Commercial Auto Insurance

No. Personal auto policies exclude or limit coverage for vehicles used in business, so a truck or van used to move lots and equipment needs commercial auto coverage. Even a personal vehicle regularly used for business errands can create a gap under a personal policy. If you operate any vehicle for the auction business, commercial auto is what properly covers it.

It has two main parts: liability, which covers bodily injury and property damage you're responsible for when a business vehicle causes an accident (often legally required and required by venues), and physical damage (comprehensive and collision), which covers damage to your own vehicles from accidents, theft, and other perils. For an auction business moving valuable goods, both parts matter — liability protects the business and physical damage keeps your trucks running after a loss.

Hired auto covers vehicles you rent or lease for the business — like a box truck for a big estate job — and non-owned auto covers vehicles your staff own but drive on company business, such as scouting an estate or running a lot across town. These are common gaps: if an employee or a rented truck is in an accident on company time without this coverage, the business can be exposed. We make sure owned, hired, and non-owned exposures are all addressed.

Generally no — and this surprises many auctioneers. Standard commercial auto liability covers the vehicle and the damage it causes, not the valuable cargo inside. The art, antiques, and lots you're transporting are covered by inland marine and bailee coverage, not your auto policy. We coordinate commercial auto with inland marine so both the vehicle and the goods it carries are covered, with no dangerous assumption that auto covers the cargo.

Yes — that's exactly what non-owned auto coverage is for. When employees drive their own vehicles on company business, your business can be exposed if they have an accident, even though you don't own the vehicle. Non-owned auto coverage addresses that exposure. We include it so a staff member running an errand for the business doesn't become an uninsured liability for the company.

Yes. Venues, estate clients, and partners often require evidence of auto liability before you bring a vehicle onto their property, and coverage must meet state financial-responsibility minimums. We provide the auto certificates your business relationships require and make sure your limits meet legal and contractual requirements, so a vehicle is never the reason a job is delayed.

Liability limits should meet or exceed legal minimums and any contractual requirements from venues and clients, and many businesses carry higher limits given how serious auto claims can be — often supported by an umbrella. Physical-damage limits should reflect the value of your vehicles. We'll recommend limits based on your fleet, how you use it, and your contractual requirements.

Call 844-967-5247 or request a free quote and tell us about your vehicles — what you own, what you rent, and whether staff drive their own cars for the business. We'll structure owned, hired, and non-owned coverage, coordinate it with inland marine for the cargo, and provide the certificates you need. Quotes are free and carry no obligation.