Commercial Auto Insurance

As a business owner, you need the same kinds of insurance coverages for the car you use in your business as you do for a car used for personal travel -- liability, collision and comprehensive, medical payments (known as personal injury protection in some states) and coverage for uninsured motorists. In fact, many business people use the same vehicle for both business and pleasure. If the vehicle is owned by the business, make sure the name of the business appears on the policy as the "principal insured" rather than your name. This will avoid possible confusion in the event that you need to file a claim or a claim is filed against you.

Whether you need to buy a business auto insurance policy will depend on the kind of driving you do. A good insurance agent will ask you many details about how you use vehicles in your business, who will be driving them and whether employees, if you have them, are likely to be driving their own cars for your business.

While the major coverages are the same, a business auto policy differs from a personal auto policy in many technical respects. Ask your insurance agent to explain all the differences and options.

What is commercial umbrella insurance?

Savvy business owners consider several different commercial insurance policies to protect their businesses. But, what do you do if something happens that results in higher bills than what your current policy covers? Commercial umbrella insurance can come to the rescue under such circumstances.

What are the benefits of commercial umbrella insurance?

Once your claim reaches your policy’s limits, your umbrella insurance helps cover the rest. Think of this policy as a literal umbrella perched above your underlying policies to add an extra layer of protection.

For example, say you have $1 million in coverage from your standard business insurance policies. If you face a legal settlement of $1.5 million, an umbrella policy will cover the additional $500,000.

We live in a litigious society. Lawsuits can cost a business millions. This coverage is a prudent decision to protect you against possible lawsuits. The high costs of a lawsuit can catch a business off-guard. But, umbrella insurance can keep you from permanently closing your doors.

If you want higher policy limits, umbrella insurance is an affordable way to get them. This is because you don’t have to raise the limits on your other individual policies. It is important to know that umbrella insurance will not extend coverage limits on errors and omissions or professional liability policies.

Learn more about umbrella insurance

Want to learn more about how commercial umbrella insurance can protect your business? We can help. Contact us today.