Get Comfortable With Your Truck

Many of today’s pool professionals are comfortable with the coverage their personal auto policy provides for their work truck. After an accident, far too often they find out that personal policy can lead to a nightmare.

I’ve come across many concerns when discussing commercial truck insurance with our members. The biggest is that commercial insurance on their everyday work truck is much more expensive than their current policy. Before the CPA came around, that was true in many cases. We’ve recently partnered with a handful of A Rated commercial auto companies to obtain sizable discounts for CPA members. These discounts are custom made just for you, they aren’t offered or available to the general public. I recently worked with a business owner that carried personal coverage through the company he’s had for years on his truck. He was shocked to see we could increase his liability from $500K to $1 million, add specialized coverage for his business needs and also bring his annual cost down from $1,400 + to $985 with a commercial policy. Now that’s comfortable!

We’ve made it simple to get a quote. I always enjoy speaking with our members so you can call me directly to discuss. Even easier if you don’t want to pick up the phone, just email me a declarations page of your current policy along with driver info like date of birth and license numbers. We’ll be able to get you priced through multiple carriers within a matter of hours.

Other than price, when considering your truck insurance here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Every personal auto policy comes standard with a business use exclusion. Most companies offer a business or artisan use endorsement to a personal policy for a slightly higher premium. These policies come with restrictions that limit the maximum stops per day, normally 3-5. For 99% of the pool techs out there, they’re on stop #5 before lunch time. There are also specific conditions limiting what is allowed for signage, racks, tool boxes and equipment carried. While each company’s specific requirements for business use vary, the bottom line is you may not fit the exact mold for what is required.
• Whether for tax purposes or otherwise there’s a lot of benefits to keep your truck in the business name. If your vehicle is registered in the name of the business, your insurance carrier considers that a commercial risk.
• Commercial policies have available coverage features not offered under a personal policy.
• Hired car coverage, for vehicles you rent during the course of business
• Non-Owned coverage, which covers you and your employees while driving vehicles you don’t own during the course of business
• Higher liability limits are offered than are normally offered on a personal policy
• Any auto liability, which extends liability coverage to any new vehicle you purchase
• Rental Car coverage with downtime to help cover the costs of a rental while your work vehicle is inoperable

The best reason to purchase a commercial policy for your work truck is simply this…get comfortable! If you file a claim on your personal policy, your company may deny the claim simply because the business use violates the terms of your policy. Why risk it? Avoid the dreaded words, “Sorry, your insurance won’t cover this” and check with us on a commercial truck quote today.

Pat Grignon
Vice President
Phone 916.503.6359