- For any business with vehicles
- Personal auto excludes business use
Commercial Auto Insurance
Personal auto policies exclude business use. Even occasionally.
Commercial auto insurance covers vehicles used in your business and the employees who drive them. The single biggest mistake small businesses make is assuming a personal auto policy will respond to a business-use claim. It typically won’t.
- Covers vehicles titled to your business and business-use exposure
- Hired and non-owned auto for employees driving personal vehicles
- Higher limits than personal auto, sized for severity
- MCS-90 endorsement for federally regulated motor carriers
🚛 Request your free commercial auto review
Tell us about your vehicles and operations. A licensed Texas advisor follows up. No obligation.
Trusted by Texas businesses since 1983
Commercial auto since 1983
Light, heavy, and specialty vehicles
Standard & specialty trucking markets
For-hire trucking and hauling welcome
When does personal auto stop covering you?
The line is closer than most business owners think.
Personal auto policies are written for personal use. They typically contain a business-use exclusion, and the line between covered and excluded is closer than most owners realize. Here are the four common situations, and what kind of policy each one actually needs.
- Situation 1
Personal car, personal errands only
You use your car to commute, run personal errands, and visit family. No business activity at all.
- Texas notification law has hard deadlines.
- Situation 2
Personal car, occasional business use
You use your personal vehicle to deliver products, visit clients, drop off paperwork, or make a quick business stop now and then. The car is still in your personal name.
- Personal auto may decline the claim
- Situation 3
Vehicle titled to the business
The vehicle is owned by your LLC, corporation, or sole proprietorship, used regularly for business operations.
- Personal auto won't write it; commercial auto required
- Situation 4
Vehicle for hire (delivery, transport, rideshare)
The vehicle is used to transport goods or passengers for compensation, or operates under a commercial license or DOT authority.
- Personal auto excludes; specialized commercial coverage required
The expensive surprise.
Many small business owners find out their personal auto policy doesn’t cover business use only after a claim has already happened. By then, the claim is denied, the driver is personally exposed, and there’s no easy fix. Commercial auto (or at minimum Hired and Non-Owned Auto coverage) is the answer, and it’s typically more affordable than people assume.
What commercial auto covers
The core protections of a business auto policy.
A commercial auto policy is similar in structure to a personal auto policy, but with higher limits, broader business-use coverage, and additional features built for commercial operations.
Liability
Bodily injury and property damage to others when your vehicle is at fault in an accident. Higher limits are standard.
Physical damage
Comprehensive and collision coverage for damage to your own vehicles, whether from accidents, theft, or natural events.
Hired & non-owned auto
Covers liability when employees drive rented or their own personal vehicles for business. Critical for any business with employees.
Medical payments / PIP
Medical costs for the driver and passengers in your vehicle following an accident, regardless of fault.
Uninsured / underinsured motorist
Protects you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient limits. Important in Texas given uninsured driver rates.
MCS-90 endorsement
Required for federally regulated motor carriers in interstate commerce. A specific endorsement, not just a higher limit.
Hired & Non-Owned Auto (HNOA)
The coverage most small businesses forget.
If your employees ever drive their own personal vehicles for business purposes (even running an errand to the post office, picking up supplies, or visiting a client), your business has vicarious liability exposure that their personal auto policy may not cover. Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) is a coverage that responds to that exposure.
HNOA is often available as an endorsement on a Business Owners Policy (BOP) or as part of a commercial auto policy. For many small businesses with no owned vehicles, HNOA alone is the right answer.
HNOA covers your business’s liability for non-owned vehicles used in your business, not the vehicles themselves. The vehicle owner’s personal auto is the primary coverage.
Bodily injury & property damage limits, often $500K to $1M+ on commercial.
One limit applies to all parties & damages, common on commercial policies.
Damage to your vehicle from theft, vandalism, weather, animals, glass.
Damage to your vehicle from an accident, regardless of fault.
Cost of a substitute vehicle while yours is being repaired after a covered loss.
Available as an optional endorsement on most commercial auto policies.
Who needs commercial auto
Texas businesses that almost always need it.
If your business owns vehicles, hires drivers, or has employees who drive their personal vehicles for work, you have commercial auto exposure. Some industries are essentially required to carry it by contract or regulation.
Contractors & trades
Trucks, vans, and trailers moving between job sites every day.
Delivery & courier
Last-mile delivery, route businesses, and courier operations.
Trucking & hauling
For-hire and private carriers, often requiring MCS-90 for interstate work.
Service & sales
Outside sales, service technicians, and any team using vehicles to reach customers.
Why work with Aimbest
Commercial auto has more nuance than buyers realize.
Symbol choices on the policy, owned vs. hired vs. non-owned, the MCS-90 endorsement, DOT compliance, telematics-based programs, and fleet rating all affect what you actually pay and what you actually have when a claim happens. Commercial auto rates have moved sharply in recent years too, making market access more valuable than ever.
Standard carriers won’t write everything. We work specialty trucking and harder-to-place auto.
The wrong auto symbol can leave you with no coverage on a vehicle. We make sure yours is right.
Adds, deletes, COIs, and driver lists handled by a Texas advisor, not a call queue.
"We grew from one box truck to five in a year, and Aimbest scaled the program with us each step, including the MCS-90 we needed when we started doing interstate runs."
How it works
From first call to covered fleet, four steps.
Share your vehicles, drivers, and current coverage. A licensed advisor follows up.
Owned, hired, non-owned, symbols, limits, MCS-90 if needed. Built around your operation.
Coverage, limits, deductibles, and pricing across standard and specialty carriers.
Bind, get COIs, add and delete vehicles, manage driver lists, and stay covered as you grow.
Common questions
Commercial auto, answered.
Will my personal auto policy cover me if I use my car for business?
Usually, no. Personal auto policies typically contain a business-use exclusion that limits coverage to personal, family, and commuting use. Even occasional business use (delivering products, visiting clients, running business errands) may be excluded depending on the policy and the circumstances. The safest path for anyone using a vehicle for business is either commercial auto, a personal policy with a business-use endorsement (which some carriers offer for limited situations), or at minimum Hired and Non-Owned Auto coverage on your business policy.
What is Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA)?
HNOA covers your business’s liability when an employee drives a vehicle that’s either rented by the business (hired) or owned by someone else (non-owned, typically the employee’s personal car) for business purposes. The employee’s personal auto policy is usually the primary coverage on their own vehicle, but your business can still be sued for vicarious liability, and HNOA responds to that exposure. Many small businesses without owned vehicles add HNOA as an endorsement on a BOP for relatively little money. It’s one of the most cost-effective coverage gaps to close.
What is the MCS-90 endorsement?
The MCS-90 is a federal endorsement required for motor carriers operating in interstate commerce. It functions as a financial responsibility filing with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), ensuring that the public will be compensated for accidents up to a federally-mandated minimum even if the underlying policy would otherwise deny the claim. It’s a regulatory requirement, not optional coverage, and it has specific implications for trucking operations. If you operate in interstate commerce or are about to, we’ll help you understand the MCS-90 and any other federal filings needed for your authority.
What limits should I carry?
It depends on your business, your assets, and your contract requirements. Many small commercial accounts carry $500K or $1M Combined Single Limit (CSL), where a single limit applies to bodily injury and property damage for all parties. Larger operations, fleet operators, and businesses with significant assets often carry $1M+ on commercial auto plus a commercial umbrella for excess limits. Commercial auto severity has been rising, and contract requirements (especially from GCs and large clients) often drive limit decisions. We help you find the right number.
Do I need separate insurance if I drive for rideshare or delivery apps?
Yes, typically. Personal auto policies usually exclude vehicles used to transport passengers or goods for compensation. Most ride-sharing and delivery platforms provide some coverage during certain phases of the trip, but there are coverage gaps (especially when the app is on but no ride is accepted). Some personal auto carriers offer specific ride-share endorsements, and dedicated commercial coverage exists for full-time delivery and transport. The right answer depends on how often you do it and which platforms.
Can you help if my fleet was just non-renewed?
Often, yes. Commercial auto non-renewals usually follow loss frequency, severity, or a tightening of carrier appetite. We work with specialty and excess & surplus markets that handle harder-to-place fleets, including trucking, delivery, and high-frequency commercial operations. Send us your loss runs, vehicle list, and driver MVRs if you have them, and we’ll show you what’s available.
Related coverage
What pairs with commercial auto.
👷
⚖️
🧑⚖️
🛡️
🏢
💼
💻
🔧
☂️
🚛
📦
Let's close the personal-vs-commercial auto gap.
Request a free, no-obligation review. Owned, hired, non-owned, or fleet, we’ll show you what your current policies actually cover and where the gaps are.