Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
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813-302-7151
813-302-7151
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We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
Commercial auto insurance is made up of several coverages, and which ones you need depends on your vehicles, your drivers and how the business uses them. The coverages below are the ones we place most often for Florida businesses.
The same coverages apply whether you run a single box truck or a small mixed fleet of vans and pickups; what changes is which ones matter most and what limits make sense.
We are an independent brokerage, which means we compare options across multiple carriers rather than selling one company’s product. This matters because carriers differ in how they handle cargo, hired and non-owned exposure, and endorsements for specialized vehicles.
If you would rather talk through what your operation needs than read through every coverage below, call 813-302-7151 and we will go through it with you directly.
Liability coverage
Liability is the core of every commercial auto policy. It pays for injury and property damage you or a covered driver cause to someone else while operating a business vehicle, along with the legal costs of defending a covered claim.
Florida requires a minimum amount of liability coverage, but the state minimum is rarely enough for a business. Contracts, leases and the real cost of a serious accident usually call for limits well above it. Liability is almost always the first number a client or general contractor asks about on a certificate of insurance.
Physical damage: comprehensive and collision
Physical damage coverage repairs or replaces your own vehicle rather than the other party’s. It is split into two parts. Collision covers damage from an accident, regardless of fault. Comprehensive covers many other kinds of damage to a parked or moving vehicle, such as theft, vandalism, fire, flooding and storm damage, subject to the policy’s terms, limits and exclusions.
If a vehicle is financed or leased, the lender will almost always require both while there is a balance owed, and will usually want to be listed as loss payee. For an owned, older vehicle, physical damage is optional, and the decision usually comes down to what the vehicle is actually worth to replace.
Medical payments and personal injury protection
Medical payments coverage and personal injury protection, often shortened to PIP, pay medical costs for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused it. PIP is required on Florida vehicles at a base level, and medical payments coverage can extend beyond that base amount.
These coverages matter most for businesses that regularly carry a driver plus a helper or crew member, since a single at-fault accident can otherwise expose the business to injury claims from its own people as well as the other party.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage steps in when the other driver is at fault but does not carry enough insurance, or any at all, to cover what they owe you. Florida has a meaningful number of uninsured drivers on the road.
Without it, a business vehicle damaged by an uninsured driver, or a driver injured by one, has to pursue the other party directly for repayment, which is slow and often unsuccessful. This coverage lets your own policy respond instead of waiting on someone else’s.
Cargo and equipment coverage
The base auto policy insures the vehicle. It does not automatically insure what the vehicle is carrying, and there are two different coverages for that.
Motor truck cargo covers goods you haul, generally other people’s property that you carry for pay. Depending on the form, some cargo policies can also cover your own goods in transit, like a business delivering its own inventory. Your own tools and equipment, like a contractor’s generator, drain machine or ladders, are usually not cargo. They are normally covered by inland marine (contractor’s equipment) coverage or a business owner’s policy.
Cargo matters most for box trucks moving freight for customers. Equipment coverage matters most for cargo vans full of tools and parts, and for food trucks and trailers with cooking equipment on board. Limits should reflect what you would have to replace. Our commercial auto vs. motor truck cargo guide goes deeper.
Hired and non-owned auto coverage
Hired and non-owned auto coverage (HNOA) protects the business when it uses vehicles it does not own, such as a rented replacement truck or an employee’s personal car used for a work errand.
When an employee drives their own car for work, their personal auto policy is usually the first policy for that car, and it may exclude or limit some business use. The business can still be sued because the trip was for work. HNOA protects the business in that situation. It does not replace the employee’s policy or pay to fix the employee’s car. Any business where employees drive their own vehicles for company errands should consider it. See our hired and non-owned auto guide.
Trailer interchange coverage
Trailer interchange coverage applies when a business regularly pulls or exchanges trailers it does not own under a trailer interchange agreement, common in trucking and hauling operations. It protects the trailer itself while it is in your possession, separate from the coverage on your own power unit.
This is a more specialized coverage and does not apply to every operation. If you run your own trailers exclusively, this usually is not needed. If you regularly exchange trailers with other companies as part of how freight moves, it is worth reviewing.
Non-trucking liability (bobtail coverage)
Non-trucking liability, sometimes called bobtail coverage, applies to owner-operators leased to a motor carrier. It provides liability protection when the truck is being driven for personal use or between dispatches, outside the scope of the motor carrier’s own policy.
This narrower coverage is aimed at leased owner-operators, not businesses that own and dispatch their own trucks. If that describes your situation, confirm exactly when your carrier’s policy applies and where the gap sits.
Rental reimbursement and towing
Rental reimbursement pays for a temporary replacement vehicle while yours is being repaired after a covered claim, which matters when a vehicle off the road means lost income. Towing and labor coverage pays for roadside assistance and towing after a breakdown or accident.
Neither of these is usually the centerpiece of a policy, but for a business running on a tight number of vehicles, a few days without one can cost more than the coverage itself.
How these coverages work together
A typical commercial auto policy for a Florida business combines liability, physical damage and PIP as the foundation, then adds cargo, hired and non-owned, and any specialized coverage the operation actually needs on top.
Two businesses with the same number of vehicles can end up with very different policies once vehicles, cargo, drivers and contract requirements are accounted for.
Choosing the right limits
Match limits to your real exposure. Start with what your contracts require, since many general contractors and property managers set a floor you cannot go below. Then look at what your vehicles and cargo are actually worth to replace, and what a serious injury claim could realistically cost.
Florida also sets higher liability minimums for heavier commercial vehicles: $50,000 per occurrence at 26,000 to 34,999 pounds gross vehicle weight, $100,000 at 35,000 to 43,999 pounds, and $300,000 at 44,000 pounds and up, under Florida Statutes s. 627.7415. Trucks subject to federal motor carrier rules follow the federal minimums instead. Your policy should meet or exceed whichever floor is higher: your contracts or the legal minimum.
Coverage by vehicle type
How these coverages get prioritized often comes down to the vehicle. A tow truck carrying other people’s vehicles has different cargo exposure than a dump truck hauling material, and a small fleet of service and utility trucks has different liability exposure than a single owner-operated flatbed.
You can see how coverage is typically structured for your specific vehicle on our commercial vehicles we insure page, or for your trade on our industries we serve page.
Get a coverage review
The fastest way to know which of these coverages actually applies to your business is to walk through your operation with us directly. Call 813-302-7151 or request a quote online, and we will review your vehicles, drivers and contracts and tell you where the real gaps are.
We serve business owners across the Tampa Bay region and central Florida. You can see the areas we work in on our service areas page.
Do I need every coverage listed here?
No. Most businesses need liability, physical damage and PIP at minimum, then add cargo, hired and non-owned, or specialized coverage based on the operation.
What is the difference between cargo and physical damage coverage?
Physical damage covers your own vehicle. Cargo coverage covers goods you haul, generally other people’s property carried for pay. Your own tools and equipment are usually covered by inland marine or a business owner’s policy instead.
Do I need hired and non-owned auto coverage?
If employees drive their own vehicles for business errands, or you rent vehicles for work, it is usually worth having. It protects the business, not the employee’s car.
How much coverage do Florida businesses typically carry?
It varies by contract requirements, vehicle value and risk. We review your specific operation rather than quoting a generic number.
Can these coverages go on one policy?
Yes. Most of these are combined into a single commercial auto policy rather than purchased separately.
What do you need to review my coverage?
Vehicle details, driver information, radius of operation and prior coverage history.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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