurs often use their own cars while on the job without a second thought. However, it is important to know that your personal insurance may not cover commercial use of your auto.
It’s very common for a small business owner to send an employee out on an errand, whether to get supplies from the local store, make a quick sales call or another miscellaneous task.
If the staff member gets behind the wheel of his own car, and the business owner does not have a commercial auto insurance policy in place that covers that worker and his car, any injuries or damage that result from an accident may not be covered.
Regardless of how much or how little you and your employees use personal vehicles in the course of doing business, getting adequate coverage in place can prevent a financially damaging event from putting your business at risk.
We’ll ask a variety of questions designed to not only get you an accurate quote, but also find discounts that may be available to you.
You may be asked questions such as:
- How many commercial automobiles do you have?
- How are those vehicles used? For example, do they transport people, goods, hazardous materials, or food?
- How many miles does each vehicle typically travel in a year?
- How many drivers do you have?
- What are their ages and level of experience?
- Have your drivers taken a safe driving course?
If you’re in the market for commercial auto insurance or if you have coverage already but aren’t sure it’s comprehensive or competitively priced, we’ll give you an open and honest assessment of your coverage to determine whether or not you can do better!
Call our office, or click over to our Contact page to submit some basic information to get the process started. Either way, we’ll make the process simple