Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
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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.
Before the first post goes in, someone has to move twenty-foot rails, stacks of vinyl or wood panels, bags of concrete, gates, and often a skid steer or a tow-behind auger to the job. Most fence crews spend a real share of the day on the road with long, awkward loads, and the commercial auto policy should be set up with that in mind.
The carrier decides eligibility, terms and price after underwriting, and coverage depends on the policy form, endorsements and exclusions.
The vehicles and trailers fence installers use
A typical Florida fence company runs some combination of:
- Three-quarter and one-ton pickups with headache racks or lumber racks, usually the crew truck and the tow vehicle. See pickup truck insurance.
- Flatbed or stake-body trucks for posts, rails and panels. See flatbed truck insurance.
- Utility and equipment trailers carrying material, a skid steer, a mini excavator, or a post-hole auger. See trailer insurance.
- Tow-behind augers and post drivers that are trailers in their own right.
- Sales and estimating vehicles, often a personal car or a company SUV used for measuring jobs.
Aluminum, chain link and vinyl crews may run lighter setups, while wood, ranch and commercial chain link jobs tend to involve heavier material and equipment loads. Tell your agent which types of fence you install and in what volume.
How commercial auto coverage applies to fence work
Liability. Auto liability can respond to covered injury and property damage that your vehicles cause to others. For fence installers, the typical exposures are rear-end crashes while towing, turning accidents with long overhangs, and material coming off a truck. A rail sliding out of a rack or a panel lifting off a trailer at speed can cause a serious claim.
Physical damage. Comprehensive and collision can apply to your trucks and scheduled trailers, subject to deductibles. Physical damage for a trailer usually requires listing it with a value.
Equipment on trailers. A skid steer or auger riding on your trailer is generally not "auto" property. Damage to the machine in a crash or theft of the machine from the trailer is normally a contractor's equipment or inland marine question, not an auto physical damage question. Mobile equipment is also treated differently from autos under liability forms, so describe each piece of equipment and how it moves.
Loading and unloading. Driving a skid steer up ramps, sliding pallets of panels off a flatbed, and dropping material in a customer's driveway all happen in the gap between auto and general liability. Ask how your policies coordinate for loading and unloading.
Hired and non-owned auto. If an estimator drives a personal car or the business rents a truck during a busy stretch, hired and non-owned auto coverage may protect the company's liability.
Uninsured motorist and PIP/medical payments. Crews ride together, so ask how these options work with workers' compensation for employees hurt on the job.
See also: Adding a Vehicle, Trailer, Lift Gate, Refrigeration, or Equipment
Florida rules for long and heavy loads
Projecting loads. Florida requires red flags (at least 18 inches square) marking the ends of a load that extends beyond the sides or more than 4 feet beyond the rear of a vehicle, and red lamps and reflectors at the rear during the times lights are required (s. 316.228, F.S.). Long rails and posts often trigger this rule.
- Section 316.228, Florida Statutes (projecting loads): flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/316.228
Securing the load. Florida law requires vehicles to be loaded so that nothing can drop, shift, blow or escape, and requires covering or securing loads with a tarp or a load securing device (s. 316.520, F.S.). Panels, loose pickets and bags of concrete can all become road hazards.
- Section 316.520, Florida Statutes (Loads on vehicles): flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/316.520
Truck and trailer combinations. A heavy pickup pulling a loaded equipment trailer can reach combination weights that change the driver license required. Under s. 322.54, F.S., a combination with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more requires a Class A license when the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds. Check your truck and trailer ratings, and see our Florida commercial auto requirements guide.
- Section 322.54, Florida Statutes (license classification): flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/322.54
Storms, heat and theft. Hurricane season (June through November) brings fence repair surges after wind events, plus flooded yards where trucks and trailers are parked. Aluminum and vinyl stock, augers and skid steers are theft targets at jobsites and in open yards. Hitch locks, wheel locks, lit parking and GPS trackers on equipment help.
Claim examples (hypothetical)
- A stack of vinyl panels lifts off a trailer on a four-lane road and cracks a following car's windshield. The other driver's damage may be reviewed under auto liability, subject to the policy terms.
- A crew member backs a truck and auger trailer into a customer's mailbox and gate post. Depending on the facts, this may be looked at under auto liability or general liability.
- A skid steer slides off wet trailer ramps while unloading and damages a neighbor's parked car. The claim may raise loading and unloading questions between the auto and general liability policies.
- A trailer with a skid steer is stolen from a yard overnight. The trailer may fall under comprehensive if scheduled with physical damage; the skid steer would normally fall under a contractor's equipment policy.
What underwriters ask fence installers
- Residential, commercial, agricultural or government work, and the fence types installed.
- Number and weight of trucks, and each trailer's size, capacity and value.
- Whether you haul skid steers or other equipment, and how often.
- How long loads are flagged and secured.
- Who drives and who tows, including how new hires are approved.
- Radius of operations and whether crews cross county lines daily.
- Take-home trucks and personal use of company vehicles.
Documents to gather
- Vehicle list with VINs, GVWR and garaging addresses.
- Trailer list with VINs, length, capacity and value, plus a list of equipment that rides on them.
- Driver list for MVR review.
- Current declarations pages and loss runs.
- Any contract or certificate requirements from builders, HOAs or property managers.
Driver and fleet safety tips for fence crews
- Approve drivers before they drive and review MVRs every year.
- Train anyone who tows on hitching, safety chains, trailer brakes, backing and weight limits.
- Keep red flags and ratchet straps in every truck and check loads after the first few miles.
- Chain down skid steers and augers every time, even on short trips.
- Set a rule for how far rails may overhang and when a longer trailer is required.
- Walk around the vehicle before backing out of residential driveways.
How commercial auto fits with your other policies
Commercial auto is built for vehicle use. General liability is designed for damage and injuries arising from your fence work, such as a post hole that strikes an underground line or a gate that fails. Workers' compensation addresses employee injuries on the job; confirm your Florida requirements with the agency. A contractor's equipment or inland marine policy can address augers, skid steers, tools and stock. An umbrella may add limits above the auto and general liability policies. Our guide to commercial auto liability limits explains how limits fit together.
See also: Certificates of Insurance and Contract Requirements
What affects the cost
In real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses, whole commercial auto policies for contractors and trades have run $900 to $38,000 a year, and one pickup or light truck at Florida minimum limits $1,000 to $9,000 a year. Your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims decide where you land. See the price guide for the full ranges.
Common factors include vehicle type and weight, the number and size of trailers, whether heavy equipment is hauled, radius, driver records and experience, loss history, years in business, garaging location, limits and deductibles, and the mix of residential and commercial work. A documented towing and load-securement program can help the account present well. See what affects commercial insurance cost.
See also: Landscapers Insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my skid steer covered by my commercial auto policy?
Usually not as auto property. A skid steer is generally treated as mobile equipment, so damage to it or theft of it is normally handled under a contractor's equipment or inland marine policy. The trailer carrying it can be scheduled on the auto policy.
Do I need to list my auger trailer?
Most carriers want every trailer listed, and a trailer needs to be scheduled with a value if you want physical damage coverage on it. Confirm how your policy handles towed units.
What if posts or panels fall off my truck and damage another car?
Damage to others from material falling off an insured vehicle may be reviewed under auto liability, subject to the policy terms. Florida law also requires loads to be secured so nothing can escape (s. 316.520, F.S.).
Do long loads affect my insurance?
They affect your risk. Underwriters may ask how long loads are carried, flagged and secured, because overhanging rails and posts are a common source of claims.
Are fence materials in my truck covered?
Commercial auto physical damage is designed for the vehicle. Materials, tools and stock are usually addressed by an inland marine or contractor's equipment policy.
Can my estimator use a personal car?
Yes, but the personal auto policy is usually primary for the car. Non-owned auto coverage may protect the business if it is sued. See also employee-owned vehicles.
Do my drivers need a CDL to tow equipment?
It depends on the weights. Under s. 322.54, F.S., a Class A license is required for a combination rated or weighing 26,001 pounds or more when the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds. Check your ratings and confirm current FLHSMV rules.
Can I add a truck or trailer mid-term?
Usually yes, by reporting it to your agent. Carriers may have reporting windows for newly acquired vehicles, so report additions promptly and review the policy wording.
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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Call 813-302-7151 or email Rguzman@CoveredByGuzman.com to discuss the business, vehicles, drivers, and requested coverage. Coverage, eligibility, pricing, terms, and effective dates are subject to carrier underwriting and the issued policy.
