Commercial Auto Insurance in Farmington, CT
Commercial auto insurance for Farmington, CT work trucks, vans and fleets
Commercial auto insurance is the policy Farmington, CT business owners put off the longest, because the truck already has insurance. It has personal insurance, and personal auto policies generally exclude or sharply limit business use, especially for vehicles titled to a business, used to haul equipment or driven by employees. The first time that matters is the day a lettered van rear-ends someone on Route 4 with a ladder rack and a trailer, and the adjuster asks what the vehicle was doing. The Beam Agency writes commercial auto for contractors, landscapers, delivery operations, real estate agents and small fleets across the Farmington Valley and Hartford County.
We quote it alongside general liability and workers’ comp, because the same general contractors who want a certificate for one want it for all three.
Why a personal auto policy is not enough
Personal auto policies are written for commuting and errands. Most exclude or sharply limit vehicles used in a business, vehicles titled to a business, vehicles with commercial plates, and anything carrying tools, materials or people for hire. Some carriers will tolerate a light business-use rating on a personal policy for a real estate agent or a salesperson. Almost none will cover a contractor’s truck, a landscaper’s trailer or a delivery van once they know what it does.
The other problem is the certificate. A GC or a property manager wants a certificate of insurance showing commercial auto liability with the business named. A personal policy cannot produce one.
Who needs it
- Contractors. Pickups and vans with tools, racks and lettering, whether titled to you or the LLC. Our contractor insurance page covers the rest of the package.
- Landscapers and plow operators. Trucks pulling trailers full of mowers, and anything with a plow on it. Plowing is a separate rating question and should be disclosed.
- Delivery and food service. Catering vans, a bakery’s delivery car, a restaurant that delivers in its own vehicle.
- Real estate agents and salespeople. Anyone regularly driving clients. This can sometimes be handled on a personal policy with a business-use endorsement. Ask before assuming.
- Any business with employees who drive. Even if the business owns no vehicles, you need hired and non-owned coverage.
What it covers
Liability
Bodily injury and property damage you cause to others while driving for the business. Most commercial auto policies are written with a combined single limit rather than split limits, and $1 million CSL is what most GC contracts require.
Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive on the vehicles themselves. If the truck is financed, the lender requires it. If it is paid off and worth real money, you probably want it anyway.
Hired and non-owned auto
Hired covers vehicles you rent or borrow. Non-owned covers employees driving their own cars on company business, such as the office manager going to the bank or a helper picking up materials. If that employee causes an accident, the injured party sues the business too. This coverage is inexpensive and belongs on nearly every commercial policy.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist
Protects your driver and passengers when the other driver has no insurance or not enough. Match it to your liability limit.
Medical payments
A small limit for injuries to your driver and passengers regardless of fault.
Covered auto symbols, in plain English
Commercial auto policies use numbered symbols to say which vehicles are covered. You do not need to memorize them, but you should know what you bought:
- Any auto. The broadest. Covers vehicles you own, hire and borrow, including ones you buy mid-term. Best for liability if the carrier offers it.
- Owned autos only. Covers every vehicle the business owns, including one you buy mid-term, but not borrowed or employee-owned vehicles.
- Scheduled autos. The tightest. Only the specific vehicles listed on the schedule. Add a truck and forget to call, and it is not covered.
- Hired and non-owned. The symbols that add borrowed vehicles and employees’ cars.
When we quote, we ask for the broadest liability symbol the carrier will write and make sure hired and non-owned is on it.
Connecticut minimums versus what contracts require
Connecticut’s minimum auto liability is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, $25,000 for property damage, plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000/$50,000. That is the legal floor for any registered vehicle and it is far too low for a business vehicle. A single injury accident with a loaded work truck can exceed it several times over, and the business is on the hook for the rest.
General contractors, municipalities and commercial property owners typically require $1 million combined single limit, and some ask for the GC as additional insured on the auto policy. When a contract wants $2 million or more, a commercial umbrella over the auto and general liability is usually the least expensive way to get there. We can issue the certificate the same day.
What it costs in Connecticut
Commercial auto is rated on the vehicle type and weight, its use, the radius of operation, the drivers, the garaging town and the limits. A single light pickup used locally by a contractor with a clean record often runs in the low-to-mid four figures a year with $1 million liability. Heavier trucks, trailers, delivery use, young drivers and prior accidents push it up. Radius matters: a landscaper working within twenty miles of Farmington is rated better than one running to the shoreline every day. Fleets of five or more vehicles are rated as a group, and a good fleet safety record, telematics and clean driver records earn real credits. We place commercial auto with Travelers and other A.M. Best-rated carriers.
Who this is for
A one-truck electrician in Bristol who just formed an LLC and put the truck in its name. A landscaper in Simsbury with three pickups, two trailers and a plow. A caterer in West Hartford with a delivery van. A real estate team in Avon whose agents drive clients daily. A property management company in New Britain whose maintenance staff drive their own cars between buildings. Commercial auto is usually the second or third policy a new business buys, right after workers’ comp.
Commercial auto questions
Do I need commercial auto insurance if my truck is in my personal name?
Usually, yes, if the truck is used for the business. Title does not decide it, use does. A truck with tools, a rack and lettering that goes to job sites every day is a commercial vehicle regardless of whose name is on the registration.
How much commercial auto liability do contractors need in Connecticut?
Most general contractors and property owners require $1 million combined single limit. Connecticut’s legal minimum is $25,000/$50,000/$25,000, which is not enough for a business vehicle. Carry $1 million and add an umbrella if a contract asks for more.
What is hired and non-owned auto coverage?
Liability coverage for vehicles the business rents or borrows and for employees driving their own cars on business. If your office manager causes an accident driving to the bank, the business gets sued too. It is inexpensive and belongs on almost every commercial policy.
Can I add my work truck to my business owner’s policy?
No. A BOP can include hired and non-owned auto, but owned vehicles need a commercial auto policy. We usually write the two together with the same carrier so certificates come from one place.
Independent agent, direct line
Talk to Brandon directly
One agent, multiple carriers, and a policy read line by line before you sign it.