Both policies cover vehicles used for work, but they are built for different businesses. Picking the wrong one can mean paying for coverage you don’t need, or worse, a claim that isn’t covered. Here is how to tell which fits.
The short answer
- Commercial auto is for vehicles that support your business: the plumber’s van, the contractor’s pickup, the landscaper’s truck and trailer, the sales rep’s car, a small fleet of service vehicles.
- Trucking insurance is for moving other people’s goods for pay, or operating as a motor carrier: semis, box trucks and hotshots under your own or a carrier’s authority.
The question isn’t only how big the truck is. It’s what the vehicle does for money.
At Dupuy Insurance, trucking insurance covers owner-operators (one truck, one driver) and trucking fleets. Fleets are quoted with the carrier’s fleet underwriters, so tell us how many power units and drivers you run.
Quick checklist
You most likely need a trucking policy if any of these are true:
- You haul freight or goods that belong to someone else, for a fee.
- You have, or need, a USDOT number with operating authority (an MC number) to haul for hire.
- Brokers or shippers ask you for proof of cargo insurance.
- You are an owner-operator leased to a motor carrier.
You most likely need commercial auto if:
- The vehicles carry your own tools, equipment, materials or employees to jobs.
- You deliver your own products (for example, a bakery’s van), not other companies’ freight.
- The vehicles are titled to the business, or used mostly for work.
Examples
| Business | Usually needs |
|---|---|
| Landscaper with a pickup and a trailer of mowers | Commercial auto |
| Electrician or plumber with service vans | Commercial auto |
| Restaurant or florist delivering its own orders | Commercial auto |
| Box truck hauling loads from a broker | Trucking |
| Hotshot pickup with a gooseneck hauling for hire | Trucking |
| Owner-operator semi leased to a carrier | Trucking (non-trucking liability, physical damage and often cargo) |
What each policy usually includes
Commercial auto: liability for injuries and damage you cause, physical damage to your vehicles (collision and comprehensive), uninsured motorist, medical payments, and optional hired and non-owned auto coverage for rented or employee-owned vehicles used for work (see hired and non-owned auto insurance).
Trucking: primary auto liability at the limits your authority requires (the federal minimum for interstate general freight in vehicles over 10,000 pounds is $750,000; many shippers ask for $1,000,000), motor truck cargo, physical damage for tractors and trailers, trailer interchange or non-owned trailer coverage, and the federal and state filings that keep your authority active.
Why the difference matters
- Personal auto policies usually exclude business use. A crash on the job in a personally insured vehicle can be denied.
- Commercial auto usually excludes hauling for hire. If you start taking loads, tell your agent before the first one.
- Authority and filings must match the policy. If the filing lapses, your authority can be revoked.
Not sure which you need?
Tell us what the vehicles do, how far they go and whose goods they carry, and a licensed agent at Dupuy Insurance will tell you which policy fits and compare options from several carriers for Florida-based operations.
Commercial auto insurance · Commercial truck insurance · Call or text (813) 447-7534, every day 7:30 AM–7:30 PM, except federal holidays.
General information. Requirements depend on your operation, cargo, routes and authority; coverage depends on each carrier’s underwriting and the policy terms.