Get Help With Your Business Auto Insurance

Commercial Auto Insurance insures your vehicles that are owned by the business for physical damage and liability coverages for amounts and usage not covered by a personal auto policy. This type of business insurance covers a variety of vehicles and is also referred to as commercial auto insurance, truck insurance, or fleet insurance. Many of Nevada’s 283,000 small businesses need commercial auto insurance to protect against accidents and other mishaps that involve their business vehicles. A personal auto policy won’t cover most vehicles used for work because they’re exposed to more risk than personal autos.  

Vehicles driven by employees or used for business activities, such as visiting clients or making deliveries, usually need commercial auto insurance. Personal auto insurance usually doesn’t cover vehicles used for work purposes.

Food trucks and other food service businesses like restaurants and meat or ice cream vendors depend on their commercial vehicles. Most food trucks have expensive equipment attached to them that a commercial auto policy can cover. 

Contractors need commercial auto coverage for things like transporting various tools and supplies and traveling between job sites. These are business-related activities that need the additional protection of a commercial policy. 

Any vehicle used to transport people for a fee must be insured by a commercial auto policy. This includes taxis, limousines, and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) vehicles. Some ridesharing vehicles might require commercial coverage. 

We offer protection whether you own a wrecker, rollback or roadside repair vehicle. 

You can add specialty tow coverages like On-hook and Garagekeepers Legal Liability to protect you when a customer’s vehicle is in your possession at auto-service repair shops.

COMMERCIAL AUTO COVERAGES FOR YOUR BUSINESS AUTO INSURANCE

• Bodily injury liability coverage – pays for bodily injury or death resulting from an accident for which you are at fault and provides you with a legal defense.
• Property damage liability coverage – provides you with protection if your car accidentally damages another persons property. It also provides you with a legal defense.
• Combined single limit (CSL) – Liability policies typically offer separate limits that apply to bodily injury claims for property damage. A combined single limits policy has the same dollar amount of coverage per covered occurrence whether bodily injury or property damage, one person or several.
• Medical payments, no-fault or Personal Injury Coverage – usually pays for the medical expenses of the driver and passengers in your car incurred as a result of a covered accident regardless of fault.
• Uninsured motorist coverage – pays for your injuries and, in some circumstances, certain property damage caused by an uninsured or a hit-and-run driver. Under insured motorist coverage  is also included. This is for cases in which the at-fault driver has insufficient insurance.
• Comprehensive physical damage coverage – pays for damage to or replacement of your car from theft, vandalism, flood, fire, and other covered perils.
• Collision coverage – pays for damage to your car when it hits or is hit by another object.
• Garagekeepers-  Garagekeepers covers losses to non-owned autos in the insured's possession while the insured is attending, servicing, repairing, parking or storing them. 
  • Legal liability garagekeepers coverage only covers a loss when a tech or mechanic is legally liable for a loss. For example, if a mechanic forgets to set a parking brake on a car, and the car rolls into a toolbox, the mechanic is legally liable for this loss, therefore the coverage will come into play and pay out. The downside to this coverage is exposed when there is a loss that a shop is not legally liable for.  For example, a car is being worked on overnight, the mechanic locks the car and parks it inside of the garage, and a thief breaks into the shop at night, damaging the car in the process. Because the mechanic did everything to protect the vehicle, they are not legally liable for the loss; therefore the vehicle owner's insurance will have to pay for the claim or the shop will have to front the cost of the damage in order to protect the rapport with their clients. 
  • Direct primary coverage, on the other hand, will be the first and primary coverage that pays out a claim; regardless of fault or the party that damaged the vehicle. Direct primary coverage allows for a shop owner to take responsibility for a loss, regardless of who caused it. As a body shop or auto repair shop, customers are trusting that their vehicles will be kept safe and protected; but accidents do happen. It’s important to provide your business, as well as your clients, the most broad protection and peace of mind that their vehicle will be in safe keeping.

• Inland Marine - If your business frequently ships products or equipment, you may want to consider purchasing inland marine insurance. This type of coverage is especially important if you ship high-value products or materials, which are often excluded from basic property coverage. Inland marine insurance can cover a wide range of specialty equipment and products, including:

1. Computers, everything from servers to laptops.
2. Communications and networking equipment.
3. Construction and contracting equipment.
4. Medical and scientific equipment.
5. Photography equipment.

When weighing the need for inland marine insurance, consider the nature of your business and operations. Inland marine insurance isn’t just for companies that ship products to retailers and customers. For example, if you have a valuable tradeshow booth that is frequently shipped around the country and stored offsite by a vendor, you may want the protection provided by inland marine insurance. In addition, if someone else’s property is temporarily in your possession, inland marine insurance can provide coverage against the loss of this property. Special inland marine coverages include:

• Bailee’s Customer Coverage—Protects clients’ property that is left in the care of your business; e.g., if you operate a warehouse or repair shop.
• Builder’s Risk—Protects structures and materials during new construction projects or renovations.
• Exhibition and Fine Art Coverage—Keeps valuable items protected while on exhibit, in transit or on loan.
• Installation Floater—Covers materials from the moment they are loaded onto a truck until they are put to use or installed.
• Motor Truck Cargo Coverage—Keeps clients’ goods protected while your business transports and delivers them and provides insurance on the freight or commodity hauled by a For-hire trucker. It covers your liability for cargo that is lost or damaged due to causes such as fire, collision, or striking of a load.

The Business Owner Policy contains extensive declaration pages that permit the insured to select from a series of coverage types and vehicles that are to be insured. A set of symbols is provided, and coverage is afforded only for those listed symbols. The symbols define coverage as follows:

Symbol 1--Any auto. When this symbol is used, no others are needed.

Symbol 2--Owned autos only. This covers autos owned by the insured   and liability arising out of trailers of others while attached to owned   autos.

Symbol 3--Owned private passenger auto only.

Symbol 4--Owned autos other than private passenger autos, and liability   coverage for trailers of others while attached to such vehicles.

Symbol 5--Owned autos subject to no-fault benefits in the state   where they are licensed or principally garaged.

Symbol 6--Owned autos subject to a compulsory uninsured motorist law   in the state where they are licensed or principally garaged.

Symbol 7--Specified autos only.

Symbol 8--Hired auto only. This excludes autos borrowed or leased   from the insured’s employees or members of their households.

Symbol 9--Non-owned autos only.

Symbol 19--Mobile Equipment Subject To Compulsory or Financial Responsibility or Other Motor Vehicle Insurance Law Only

The coverages and the types of vehicles insured are triggered by the symbols, and all vehicles of a similar type are covered automatically until the end of the policy period without having to notify the company.

When symbol 7 (Specified Autos Only) is entered, a newly acquired vehicle is covered only when: the new vehicle is replacing a specified vehicle; the company insures all the vehicles owned by the insured; and the company is notified within 30 days of the purchase. Protection is limited to the coverages that apply to all insured vehicles.

A car rental agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time, generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks. The two biggest companies in the car sharing space are Hyrecar and Turo.  In short, carsharing is very similar to Airbnb (sharing spare rooms or homes/apartments), in the sense that car owners allow their personal vehicles to be shared with other drivers for a rental fee.  

Unlike traditional car-rental services, Turo or Hyrecar does not own or maintain any cars.  
People who wish to rent their cars can register their cars online to be rented by other Turo members. The car owner states when and where the car will be available. A Turo member who wants to rent a car reserves a specific time slot for the car online. 

Business owners can earn more when they get their own insurance. Ten cars is the minimum. Ask us about Turo or HyrecarRental Car Insurance.  

For more info,  Turo — Commercial Host program. For Terms of Service with Turo go here --  Terms of service | Turo.

Hyrecar will help you rent cars to drive with Uber, Lyft, and food/package delivery that best fit your needs. Available for daily, weekly or monthly rentals. Call (702) 541-0882 for insurance information.  See Rideshare Insurance to know what kind of insurance you need to be a Rideshare Driver.

Commercial auto insurance is quite different than Commercial Trucking. Primary liability truck insurance and general liability truck insurance are the basic requirements needed to drive and follow the rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).  

Nearly every company with a commercial motor vehicle (powered units of more than 10,001 lbs Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) or combined powered units and trailers of more than 10,001 lbs Gross Combined Weight (GCW)) that crosses state lines must have the MCS-90 Endorsement added to its commercial vehicle insurance policy.

Commercial auto coverage is often needed by occupations such as:

• Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals
• Carpenters, painters, and other contractors
• Landscapers and plow services
• Caterers and food vendors
• Other business types, like real estate and sales

In any profession, here are some ways to get your commercial auto or trucking policy premium lower:

• Hire drivers with flawless driving records. Verify at  Driver History Records (dmvnv.com) 
• Always keep your payments current. Most carriers add late fees to late payments.
• Think safe driving first – a speeding ticket can be expensive for several years
• Implement and require safe driving classes for yourself and employees
• Once you have had you CDL for a certain period of time, you may be able to get a discount

Protecting your trucking business or yourself as a for-hire trucker means insuring yourself properly. Whether you need primary truck insurance or need to add general liability, insurance doesn’t have to be an extraordinary expenditure — and adding it to your business costs could help you survive the financial burden of an accident or disaster.

(702) 541-0882 Call for An Business Auto Insurance Quote Today!