Types of Commercial Auto Insurance in Florida

There's a huge number of different types of commercial auto insurance in Florida. Learn all about different policies, plans and categories, and how they apply to your business in the state of Florida.

Commercial auto insurance is a huge field. It's actually much larger and more diverse than most people realize. For example, it includes a lot more than simply big 18 wheeler trucks, although that's one specific type which is certainly included here.

If you're a business owner, it's very important you know all about your options, the state of the industry, and all of the different types of commercial auto insurance in Florida.

In this guide, we'll do our best to break those down for you and offer some information, different types and categories, explanations and insight on a few big trends, and more.

Types of Coverage

There are of course many different types of coverage which may be applicable within different plans and policies. For instance:

• Injury Liability: Covers expenses for injury and death when you are at fault in an accident.
• Damage Liability: Covers expenses for property damage caused by your vehicle in an accident.
• Collision Coverage - Covers your vehicle's damage expenses in an accident.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Covers damage to your vehicle from theft, weather and certain other events.
• Medical Coverage: Medical, no-fault and personal injury covers the medical expenses for the driver and passengers of your vehicle.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage: Uninsured and/or underinsured covers your injury expenses.

Food Truck & Ride-Sharing Insurance

If you're like most people, then you likely answered that you have done at least one of those two things in the past few months, buying food from a food truck, or getting a ride from a ride-sharing service. Both of these are incredibly popular right now, and they're only going to continue increasing in the months and years ahead.

Here as well, there are specific types of commercial insurance coverage and plans which apply. Take for instance, the case of food trucks. Here, these owners and/or operators deal not only with the risks of the road, but also the risks of cooking up food, fires, cooking equipment, serving food to customers, and more. Ride-sharing services have been in a difficult position with commercial insurance. Is it up to the company, the individual driver who's not employed by the organization but merely utilizing it, or both?

For all of these reasons and more, it's crucial to find a very specific insurance plan for a very specific type of business. There's no such thing as one size fits all, or trying to fit a square peg into a round hole when it comes to protecting yourself and your business. Plus, states all have different regulations in place.

You must find a tailor-made solution which has been designed for you, the type of business you're in, the state you're located, and the type of vehicle you use for it. Here, you'll be protected against the common risks, you won't pay for extra types of coverage which actually don't apply, you'll meet all the local regulations and requirements, and you'll hopefully by working with a provider who understands your unique challenges in order to better serve you.

Different Business Types & Vehicles

There are many different types of coverage, of course. But there are also many different types of business operations and setups. The way your business is set up will often dictate what type of commercial auto insurance policy you need. For example:

• Owner/Operator Insurance: OOIDA truck insurance for owner operators.
• Contractors: Any type of contracting work, residential or commercial. For example, landscapers, home contractors, roofers, electricians, construction, etc., whether a van, pickup or regular car is being used.
• Commercial Van Service: Delivery, cargo, company vans, shuttles.
• Commercial Trucking: Specific coverage utilized by for-hire truckers, general freight, long distance hauling, home moving, or anything else.

Specialty Trucks & Vehicles

There's a massive range of specialty trucks and vehicles on the roads today. A very short list includes:

• Log haulers
• Gravel, coal or dirt trucks
• Waste haulers
• Refrigerated trucks or vans
• Tow trucks
• Dump trucks
• Wreckers
• Auto haulers
• Limousines
• Charter buses
• Non-emergency medical transport
• Box trucks, pickups, flat beds, 18 wheelers, long haulers and more.

How Else Does Commercial Auto Insurance Apply?

You might be thinking, wait a minute, I don't drive a truck or transport anything like in the above examples. So how does commercial auto insurance apply to me?

Really, it applies to any situation in which a business owner or employee is utilizing a vehicle on the job, for any reason. This means it applies to you if:

• You provide shuttle rides or other transportation services to your clients, or to members of an organize, such as a church, or nonprofit.
• You're a realtor showing potential homeowners different properties
• You provide local delivery, whether it's food-service related, flowers, newspapers, or anything else.

These are just a few examples of the ways that commercial auto insurance might apply to you in ways you wouldn't first think about. 

More Information

Are you looking for more information and resources on commercial auto insurance in Florida? Here are a few official outlets we recommend utilizing.

• Florida DBPR: The Florida Department of Businesses & Professional Regulation website has a list of services which require DBPR licenses. They also offer all of the information for license applications and updates, and other regulations which may apply.
• Florida OIR: The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation provides information on mandated types of insurance coverage for many different personal and professional areas, in the latter case, including issues such as professional liability & workers compensation.
• Florida HSMV: The Florida Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles department provides information on issues such as commercial vehicle licenses and regulations which may be applicable for you.

Have any questions about finding commercial auto insurance in Florida? Feel free to join the conversation below with any comments or insight! We'll do our best to respond and answer any questions.

RideShare & Uber Driver Insurance

Uber insurance is a hotly contested issue right now. The landscape is also quickly changing and evolving across the country. Learn about legal requirements, changes and more for Uber driver insurance.

Understanding the world of insurance for Uber drivers and other ride-sharing cars and services

If you're like millions of Americans, then you've ridden in an Uber before. Maybe even in a Lyft, or one of a growing number of competitors. The taxi-alternative and ridesharing companies are increasingly popular, but the field is also increasingly in flux. Perhaps the most key way in which there's concern today is the state of Uber insurance requirements, needs and legislation. Here, you'll learn more about what's happening right now, and what it all really means.

Taxis vs. Uber and the Changing Landscape

Uber changed the way that people could find a ride from point A to point B. Simply by pulling our their smartphones, they could virtually hail themselves a cab, and know exactly how long it would be until it arrived. They could also pay through the app, eliminating the need to have cash or worry about calculating any tips.

UberX brought on the ability for essentially anyone with a vehicle to become an Uber ridesharing driver. They'd earn extra cash, whether it was their main source of income, or a part-time or temprorray gig, while riders would receive cheaper-than-taxicab rates.

Taxi cab companies have complained, in turn, that they have to deal with extra regulation, licensing fees, insurance requirements and much more, which leaves their traditional business model unfairly handicapped compared to the currently free-running ridesharing providers.

From the Washington, D.C. metro area to Portland, Oregon, down to Palm Beach County, Florida, and in many other places, there are ongoing fights for Uber usage. Taxicab companies and drivers, city, county and state governments, citizens, and the ridesharing companies themselves, are all battling for their interests.

Legislation

The state of California passed legislation in 2014, not in full effect until summer 2015, that requires ridesharing drivers to carry certain levels of commercial insurance. The specifics include $50,000 per injury up to $100,000, and up to $30,000 in property damage when the passenger is not in the vehicle, i.e., the driver is on the way to pick him or her up.

This represents a major change, but also reflects the likely truth of the situation, that both drivers and passengers have been more inadequately protected via insurance than they would have thought.

Still, the difference in how Uber views insurance, what it means for the driver, and how the law is beginning to define it, is very muchat odds and up in the air.

Once the passenger is actually in the car, ridesharing providers such as Uber increase the insurance they are providing up to $1 million. However, that period of time when the driver is en route to a passenger they are otherwise left with only their personal insurance.

Colorado is another state which has passed legislation for what is known as TNCs, or transportation network companies.

Other states are likely to pass their own legislation, and as already mentioned, this is an evolving landscape and it's rapidly changing.

Company Policies

Different ridesharing companies have different insurance coverage plans and policies. For instance, UberX breaks down theirs into three different statuses:

• When the Uber app is off, a driver is on his or her personal auto policy.
• When the Uber app is on, and they are logged on and available but without passenger, the driver is on his or her personal auto policy plus contingent liability coverage up to $50,000 per injury, $100,000 total, and with $25,000 property damage.
• During the trip, with the passenger in the car, Uber's commercial insurance coverage kicks in with $1 million for 3rd party liability, $1 million for underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage, and a contingent collision and comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible

You can find a state by state listing of certificates of insurance on their official website.

Questions to Ask

Still unsure of what you need, or how it affects you? Ask these questions and conduct some research:

• What are my state, local and county laws and regulations?
• What bills or legislation are currently being discussed?
• Does Uber or Lyft or any other company provide me with the insurance I'm required to have, or do I need my own commercial policy?
• What does your personal auto policy have to say about accidents as the driver or passenger of a ridesharing vehicle?

Other Unique Commercial Vehicles & Trends

When it comes to ridesharing companies, Uber is far from the only player in the game, even if they remain by far the most widely used. There are also direct competitors, and services such as Lyft, Sidecar and Wingz.

Then, you have ridesharing rentals such as Zipcar, which come with their own confusing insurance requirements and options. Zipcar drivers have found themselves in a similar struggle, not fully protected by the company's insurance, but with a personal policy which doesn't accurately or fully kick in, either.

Elsewhere, different commercial vehicles are also evolving. For instance, take the case of food trucks, which are now exceedingly popular all across the country. Food trucks have quite different needs than any other type of vehicle on the road, and specialty insurance packages need to be put together to cover those risks and the vehicle's usages.

For all of the above situations, and any new commercial vehicle or trend, it's of the utmost important to stay fully up to date and aware of any legislation and other requirements.

The best way to learn more is by speaking with an informed commercial auto insurance expert in your local area. Beyond that, if you have any other questions or comments, feel free to join the conversation below.