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.
Plant City runs on I-4 and strawberry season
Hillsborough County is known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, and Plant City is the center of it. From November into early spring, farm trucks, refrigerated trucks and crew vans fill the back roads and the stretch of I-4 between Tampa and Lakeland.
We are an independent agency based in Wesley Chapel. We work with growers, haulers, contractors and service businesses in Plant City, compare carriers for you, and explain in plain words what each quote covers and what it leaves out. Whether you run one pickup or a dozen trucks, the questions start in the same place: what you haul, who drives and how far.
Seasonal hauling and farm vehicles
The county has roughly 11,000 acres planted in strawberries, and the harvest runs from November through late March or early April. That creates a seasonal pattern: more trucks, more drivers and more miles for a few months, then a quieter summer.
Tell us about the season up front. Some carriers rate farm vehicles differently from general commercial trucks, and a truck used only for your own farm is a different risk from one hauling produce for other growers. Hauling for others can call for a different kind of policy, and not every carrier writes it.
Also tell us who owns each truck. A truck titled to you personally but used by the farm, or borrowed from a neighbor for the season, needs to be set up correctly on the policy.
Refrigerated and produce loads
Berries have to move fast and cold. If you run reefer trucks or trailers, carriers will ask what you haul, how far, and whether you need cargo coverage or refrigeration breakdown coverage for the load. Those protect the load, not the truck, and they are priced separately from the auto policy.
If your trucks leave Florida during the season, say so. Interstate hauling and hauling for hire can bring federal rules and filings into play, and fewer carriers write that work. Our trucking insurance page explains the basics.
Keep maintenance records for each reefer unit. Some carriers ask for them before adding refrigeration breakdown coverage, and they help if a load is ever lost.
Seasonal drivers
Harvest brings short-term drivers. Carriers want to review every regular driver, and each carrier has its own rules on age, experience and driving record. A driver who is fine for a pickup may not be accepted for a heavier truck or a tractor-trailer.
Send us new drivers’ information before the season starts, not the day they get behind the wheel. That leaves time to sort out any problem records and find a carrier that fits your crew. It also keeps the harvest from stalling because a truck has no approved driver.
Keep a simple file for each driver: a copy of the license, the date they started and who approved them. It speeds up the carrier’s review and helps if a claim is ever questioned.
Warehouses, contractors and downtown
Plant City is more than farms. Distribution buildings have reshaped the area along County Line Road and the I-4 corridor, and construction and service contractors follow the new buildings. Downtown, U.S. 92 splits into a one-way pair, which makes deliveries and parking tighter around the historic district and McCall Park.
Box trucks and delivery vans on warehouse routes are rated on radius, stops and cargo. If you run one, see our box truck insurance page for the questions carriers ask. Contractors working the new sites should expect the builder to ask for a certificate before the first delivery.
Contracts with packers and shippers
Packinghouses, shippers, brokers and general contractors often require a certificate of insurance, and some set specific auto liability or cargo limits. A few also want to be named as additional insured.
Send us the insurance section of the agreement before the season or the job starts. We will check what your policy supports, what an endorsement may cost and how long it takes to add. Doing this in October beats doing it the week the first loads are ready to go.
If a broker arranges your loads, read the broker agreement too. Brokers often set their own insurance minimums and may check your coverage before handing you a load.
Trailers, equipment and the festival
Flatbed trailers, equipment trailers and farm implements need to be sorted out correctly. A trailer that goes down the road can be listed on the auto policy. A tractor or sprayer that works in the field is usually farm equipment and belongs on a farm or inland marine policy instead.
The Florida Strawberry Festival, held in Plant City every year since 1930 apart from a pause during World War II, runs in late February or early March and draws heavy traffic around the festival grounds. If your trucks are part of it, as vendors, haulers or food trucks, ask the organizer early what certificate they need.
Serving Plant City and nearby communities
We work with growers, haulers and contractors in Plant City and nearby Lakeland, Seffner, Valrico and Brandon, plus the farm country around Dover.
What to send us: the business name and what you do, driver names with dates of birth and license numbers, VINs for trucks and trailers, where they park, how far they go in and out of season, what you haul and for whom, and any contract requirements. The insurer decides eligibility and price after underwriting, and we will explain the differences between the quotes.
What businesses in Hillsborough County pay for insurance
These ranges come from real quotes our agency has run for businesses across Hillsborough County, which includes Plant City. Prices are annual and include taxes and fees. Your price can land outside them, because vehicles, drivers, payroll and claims usually matter more than the ZIP code.
- General liability$300 to $6,000 / yearAbout $25 to $500 a month.
- Commercial auto, whole policy$1,000 to $42,000 / yearAbout $80 to $3,500 a month.
- Workers' compensation$600 to $6,500 / yearAbout $50 to $550 a month.
- Business owner's policy$400 to $16,000 / yearAbout $30 to $1,350 a month.
- Commercial property$700 to $8,000 / yearAbout $55 to $670 a month.
- Professional liability$200 to $2,500 / yearAbout $15 to $210 a month.
For ranges by coverage, vehicle and business type, see our Florida commercial insurance cost guide. For your real number, call or text 813-302-7151. Commercial property and business owner's policies in Florida usually carry a separate hurricane deductible that is not reflected in these prices.
Can I insure a truck I only use during strawberry season?
Many carriers want vehicles on the policy all year, but some may offer reduced coverage while a vehicle is parked. Tell us your season and we will check what each carrier allows.
I haul berries for other farms. Does that change my policy?
Yes. Hauling for others is hauling for hire, and carriers treat it differently from moving your own crop. It can also raise cargo coverage and filing questions, so tell us before you take the job.
Does my tractor go on the auto policy?
Usually not. Tractors and field equipment are typically covered on a farm or inland marine policy. The trailer that moves them on the road is different and should be listed on the auto policy.
My seasonal drivers only work three months. Do they need to be listed?
Yes, anyone who drives regularly should be on the driver list. Send their information before the season starts so the carrier can review their records in time.
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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Plant City farms and haulers: let's quote before harvest.
Call or text 813-302-7151 with your trucks, trailers and drivers, and we’ll compare carriers before the season starts.
