Commercial auto for HVAC contractors.

A work van usually cannot stay on a personal auto policy. Personal policies typically exclude business use beyond commuting, and a van titled to the business often cannot be written on one at all. A tech driving the company van to a service call and rear-ending someone is a business claim, and a personal carrier may deny it after the fact. What changes the answer is who holds the title and how the vehicle is used, so a sole proprietor’s pickup used mostly for personal errands is the gray area worth a conversation.

The unit in the back of the truck is usually not covered by the commercial auto policy, even when the truck is. Auto liability answers for the damage the truck does to others, and physical damage answers for the truck itself; the condenser riding in the box is cargo, and cargo generally sits on a tools and equipment policy, sometimes called inland marine, or on an installation floater between the supply house and the customer’s acceptance. What changes the answer is whether the unit is listed with a value on one of those policies, so we put it there before the first delivery rather than after the first claim.

Hired and non-owned coverage is the part of a commercial auto policy that responds when the business is blamed for a crash in a vehicle it does not own. Hired means rented or borrowed, like the flatbed for a rooftop unit. Non-owned means a helper’s own pickup used for work. When the helper hits someone on the way to the job, his personal policy is first in line and the business can still be sued, and this coverage answers for the business. It does not repair his truck. What changes the answer is whether the endorsement is on your policy at all, because it is not automatic.

The crane that sets a rooftop unit is generally not covered under your auto policy. When you hire a crane company with an operator, their auto and liability policies respond for the crane, the operator, and the lift, and your job is to collect their certificate before the pick. When you rent a crane and run it yourself, hired auto liability may respond for the business while the crane itself needs hired physical damage or the rental company’s waiver. What changes the answer is who owns and operates the crane, so we read the rental agreement and the crane company’s certificate before the unit leaves the ground.

Adding a van mid-year means the vehicle goes onto the schedule and the premium adjusts for the rest of the term. Most carriers give a short window for newly acquired vehicles, but a van that is on the road for weeks before anyone tells the carrier is the gap that shows up after a crash. Tell us before it goes on the road, not after, and we add it the day it is bought. What changes the answer is your policy’s newly acquired vehicle wording and whether physical damage is carried on the rest of the fleet.

A driver’s record changes the price, because carriers rate the listed drivers and pull their motor vehicle records. A new hire with a poor record can move the premium for the whole fleet, and we tell you before you list them rather than after the renewal comes in. What changes the answer is the carrier’s form and your state, since some policies cover any permitted driver and others only the names on the schedule, and how many drivers share how many vans in the busy season.