Commercial auto covers liability for injury and damage caused by business vehicles, plus physical damage to the vehicles themselves. It also addresses hired and non-owned auto, the exposure created when employees drive rented or personal vehicles for work. Personal auto policies exclude most business use.
What commercial auto covers
The policy carries liability for bodily injury and property damage your vehicles cause, which is the largest exposure because an at-fault commercial accident can produce a serious claim. It covers physical damage to your own vehicles through collision and comprehensive. And it can include medical payments, uninsured motorist, and towing. Limits run higher than personal auto because the stakes, and the contracts that require it, are higher.
Hired and non-owned auto, the quiet gap
Many businesses do not own a fleet, so they assume they have no auto exposure. But the moment an employee runs an errand in their own car, or you rent a vehicle for a job, the business can be liable. Hired and non-owned auto coverage handles exactly that, and it is one of the most overlooked exposures we see. It is inexpensive to add and expensive to be without.
Who needs it, and why personal auto is not enough
If your business owns vehicles, the answer is clear. But you also need it if employees drive for work, if you make deliveries, if you carry tools and equipment, or if a contract requires it. A personal auto policy is written for personal use and will often deny a claim once the vehicle was being used for business, leaving the business exposed at the worst moment.
How we handle it
We classify each vehicle and its use correctly so claims are not contested. We set liability limits to your real exposure and the contracts you carry. We add hired and non-owned coverage where employees drive on your behalf. And we coordinate the limit with a commercial umbrella, because auto claims are exactly the kind that exhaust a primary limit.
