Business Insurance  /  Commercial Auto & Trucking

Commercial Auto & Trucking

Commercial Auto & Fleet
Insurance for Texas Businesses.

The moment a vehicle is used for business, personal auto insurance stops protecting you. We help business owners across Texas build commercial auto programs that actually cover what they need — one truck or an entire fleet.

Why Businesses Choose McKnight for Commercial Auto

Your vehicles are one of your biggest assets. Make sure they’re actually protected.

Commercial auto insurance is one of the most misunderstood coverages in small business. A lot of business owners assume their vehicles are covered — either because they have a personal policy or because they have a general liability policy. Neither covers your trucks, vans, or company vehicles when they’re being used for work. That gap shows up when you need it most: after an accident.

Our team comes from business ownership backgrounds in contracting, trucking, and the trades. We work with contractors, service companies, delivery operations, hotshot carriers, and any business running vehicles as part of how they operate — across Texas from DFW to Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and beyond. We build commercial auto programs that match how you actually run your business.

“Getting the right commercial auto coverage isn’t complicated — but it does require an agent who asks the right questions about how your business actually runs.”

Whether you have one work truck or a mixed fleet, whether your drivers are employees or owner-operators, whether you haul cargo or just move people and equipment — the coverage needs are specific and they matter. We get into the details so the right policy is in place before something happens, not after.

Fleets of all sizes, covered right
One truck or twenty — we build the right program and make sure every vehicle and driver is properly scheduled and covered.

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Same-day certificates of insurance
Need proof of commercial auto coverage to land a contract today? We turn certificates around same day, every time.

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Real people — actually reachable
When something happens on the road, you need answers fast. When you call McKnight, a person picks up — not a queue, not a chatbot.

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Real Risks. Real Scenarios.

The vehicle situations that catch business owners off guard.

These aren’t hypotheticals. These are the calls we get from business owners across Texas.

01
Personal auto denies a claim on a work vehicle
An employee has an accident on the way to a job site. Their personal insurance denies the claim because the vehicle was being used for business. Now your business is on the hook for damages, injuries, and legal exposure — without the coverage to handle it.

03
Cargo or materials lost with no coverage
Your business hauls materials or equipment for a client. Something is lost, stolen, or damaged in transit. Your commercial auto policy doesn’t cover what’s inside the vehicle — that requires separate cargo coverage. Without it, you’re replacing it out of your own pocket.

05
A serious accident that exceeds your limits
Commercial vehicles are involved in serious accidents. When damages — injuries, property, legal costs — exceed your primary liability limits, you’re personally responsible for the difference. An umbrella policy absorbs that excess and costs far less than most business owners expect.

02
An unlisted driver causes an accident
A driver not listed on your commercial policy gets into an accident in a company vehicle. Depending on how your policy is written, this can complicate or void the claim. Every driver on your payroll needs to be properly scheduled — not just assumed to be covered.

04
A rented or borrowed vehicle in an accident
An employee rents a vehicle for a business trip or borrows a truck to move equipment. If there’s an accident, your primary commercial auto may not extend to that vehicle. Hired and non-owned auto coverage fills this gap — and a lot of businesses don’t know they need it.

06
Fleet growth that outpaces your coverage
You started with two trucks and now you have eight. If your policy wasn’t updated along the way, some vehicles may not be properly covered. A policy written for a small operation doesn’t automatically stretch to cover a growing fleet.

Coverage Recommendations

A complete commercial auto insurance program — not just a policy.

Commercial auto for a business isn’t one policy — it’s a set of coverages that work together. Here’s how we build a program that covers your vehicles, your drivers, your cargo, and your liability on the road.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Covers liability, collision, and comprehensive for your business-owned vehicles. Required by Texas law for any vehicle used for business — personal auto won’t cover a work-related accident.

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Motor Truck Cargo Insurance

Covers freight, materials, or cargo your business hauls for clients against loss, theft, or damage in transit. Your commercial auto policy doesn’t cover what’s inside the vehicle.

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Hired & Non-Owned Auto

Covers your business liability when employees use rented or personal vehicles for work. More businesses need this than realize it — most find out when it’s too late.

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Trailer Interchange

Covers physical damage to trailers you don’t own while in your care, custody, and control. Without it, damage to a borrowed trailer comes directly out of your pocket.

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Physical Damage Coverage

Covers your vehicles from collision, fire, theft, and vandalism. Liability pays for what you do to others — physical damage pays to fix or replace your own vehicle after a covered loss.

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Auto Umbrella / Excess

When a vehicle accident exceeds your primary liability limits — and serious accidents often do — umbrella coverage absorbs the excess. An essential layer for any business running multiple vehicles.

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Common Mistakes We See

What your current vehicle coverage might be missing.

01
Relying on personal auto for business use
The most common and most dangerous mistake we see. The moment a vehicle is used for a business purpose, personal auto typically excludes coverage. An accident on the way to a job site is a business exposure — it needs commercial auto coverage.

03
Skipping cargo coverage because “we’re not a carrier”
Many businesses haul materials or client equipment without thinking of themselves as carriers. If something in your vehicle is lost or damaged and it belongs to a client, commercial auto won’t cover it. That requires separate cargo coverage.

05
Carrying limits that won’t hold up in a serious accident
State minimums rarely cover the real costs of a serious commercial vehicle accident. Medical costs, property damage, lost wages, and legal fees add up fast. We help you think through the right limits for your operation before you find out the hard way they weren’t enough.

02
Not scheduling every vehicle and driver
Every vehicle your business owns and every driver on your payroll needs to be properly listed. A vehicle or driver that isn’t scheduled can create serious coverage problems if they’re involved in an accident.

04
Not updating coverage as the fleet grows
Adding vehicles without updating your policy is one of the most common gaps we find. A policy built for three trucks doesn’t automatically extend to five. Every addition needs to be properly added — including new drivers.

06
No coverage for rented or employee-owned vehicles used for work
If an employee rents a vehicle or uses their personal truck for work and there’s an accident, your commercial auto may not respond. Hired and non-owned auto fills that gap — and most businesses don’t know they need it until it comes up.

FAQ

Questions business owners ask us about commercial auto.

Does my personal auto insurance cover my work truck?
In almost all cases, no — not when the vehicle is being used for work. Personal auto policies typically exclude business use. The moment you’re driving to a job site, hauling equipment, or carrying employees, you’re in business-use territory and a personal policy likely won’t cover an accident. If your truck is a business tool, it needs a commercial auto policy.
What’s the difference between commercial auto and general liability?
They cover different things and most businesses need both. General liability covers third-party claims from your business operations — on a job site or at a client’s property. Commercial auto covers incidents involving your vehicles on the road. Your GL does not cover vehicle accidents, and your commercial auto does not cover your general business operations. Both belong in a complete program.
Do I need commercial auto if my employees use their own vehicles for work?
The coverage you need is called hired and non-owned auto. If an employee uses their personal vehicle for a business errand and causes an accident, their personal insurer may deny the claim as business use — and the liability can flow back to your business. Hired and non-owned auto protects you from that exposure and is separate from standard commercial auto coverage.
What does commercial auto actually cover?
A commercial auto policy typically includes liability coverage for injuries and property damage you cause to others, collision coverage for damage to your vehicle from an accident, and comprehensive coverage for theft, fire, weather, and vandalism. What it doesn’t cover: cargo inside the vehicle, trailers you don’t own, or vehicles not listed on the policy. Those require separate coverages — which is why we look at the full picture when building your program.
How do I insure a mixed fleet of trucks, vans, and trailers?
Mixed fleets are very common for the businesses we work with — contractors, service companies, delivery operations. Every vehicle type has its own coverage considerations, and trailers are often handled separately from the tow vehicles. We schedule each vehicle properly, make sure the right coverages apply, and build the program so nothing is left unprotected. This is exactly the kind of situation that benefits from having an agent who gets into the details rather than running a quote online.
Does commercial auto cover cargo or materials in my truck?
No — commercial auto covers the vehicle, not what’s inside it. If you’re hauling materials or goods that belong to a client and they’re damaged or stolen during transport, your commercial auto won’t cover that loss. Motor truck cargo insurance covers freight in transit. If you regularly move goods or materials for clients, this is a coverage worth having and one many businesses overlook until they have a loss.
What liability limits should I carry on my commercial vehicles?
The right limits depend on your vehicle type, how your fleet is used, and what your contracts or clients require. Texas state minimums were set decades ago and rarely cover the real costs of a serious commercial vehicle accident today. Many contracts and job sites require $1M in liability minimum. We’ll talk through your operation and help you land on limits that make sense for your exposure — not just what’s legally required.
What happens when I add a new vehicle or driver to my fleet?
New vehicles and drivers need to be added to your policy — they don’t automatically become covered just because you own the truck or hired the person. Call us when you add a vehicle or bring on a new driver and we’ll get them scheduled properly. An unlisted vehicle or driver in an accident is one of the most common coverage problems we see in businesses that have grown quickly without keeping their policy current.

Get Started

Let’s make sure your vehicles — and your business — are actually covered.

Whether you have one work truck or a full fleet, we’ll take the time to understand how your business operates and build a commercial auto program that covers what matters. No pressure. No jargon. Just straight answers.

Serving businesses across Texas  ·  Same-day certificates available  ·  In-person appointments welcome