Contractor commercial auto covers liability and physical damage for business vehicles, and addresses hired and non-owned auto when employees drive rented or personal vehicles for work. It does not cover the tools and equipment inside the vehicle, which need separate coverage.
What it covers
Liability for injury and damage your vehicles cause is the largest exposure, because an at-fault accident in a loaded work truck can produce a serious claim. Physical damage covers your own trucks, vans, and trailers through collision and comprehensive. Limits run higher than personal auto, and contracts frequently set a required minimum, often a combined single limit, plus naming the client as additional insured.
Hired and non-owned auto
Even contractors without a titled fleet have auto exposure: an employee runs for materials in a personal truck, or you rent a vehicle for a job. The business can be liable, and personal policies exclude business use. Hired and non-owned auto coverage closes that gap, and for contractors with crews it is one of the most overlooked and least expensive coverages to add.
What auto does not cover
Commercial auto covers the vehicle, not what is in it. The tools, materials, and equipment loaded in the truck are covered by tools and equipment or inland marine, not the auto policy. Trailers need to be scheduled or covered correctly, and equipment that is towed or transported has its own considerations. Knowing where the auto policy stops prevents a denied claim after a theft or accident.
How we handle it
We classify each vehicle and its use so claims are not contested, and set liability limits to your real exposure and your contracts. We add hired and non-owned coverage where crews drive for the business. We make sure trailers and transported equipment are covered on the right policy. And we coordinate the auto limit with an umbrella, since auto claims are exactly the kind that exhaust a primary limit.
