Orlando, FL --  6/29/2017 2:17:47 PM

According to a report from The Florida Department of Transportation, in 2015 the state had 19.7 million registered vehicles and 16 million licensed drivers making it one of the country’s largest commercial auto markets.

Commercial auto owners, employers and operators who need to insure their vehicles but have difficulty obtaining insurance for drivers with imperfect histories or atypical business arrangements are among them.

In Florida, the minimum requirements for commercial auto insurance are:

◦ Florida is a no fault state and requires you to carry Personal injury protection (PIP) of $10,000.

◦ Property damage liability insurance of at least $10,000. 

DMV guidelines state that if you are operating a vehicle for any business-related purposes, you will need commercial car insurance.

Purchasing a commercial auto insurance policy should not be an option, as a matter of fact, the State of Florida does require some protection by law.  However, protecting your property in the event of an accident may require some additional considerations that only a true expert in commercial vehicles can bring up to your attention.  To ensure that your people and the cargo, as well as the vehicle itself, are protected from many of the things that could happen to them while on the road there are additional coverages that can be combined for a more comprehensive protection. After all, what you want is the peace of mind that in the event that something does happen, you can be compensated fairly and be able to fix or buy a new commercial vehicle with minimum expense to your business. It requires analysis and of course, a good plan. 

For example, you would need commercial insurance to operate a vehicle for:

• Pickup or delivery of goods including:

◦ Materials

◦ Newspapers

◦ Pizza or other food delivery

• Messenger services.

• Taxi services

• Limousine services

Additionally, you may need commercial insurance if your vehicle is:

• Registered or titled to a:

◦ Business

◦ Corporation

◦ Partnership

• Rented or leased by others

• Equipped with:

◦ Cooking or catering equipment

◦ Bathrooms

◦ Altered suspensions

◦ Hydraulic lifts

◦ Racing equipment

While the major coverages are the same, a business auto policy differs from a personal auto policy in many technical aspects. Ask your insurance expert at Garzor, to explain all differences and options.

Whether you need to buy a business auto insurance policy will depend on the kind of driving you do. A few questions need to be asked regarding the ways you use vehicle in your business, who will be driving them and whether employees, if you have them, are likely to be driving their own cars for your business purposes.

If you, as many other business owners, use the same vehicle for both business and pleasure, keep in mind you’ll need the same insurance coverage for the car you use in your business as you do for a car used for personal travel -- liability, collision and comprehensive, medical payments (known as personal injury protection in some states) and coverage for uninsured motorists.

If the vehicle is owned by the business, make sure the name of the business appears on the policy as the "principal insured" rather than your name. This will avoid possible confusion in the event that you need to file a claim or a claim is filed against you.

Other commercial vehicles like large trucks also require specific insurance coverage.

Florida owners and operators of commercial trucks can't get by with a standard commercial auto insurance policy. In addition to protecting the cargo that they carry, truckers must consider the massive physical damage that can be caused by their trucks, the potential environmental issues an accident could cause, and the expensive cost to repair their large vehicles.

The category of commercial trucks involves several types of large vehicles, including: 

• Big Rig (tractor-trailers or 18-wheelers)

• Dump Truck

• Garbage trucks

• Auto Haulers and Car Trailers

• Tow trucks

• Flatbed trucks

• Tank trucks

• Box trucks

The cost of commercial truck insurance can be determined by various factors like,

Business type

Driving radius

Type of vehicle

Location

The limits you need

Drivers’ driving histories

Ask one of our commercial insurance experts the kind of insurance policies that better suit your needs and gets your business the best obtainable coverage.