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.
A landscaping truck rarely travels alone. It is usually pulling a trailer loaded with zero-turns, blowers and trimmers, hauling clippings and palm fronds away from a job, and making several stops a day across homes, HOAs and commercial properties. That mix of towing, hauling and constant job-site travel is why landscaping businesses need commercial auto insurance.
Most crews run pickups with open or enclosed trailers. Bigger operations doing hardscape, sod or irrigation installs add heavier trucks and sometimes a dump truck. Many also have an owner or crew members using personal trucks for part of the work, which matters when the policy is set up.
Why a personal policy isn’t enough for a landscaping crew
Personal auto policies are written for commuting and errands, not a truck that tows a loaded trailer to paid jobs all week. Many personal policies exclude or limit business use, and the insurer looks at how the truck was used when a claim comes in.
Even a single truck-and-trailer setup used regularly for landscaping is usually outside what a personal policy is priced for. A commercial auto policy is written with towing and hauling in mind. What a claim pays still depends on the policy terms and how accurately the business was described.
Vehicles landscaping businesses typically insure
Most landscaping fleets run pickup trucks, typically paired with an open trailer for hauling mowers, hand tools, and bagged materials. Smaller residential crews often run a single truck and trailer combination, while larger operations handling more properties or bigger commercial contracts frequently run several truck-and-trailer setups working simultaneously.
Businesses that handle hardscape, irrigation, or installation work alongside routine maintenance sometimes run heavier trucks capable of hauling pavers, mulch, or larger equipment, and may use enclosed trailers for more secure equipment storage or to protect tools from weather. Dump trucks or vehicles equipped for debris hauling are also common among businesses that handle their own material and debris removal rather than contracting it out.
It’s common for a landscaping business to run a mixed fleet: a couple of standard truck-and-trailer combinations for routine maintenance routes alongside a heavier truck reserved for larger installation or hauling jobs. Whatever the combination, report every vehicle and trailer used for the business so the policy reflects how the fleet is equipped and used.
Company-owned, personal, rented, and borrowed vehicles under one policy
Landscaping businesses commonly run a mix of vehicle ownership types: company-titled trucks, an owner’s personal truck also used for the business, and occasionally a rental when a truck is down for repair or during a busy season. Each of these needs to be addressed differently on a commercial auto policy.
Company-owned trucks are the most straightforward, scheduled directly on the policy along with any trailers they regularly tow. A personally owned truck also used for landscaping work, common among owners who started as solo operators, needs to be reported so the policy properly extends to its business use rather than relying on a personal policy likely to exclude it. Rented vehicles used temporarily are typically addressed through hired auto coverage, and vehicles borrowed occasionally, including from crew members, generally need non-owned auto coverage.
Review this list carefully instead of assuming a truck is covered simply because it’s used for the business most of the time. Gaps often show up here, particularly with a personal truck that became the business’s second vehicle without ever being formally added to the policy.
When employees drive their own vehicles for work
Some landscaping businesses, particularly smaller crews or seasonal operations, have employees who use their own trucks for at least part of the work, whether that’s running to pick up materials, hauling a small trailer, or getting to a job site independently. When this happens, the employee’s personal auto policy responds first if they cause an accident while working, but personal policies commonly exclude business use or carry limits too low to fully cover a serious claim.
Non-owned auto coverage is designed to address this gap. It protects the business’s liability exposure when an employee causes an accident while using their own vehicle for company business, filling in behind the employee’s personal policy since the vehicle itself isn’t titled to the business. This is easy to overlook in landscaping specifically because crews often work with a mix of company equipment and personally owned trucks without a clear line between the two.
If any of your crew members use personal vehicles for work, even to run occasional errands or tow a small trailer, confirm that non-owned auto coverage is part of your policy. It’s a relatively low-cost addition and one of the more common gaps found when reviewing an established landscaping business’s coverage.
Insuring mowers, blowers, and other equipment
Commercial auto insurance covers the towing vehicle and the liability tied to operating it, but it generally does not cover the mowers, blowers, trimmers, and other equipment being hauled. For a landscaping business, a single trailer can carry equipment worth a meaningful amount, and losing it to theft or a trailer accident can shut a crew down for a job, or longer.
Coverage for this kind of property is typically handled through a separate policy, often inland marine coverage designed for contractor’s equipment, which can protect mowers and tools whether they’re on the trailer, at a job site, or in storage overnight. Some landscaping businesses also look at scheduling higher-value equipment, like a zero-turn mower, individually to make sure it’s valued and covered appropriately rather than lumped into a general equipment total.
Review equipment coverage at the same time as commercial auto. In most cases, the trailer and its contents are not automatically protected under the towing vehicle’s policy.
Debris and material hauling and how it’s classified
Landscaping businesses that haul debris, mulch, soil, or other bulk materials as part of their operation take on a different exposure than one that only transports tools and equipment to a job site. Hauling activity can affect how a vehicle is classified for insurance purposes, since it typically involves heavier loads, more frequent trips to disposal or supply sites, and different handling considerations than simply driving a crew and their tools to a property.
This matters particularly for businesses that haul debris using their own trucks and trailers rather than contracting the work out to a separate hauling service. If your business regularly transports bulk materials, it’s worth describing that activity specifically to your agent, since it can influence how a vehicle is rated and whether any additional coverage considerations apply, particularly around load limits and how a trailer is loaded and secured.
Businesses that occasionally haul a small trailer of clippings are in a different position than one running a dedicated dump truck for regular debris removal, and being specific about which one describes your operation helps the policy get priced accurately.
Does the tow vehicle automatically cover the trailer?
Generally, no. A commercial auto policy covering the towing truck typically extends some liability coverage while the trailer is attached and being towed, but the trailer itself and the equipment on it usually need to be separately scheduled and valued to be properly covered, particularly for physical damage or theft.
A landscaping trailer, especially one loaded with mowers and other equipment, often has significant value of its own, separate from the truck pulling it. If a trailer is stolen while detached and parked, or damaged in an accident, relying solely on the towing vehicle’s policy without having specifically addressed the trailer can leave a real gap.
Every trailer used by the business, whether owned by the company or, in some cases, by an individual crew member, should be reported and scheduled appropriately rather than assumed to ride along automatically under the truck’s coverage. Confirm this with your agent for every trailer in active use, including older and less valuable ones.
What landscaping businesses pay in Florida
Underwriters price a landscaping account on the number of trailers, the equipment carried, debris hauling, the number of drivers and how far crews travel. These annual ranges come from real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses:
- Landscaping and lawn, commercial auto (whole policy): $2,500 to $28,000 a year
- Pickup or light truck, Florida minimum limits: $1,000 to $9,000 a year ($80 to $750/mo)
- General liability, landscaping, lawn and tree: $300 to $5,000 a year
Your real price depends on your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims history. See the full Florida commercial insurance price guide.
What underwriters review about drivers and vehicle use
Expect to provide every driver, including seasonal crew members who drive now and then, with license and driving record; yearly mileage; your service area; whether trailers are towed daily; and whether you haul debris or bulk material. Give real numbers rather than estimates. A policy set up accurately from the start moves through renewal with fewer surprises.
Certificates of insurance and additional-insured requirements
Property managers, HOAs and commercial clients often ask for a certificate of insurance before your crew starts. Many also ask to be named as an additional insured on your policy, which gives them some protection for claims that come from your work on their property. Some contracts set specific limits or endorsements.
Review the insurance section before you sign, since an unmet requirement can delay a contract. Send it to us and we will flag anything that needs to change. We can usually issue a certificate the same day once the policy is active.
Getting your first policy as a new landscaping business
Not having a prior commercial auto policy does not stop you from getting one. Insurers quote new landscaping businesses regularly, leaning on driver records and the vehicles when there is no business claims history. To quote, we need each truck and trailer, each driver with license and driving record, your service area and mileage, whether you haul debris or material, the type of work you do (maintenance, installs or hardscape), and any contract with insurance requirements.
Common mistakes and other coverages to pair with commercial auto
The gaps we see most: trailers assumed to be covered because they are hooked to an insured truck, seasonal crew members left off the driver list, and debris hauling left out of the business description.
Beyond commercial auto, most landscaping businesses carry general liability for damage on a client’s property, such as a rock thrown by a mower through a window, equipment coverage for mowers and tools, and an umbrella policy for larger commercial accounts. Florida requires workers’ compensation for construction-industry employers with one or more employees and for most other employers with four or more (Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation coverage requirements). Ask us which rule fits your work.
Does commercial auto insurance cover my mower if it's stolen off the trailer?
Generally not directly. Equipment like mowers and blowers typically needs separate coverage, often inland marine, rather than relying on the truck’s auto policy. If you carry meaningful equipment value on your trailers, it’s worth adding this coverage.
Do I need commercial auto insurance if I only mow a few residential lawns?
Even a small residential route involves business use of a vehicle, which most personal auto policies exclude. The size of your operation matters less than the fact that you’re driving to paid jobs regularly.
Is my trailer automatically covered if my truck is insured?
Not automatically for physical damage or theft. Trailers generally need to be specifically scheduled on the policy to be properly covered. Confirm every trailer you use is listed rather than assuming it rides along under the truck’s coverage.
Can I add a second truck and trailer to my policy as my business grows?
Yes, vehicles and trailers can generally be added to an existing commercial auto policy as your business grows. Report new equipment before it goes into service so there’s no question about coverage from day one.
Does commercial auto insurance cover accidents that happen while hauling debris?
Commercial auto coverage generally applies to business-related driving, including hauling, but your policy should accurately reflect that debris or material hauling is part of your operation. Flag this with your agent so the description on file matches how the business actually runs.
How quickly can a new landscaping business get commercial auto coverage in place?
Coverage can often be arranged quickly, sometimes the same day, once we have complete vehicle, trailer, and driver information. Having those details ready before you call generally speeds up the process.
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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