Business auto liability
Bodily injury and property damage you cause to others while operating a covered business vehicle, plus the legal defense costs to respond. The core protection for any business operating vehicles.
Commercial Auto Insurance
Commercial Auto Insurance in Florida and Georgia
Coverage for vehicles owned, leased, or hired for business use, plus hired and non-owned auto for employees driving personal vehicles for work. Single-vehicle work trucks, multi-vehicle service fleets, contractor trucks with tools and trailers, delivery vehicles, and dealership operations. We shop across multiple commercial auto carriers including Progressive Commercial, The Hartford, and several specialty markets.
Why this matters
Personal auto policies don't cover business use.
One of the most common coverage gaps we find on commercial reviews is a business vehicle insured on a personal auto policy. Personal auto policies permit limited business use (commuting, occasional errands), but they exclude regular business use like deliveries, transporting tools and materials, carrying clients, or driving on behalf of a business. A claim that occurs during excluded business use can be denied, leaving the business owner personally exposed for the entire claim, including potentially large bodily injury judgments.
Commercial auto insurance is built around business vehicle use. It includes higher liability limits, broader business-use language, coverage for vehicles titled in the business name, and additional commercial-specific coverages like hired and non-owned auto. Whether you have one work truck, a contractor's pickup with tools and a trailer, a few delivery vehicles, or a full service fleet, we structure commercial auto coverage to actually match how the vehicles get used, and we coordinate with your general liability and workers compensation policies so the protection works together.
What's covered
What commercial auto includes.
Physical damage (comp & collision)
Damage to your covered business vehicles from collision, theft, vandalism, fire, hail, flood, and falling objects. Standard for owned vehicles; usually required by lenders on financed vehicles.
Hired & non-owned auto (HNOA)
Coverage for rented vehicles used for business (hired) and for employees' personal vehicles used for business purposes (non-owned). Critical for any business with employees running errands or driving for work.
Medical payments & uninsured motorist
Medical payments for injuries to your driver and passengers regardless of fault, plus uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for incidents involving inadequately insured drivers.
Trailer and equipment coverage
Trailers can be added to commercial auto or covered separately under inland marine, depending on type and value. Tools and equipment carried in the vehicle are typically covered under inland marine rather than auto physical damage.
Specialty endorsements
Endorsements for specific industries and uses: dealer plates, drive-other-car coverage for executives, employee-owned vehicle coverage, rental reimbursement, and many others. The right endorsements depend on the business.
Gaps
What commercial auto doesn't cover.
Workers' injuries (use workers comp)
Injuries to your employees driving for work are covered under workers compensation, not commercial auto. Both policies typically work together when an employee is injured in a vehicle accident on the job.
Cargo and equipment in the vehicle
Auto physical damage covers the vehicle itself, not the cargo, tools, or equipment inside. Inland marine coverage handles tools, equipment, materials in transit, and contractor's equipment. The two are often bought together.
General business liability (use GL)
Bodily injury or property damage not arising from vehicle use is covered under general liability, not commercial auto. A customer slipping in your shop is GL, not commercial auto.
Personal use without proper endorsements
A commercial auto policy on a business-owned vehicle may not fully cover personal use by family members or employees outside business duties unless specific endorsements (drive-other-car, individual-named insured) are added.
Ride-share and delivery work without endorsement
DoorDash, Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Amazon Flex, and similar platform work require specific ride-share / delivery endorsements or a true commercial policy. Standard personal or commercial auto without the endorsement often excludes these activities.
Intentional acts and contractual disputes
Intentional damage caused by an insured, fraud, and disputes between businesses over service or work performed are typically not covered. Commercial auto responds to accidental third-party harm arising from vehicle use.
State knowledge
What to know about commercial auto in Florida and Georgia.
Florida
PIP and PDL required
Hurricane evacuation exposure
Active tort environment
Florida requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) on most private passenger vehicles, including most commercial vehicles classified as private passenger. Commercial vehicles outside that classification (most trucks above certain weights, certain trailers, certain commercial classes) follow Florida's commercial financial responsibility rules instead. Tort reform changes from 2022 (HB 837) affected comparative negligence and bad-faith standards but left Florida as a state where adequate limits and a strong carrier matter. Hurricane evacuation periods also create elevated vehicle exposure (relocating fleets, sheltering vehicles, post-storm operations), which we factor into garaging and physical damage discussions for fleet operations.
Georgia
No PIP requirement
Modified comparative negligence
USDOT/FMCSA for interstate
Georgia is an at-fault state with no PIP requirement. Minimum commercial liability requirements are the same as personal auto ($25K/$50K/$25K), which are well below what most business contracts require. Georgia commercial vehicles operating in interstate commerce often fall under federal USDOT/FMCSA financial responsibility rules with much higher minimum limits ($750K for general freight, $1M to $5M+ for hazmat). Georgia's modified comparative negligence (recovery barred if plaintiff is 50% or more at fault) somewhat moderates exposure relative to pure comparative states. We coordinate Georgia coverage with Florida coverage for businesses operating in both states.
Limits
Commercial auto limits and structure.
Commercial auto limits are usually expressed as a combined single limit (CSL) rather than split limits, since the underlying business exposure tends to drive the conversation. Common CSL starting points are $300,000 to $500,000 for very small operations, $1,000,000 for almost any business with meaningful exposure or contract requirements, and higher (with commercial umbrella) for larger operations or higher-risk industries.
Florida and Georgia state minimum limits ($10K BI / $20K BI / $10K PD in Florida; $25K BI / $50K BI / $25K PD in Georgia) are not appropriate for commercial operations. A single moderate accident can easily exceed these limits, and most commercial contracts require dramatically higher limits than state minimums. For interstate operations, federal USDOT/FMCSA requirements set minimum limits of $750,000 to $5,000,000+ depending on what's being hauled.
Physical damage coverage (comprehensive and collision) is typically required by lenders on financed vehicles and recommended on owned vehicles based on age and value. Deductibles typically range from $500 to $2,500, with higher deductibles reducing premium meaningfully on physical damage. For older vehicles with low residual value, dropping physical damage entirely is sometimes the right call.
Most businesses with multiple vehicles or significant operational exposure also carry a commercial umbrella above the auto primary (and usually above general liability and employers' liability as well). The umbrella provides high-limit catastrophic protection at relatively modest premium per dollar of coverage, often the single most cost-effective coverage decision for businesses with vehicle operations.
Single vehicle / small operation
$500,000 to $1M CSL
Combined single limit covering bodily injury and property damage. Adequate for small single-vehicle operations without significant contract requirements. Often paired with HNOA for any employees driving personal vehicles for work.
Most businesses with meaningful operations
$1M CSL plus umbrella
$1M combined single limit on the primary auto plus $1M to $5M+ commercial umbrella above. Standard for businesses with multiple vehicles, contracts requiring higher limits, or any significant liability exposure.
Common scenarios
Situations that change commercial auto structure.
Contractor with truck and tools
Commercial auto on the truck, plus inland marine on tools and equipment carried in the truck or trailer. Trailer can be added to auto or to inland marine depending on type and value. Coordination with the contractor's GL matters.
Service business with multiple vehicles
Multi-vehicle fleet quotes typically come at a better unit rate than single-vehicle quotes. Fleet underwriting looks at driver hiring practices, MVR review programs, vehicle maintenance, and prior loss experience.
Delivery, courier, or food delivery
Delivery operations face higher loss frequency and specialized underwriting. Pizza delivery, courier services, last-mile delivery, and platform-based delivery (DoorDash, Amazon Flex) all have specific market appetites and need specialty quoting.
Employees using personal vehicles for work
Hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) coverage is critical here. Without HNOA, the business has limited protection against claims arising from employee personal-vehicle business use, even when the business is named in the resulting lawsuit.
Dealer or auto repair operation
Dealers and auto repair shops need garage liability (a specialized commercial auto and GL hybrid) covering customer vehicles in their care, custody, and control, plus dealer plates and test-drive scenarios. Garage coverage is its own specialty.
Long-radius or interstate operations
Vehicles operating outside a 50-mile radius, crossing state lines, or operating long-haul face higher underwriting attention. Interstate trucking is subject to federal USDOT/FMCSA financial responsibility rules with much higher minimum limits.
Premium and pricing
What goes into your commercial auto premium.
What affects your premium
Commercial auto premium is driven primarily by vehicle type and value, business use classification, radius of operation, driver records (MVRs are pulled for all listed drivers), garaging location, claims history, prior insurance history, and limits selected. Vehicle weight class also matters: light commercial vehicles (pickups, small vans) rate differently than medium-duty (box trucks, larger service vehicles) and heavy commercial (semi-trucks, dump trucks).
Driver records are typically the single biggest variable a small fleet can control. Carriers price aggressively on clean MVRs and add significant surcharges (or decline coverage) for drivers with major violations (DUIs, multiple at-fault accidents, license suspensions). For multi-vehicle operations, hiring practices, MVR review programs, and ongoing driver monitoring affect carrier appetite and pricing.
Radius matters because longer-radius operations face higher loss frequency and severity. Carriers typically segment by local (under 50 miles), intermediate (50 to 200 miles), and long-haul (200+ miles), with substantial premium differences across the three tiers. We confirm radius accurately at quote time, since misstated radius can lead to coverage issues at claim time.
Ways to manage premium
Commercial auto offers several premium levers across vehicle choice, driver practices, deductibles, and bundling.
Driver hiring and MVR review
Documented hiring standards (MVR review at hire, ongoing periodic review, written driver policy) typically improve premium and carrier appetite, especially on multi-vehicle accounts.
Bundle with GL and property
Many commercial auto writers offer credits when auto is written alongside GL, property, or workers compensation. Bundle credits are typically modest but cumulative across multiple lines.
Right-size physical damage deductibles
Moving comprehensive and collision deductibles from $500 to $1,000 or $2,500 reduces premium meaningfully on physical damage and is often a smart trade for businesses with cash flow to absorb the higher deductible.
Drop physical damage on older vehicles
For older vehicles with low residual value, dropping comprehensive and collision (and carrying liability only) often makes sense. Worth checking each year as vehicle values depreciate.
Commercial auto is one of the more underwriting-intensive lines because driver records, claims history, and prior insurance all affect both pricing and carrier eligibility. A coverage review every renewal helps confirm structure still matches operations, especially for businesses with changing fleets or driver rosters.
Decisions
How to think about the commercial auto structure.
Personal auto or commercial auto?
If the vehicle is titled in the business name, used for regular business activity, transports tools or materials between job sites, carries clients, or is used for deliveries, a commercial policy is typically required. Vehicles used only for commuting and occasional errands may be appropriate for personal auto. The line is sometimes blurry, but the cost of getting it wrong (claim denial during business use) is high. We help confirm the right structure.
Do I need hired and non-owned auto (HNOA)?
If you have any employees who drive personal vehicles for work, even occasionally (running errands, going to client meetings, picking up supplies, delivering for customers), HNOA is critical. Without it, the business has limited protection against claims arising from those activities, even when the business is named in the lawsuit. HNOA is typically inexpensive and is often the most overlooked commercial auto coverage.
What limits do I actually need?
State minimums are not adequate for any commercial operation. $1M combined single limit (CSL) is the modern baseline for almost any business with meaningful operations or contract requirements. Higher exposure operations (long-radius, hazmat, multi-vehicle, public transportation) often carry higher primary limits with a commercial umbrella layered above. Many commercial contracts and most municipal work require $1M CSL or higher.
Add a commercial umbrella?
Yes for most businesses with material vehicle exposure. Commercial umbrellas typically sit above commercial auto, general liability, and employers' liability, providing broader catastrophic protection across multiple lines at relatively modest premium per dollar of coverage. A $1M to $5M umbrella above a $1M primary is often the single most cost-effective coverage decision for businesses with vehicle operations.
Carriers
Carriers we work with for commercial auto.
We write commercial auto through multiple appointed carriers covering small business, fleet, contractor, delivery, and specialty risks. Progressive Commercial is one of the largest commercial auto writers in the country and a strong fit for many small-to-mid-size operations. The Hartford writes commercial auto across most standard classes, including service businesses and contractors. National General and specialty markets through wholesale brokers handle higher-risk or non-standard placements.
The right carrier depends on the business class, fleet size, driver records, claims history, and any specific operational details (radius, types of vehicles, types of cargo, ride-share or delivery work). Different carriers have very different appetites, especially for specialty risks like long-haul trucking, hazmat, livery, and emergency services.
Progressive
The Hartford
National General
NEXT
Bass Underwriters
Bridge Specialty
Carrier appointments and program availability vary by line, state, and class code. Quotes and placement depend on underwriting eligibility, vehicle type, driver records, and the specific operation being insured. Higher-risk or specialty classes (long-haul, hazmat, livery, emergency response) may be placed through wholesale brokers in excess and surplus (E&S) markets.
Questions
Commercial auto questions we hear a lot.
What is commercial auto insurance?
Commercial auto insurance covers vehicles owned, leased, hired, or borrowed for business use. It's structured similarly to personal auto (with liability, physical damage, medical payments, uninsured motorist coverage), but with higher limits, broader business-use language, and additional commercial-specific coverages like hired and non-owned auto. A personal auto policy doesn't cover business use beyond limited commuting, which is one of the most common coverage gaps we identify in commercial coverage reviews.
Who needs commercial auto insurance?
Any business that owns vehicles titled in the business name, has employees driving for business purposes, transports goods or equipment, delivers products or services to customers, or carries clients in vehicles. Common cases include contractors with trucks and trailers, delivery and service businesses, landscapers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC contractors, dealerships, auto repair shops, and any business with employees driving company-provided vehicles. Even sole proprietors using one vehicle for business often need a commercial policy.
Will my personal auto cover business use?
Personal auto policies cover limited business use (commuting, occasional errands), but they exclude regular business use like deliveries, transporting tools and materials between job sites, carrying clients, or driving on behalf of a business. A claim that occurs during excluded business use may be denied, leaving personal assets exposed. Vehicles used regularly for business should be on a commercial auto policy. The line is sometimes blurry, which is why a coverage review is worth doing if you're not sure.
What's hired and non-owned auto (HNOA)?
Hired auto covers vehicles you rent or hire for business use (rental cars, leased trucks). Non-owned auto covers vehicles owned by employees or others when used for business purposes (employees running errands in their personal cars, salespeople driving to client meetings, food delivery drivers using personal vehicles). HNOA is often added as an endorsement to commercial auto or available as a separate small policy. It's particularly important for any business where employees use personal vehicles for work, since the business can be sued even though the vehicle isn't owned by the business.
What's covered under commercial auto?
Standard commercial auto includes liability for bodily injury and property damage you cause to others, physical damage to your vehicles (comprehensive and collision), medical payments for injuries to your driver and passengers, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (for incidents involving uninsured drivers), and the legal defense costs to respond to covered claims. Optional coverages include hired and non-owned auto, rental reimbursement, towing and labor, and specialized endorsements for specific vehicle types or uses.
What are typical commercial auto limits?
Florida and Georgia minimums are far below what's appropriate for a business. The common starting structure is $300,000 to $500,000 combined single limit (CSL), and $1 million CSL is increasingly the standard for any business with meaningful operations or contract requirements. Many commercial contracts, especially with larger clients or municipal work, require $1M CSL or higher. Commercial umbrella coverage above $1M is common for businesses with significant vehicle exposure or larger operations.
Does commercial auto cover my employees driving their own vehicles for work?
Not under a standard commercial auto policy on its own. Adding hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) coverage extends protection to incidents involving employees driving their own vehicles for business purposes. Without HNOA, the business has limited protection against claims from incidents during employee personal-vehicle business use, even though the business is often named in resulting lawsuits. HNOA is a relatively low-cost addition that addresses an exposure most businesses don't realize they have.
How does commercial auto pricing work?
Commercial auto premium is driven by vehicle type and value, radius of operation (local, intermediate, long-haul), driver records (MVRs are pulled for all listed drivers), business use class (artisan contractor, delivery, livery, etc.), garaging location, claims history, prior insurance history, and limits selected. Industries with higher loss frequency (delivery, long-haul trucking, livery, ride-share) typically face higher premium. The vehicle itself (cost to repair or replace, safety equipment, anti-theft devices) also affects pricing.
Do I need commercial auto for one work truck?
Often, yes. If a vehicle is owned by the business, titled in the business name, used regularly for business activity, or carries tools and materials between job sites, a commercial policy is typically required. Personal auto policies on business-titled vehicles often face the same coverage exclusions noted above. Single-vehicle commercial auto policies are widely available and not significantly more expensive than personal auto in many cases, especially for low-radius operations.
What about contractors with trucks and trailers?
Contractors typically need commercial auto on the truck, plus inland marine coverage for tools and equipment carried in the truck or trailer. The trailer itself can be added to the auto policy or covered under inland marine depending on type and value. Liability limits should reflect the higher exposure of contracting work, and coordination with the contractor's general liability and workers compensation coverage matters for completeness. We coordinate across all contractor lines.
Does commercial auto cover delivery work or DoorDash / Uber Eats?
Standard personal auto policies exclude delivery and ride-share work. Drivers doing delivery work through DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, Amazon Flex, and similar platforms typically need either a commercial auto policy or a personal auto policy with a specific ride-share / delivery endorsement that some carriers now offer. The right structure depends on how much delivery work is being done, the platforms used, and the carrier's appetite for that exposure. We help confirm the right setup before binding.
What about Florida PIP on commercial auto?
Florida's Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) requirements apply to most private passenger vehicles registered in Florida. Commercial auto policies on covered vehicles include PIP and PDL accordingly. For commercial vehicles not classified as private passenger (most trucks over a certain weight, certain trailers, certain commercial-class vehicles), Florida's commercial financial responsibility requirements apply instead. We confirm the right structure based on vehicle classification.
What about Georgia commercial auto requirements?
Georgia requires commercial vehicles to carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage, the same as personal auto minimums, which are far below what's appropriate for any business. Most commercial contracts require significantly higher limits, and Georgia commercial vehicles operating interstate may be subject to federal USDOT/FMCSA financial responsibility requirements with much higher minimums.
How fast can I get a commercial auto quote?
Most commercial auto quotes come back within one to two business days. We need vehicle information (VINs, year, make, model, value), driver information (names, dates of birth, license numbers for MVR pulls), the business's claims history if applicable, current insurance information, and a sense of how the vehicles are actually used. Simple single-vehicle quotes can sometimes be turned same-day; fleet quotes and specialty risks take a bit longer.
Related
Coverage that pairs with commercial auto.
Ready to talk through your commercial auto options?
Tell us about your vehicles and operations, give us a call, or request a free quote. We'll review what your business actually needs, identify any gaps with personal auto or HNOA, and shop across our commercial auto appointments to find the right structure.