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.
Most work pickups start out as personal trucks
The pickup is the work vehicle we insure most in Florida. Roofers drive them to estimates. Landscapers pull trailers with them. Plumbers and electricians use them as a rolling toolbox. A lot of these trucks started on a personal auto policy and slowly turned into business trucks without anyone telling the insurer.
Florida law draws the line by use, not by the kind of truck. Under Florida Statutes s. 627.732, a pickup counts as a private passenger vehicle only if it is not used mainly for business. Once the truck mainly works for your business, it is a commercial vehicle under that law. Many personal auto policies limit or exclude that kind of use, so a claim can turn into a fight you did not need.
Who drives the truck
The driver list moves the price more than almost anything else. Tell us everyone who drives the truck, even once in a while.
- Owner only. The simplest setup. We still list a spouse or grown child who drives it on weekends.
- Employees. Every regular driver goes on the list with a name, date of birth and license number. Carriers pull driving records. One driver with a recent DUI or several tickets can change the price or the carrier.
- Take-home trucks. If a foreman takes the truck home, we need that address and whether the truck runs personal errands.
- Young drivers. Many carriers restrict drivers under 25 on work trucks. Call us before you hire, not after.
Leaving a driver off to save money usually backfires. If that person has an accident, you may spend months arguing about coverage instead of getting the truck fixed.
How far the truck goes
Radius is how far the truck travels from where it parks at night. Most of our Tampa Bay contractors stay inside 50 miles: Wesley Chapel to downtown Tampa, Brandon or Lakeland. A truck that runs jobs in Orlando or Fort Myers every week has a wider radius and usually costs more. Give us the real number, including the long job you take twice a year.
Where the truck sleeps matters too. A truck in a fenced yard in Zephyrhills rates differently from one parked on the street in a busy part of Tampa.
Tools in the truck
This is the gap we see most. Comprehensive and collision pay to repair the truck itself, minus your deductible. They usually do not pay for the saws, generators, ladders and meters in the bed or the toolbox. If someone breaks into the truck at a jobsite, the tools are normally a claim under a separate tools and equipment policy (often called inland marine), if you carry one.
Items bolted to the truck, like a ladder rack, a toolbox or a light bar, may be treated as part of the truck when you list them with their cost. Tell us what you added.
Trailers you pull
Many work pickups pull a utility trailer, a dump trailer or a gooseneck. On many commercial policies, liability follows a small trailer while it is hooked to an insured truck. Damage to the trailer itself is a separate coverage. If you want the trailer repaired or replaced after a loss, list it with its VIN and value.
Heavy trailers also change the rules. Florida’s definition of a commercial motor vehicle in Florida Statutes s. 320.01 includes a combination weighing 26,001 pounds or more. A one-ton pickup pulling a loaded equipment trailer can get there. Under the federal license classes, a combination of 26,001 pounds or more that tows a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds needs a Class A commercial driver license (FMCSA license classes).
Florida minimums and weight limits
For most pickups, Florida’s basic requirement is $10,000 of personal injury protection (Florida Statutes s. 627.736) and $10,000 of property damage liability (Florida Statutes s. 324.022). That is the legal floor, not a recommendation. Neither one is bodily injury liability, the coverage that pays for injuries your driver causes to other people and defends you if they sue. General contractors and property managers often ask for a $300,000 or $1,000,000 limit.
Heavier trucks carry higher minimums under Florida Statutes s. 627.7415, based on gross vehicle weight:
- 26,000 to under 35,000 pounds: $50,000 per occurrence
- 35,000 to under 44,000 pounds: $100,000 per occurrence
- 44,000 pounds or more: $300,000 per occurrence
A regular pickup is far below these weights, but a heavy pickup and trailer can get close, so we ask about both.
If you haul other people’s freight for pay across state lines with a truck and trailer rated 10,001 pounds or more (hotshot work, for example), federal rules add a USDOT number and operating authority with an insurance filing. The FMCSA lists $750,000 for most general freight at that weight (FMCSA insurance filing requirements).
What it costs
These are annual prices from real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses, for a policy with one pickup:
- Pickup or light truck, Florida minimum limits: $1,000 to $9,000 a year ($80 to $750 a month)
- Pickup, $300,000 limit: $3,500 to $15,000 a year ($290 to $1,250 a month)
- Pickup, $1,000,000 limit: $5,000 to $29,000 a year ($410 to $2,450 a month)
Your real price depends on your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims. See how these ranges were built in our Florida commercial insurance price guide.
Three claims we see with work pickups
A rear-end crash on I-75. Your driver hits an SUV in stop-and-go traffic. Liability pays the other driver’s damage and injuries up to your limits. Collision, if you carry it, fixes your truck minus the deductible. With only the $10,000 property damage minimum, a newer SUV can cost more than the limit, and the rest may come back to the business.
Tools stolen overnight. Someone breaks the back window and empties the toolbox at a jobsite in New Tampa. Comprehensive may pay for the window and the lock. The tools usually need their own policy.
A Saturday errand in the take-home truck. Your foreman has an accident on the way to a family event. Whether the claim is paid depends on whether he is listed, whether personal use is allowed, and the policy wording. That is why we write take-home rules down before anything happens.
What we need for a quote
- VIN, year, make and model, and whether it is financed or leased
- The address where the truck parks at night
- Every driver: name, date of birth and license number
- What your business does and how far the truck usually goes
- Trailers and added equipment, with values
- Your current declarations page and loss runs if you have them
- Any limits a contract or general contractor has asked for
Our quote checklist and the guide to adding vehicles and trailers help you get ready. Call or text 813-302-7151. The insurer decides eligibility and price after underwriting.
Pickup truck questions
Do I need commercial insurance if the pickup is titled in my name?
The title matters less than the use. If the truck mainly works for your business, tell us. Many carriers will write a commercial policy on a truck titled to the owner when the business use is disclosed.
My personal policy allows some business use. Is that enough?
Maybe, for driving to an office or an occasional estimate. It is usually not enough for hauling materials, carrying a crew or pulling a work trailer every day. Send us your policy and we will read the business use wording with you.
Are my tools covered if the truck is stolen?
Usually not under the auto policy. Comprehensive can pay for the truck if you carry it. Tools and equipment normally need their own policy.
Do I need to list my trailer?
List it if you want the trailer itself covered for damage. Some carriers also want heavier trailers listed for liability. When in doubt, list it.
Can an employee take the truck home at night?
Yes, as long as we know. Give us the address where it parks and your rule on personal use. Some carriers price take-home trucks differently.
How fast can I get a certificate for a new job?
Once the policy is issued, we can usually send a certificate the same day. If the contract asks for additional insured or waiver wording, send it early so we can confirm the policy allows it.
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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Get coverage built around your pickup truck, drivers, cargo, and daily operations.
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.
