Business Insurance  /  Commercial Auto

Commercial Coverage

Commercial Auto Insurance
for Texas Businesses.

The moment a vehicle is used for business, personal auto insurance stops protecting you. Texas law requires commercial auto coverage for business-owned vehicles — and one accident without it can cost far more than the policy ever would have. We make sure your vehicles are covered right.

What Is Commercial Auto Insurance

Your business vehicles need coverage built for business use.

Commercial auto insurance covers business-owned vehicles and the liability that comes with using them for work. A personal auto policy excludes business use — the moment a vehicle is driven to a job site, used to haul equipment, or operated by an employee on company time, a personal policy won’t cover an accident. Texas law requires commercial auto coverage for any vehicle registered to a business.

Commercial auto isn’t just for trucking companies or contractors with fleets. It’s for any business that owns, leases, or regularly uses vehicles for work — a single service van, a company pickup, or a fleet of delivery trucks all have the same basic requirement. The coverage is what protects you, your drivers, and your business from the financial consequences of an accident on the road.

“Personal auto doesn’t cover work. That’s not a technicality — it’s an explicit exclusion that shows up every time a business vehicle is in an accident without commercial coverage in place.”

What commercial auto covers:

  • Liability — bodily injury and property damage you cause to others in an accident with a covered vehicle
  • Collision — damage to your vehicle from an accident, regardless of fault
  • Comprehensive — damage from theft, fire, vandalism, weather, and other non-collision events
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist — protects you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough
  • Medical payments — covers medical costs for you and passengers after an accident regardless of fault
  • Hired & non-owned auto — covers liability when employees use rented or personal vehicles for business

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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Real Risks. Real Scenarios.

What happens when business vehicles aren’t properly covered.

These are the situations that turn a fender bender into a financial crisis for businesses without the right coverage.

01
Personal auto denies a claim on a work vehicle
An employee has an accident in a company vehicle on the way to a job. Their personal insurer denies the claim because the vehicle was being used for business. Without commercial auto, your business is now personally liable for the damages, injuries, and legal costs — with no coverage to respond.

03
An employee uses their own vehicle for work and causes an accident
An employee uses their personal truck to pick up supplies for a job, gets into an accident, and their personal insurer denies the claim as business use. Without hired and non-owned auto coverage, the liability flows back to your business. Most business owners don’t know this exposure exists until it comes up.

05
A new vehicle isn’t added to the policy
A business adds a second truck mid-year and starts using it immediately without notifying the insurance company. That vehicle isn’t on the policy. When it’s in an accident, the claim is disputed and potentially denied. Every new vehicle needs to be added to the policy before it starts operating.

02
An unlisted driver causes an accident
A new hire or seasonal employee drives a company vehicle and gets into an accident before being added to the policy. An unlisted driver in an accident creates coverage questions you don’t want to be answering after the fact. Every driver needs to be properly scheduled — not assumed to be covered.

04
A serious accident exceeds your liability limits
A commercial vehicle accident causes serious injuries and property damage that exceeds your primary liability limits. Without adequate limits or an umbrella policy, your business is personally responsible for the difference. Commercial vehicle accidents can generate large claims — limits set at the legal minimum often aren’t adequate.

06
A vehicle is stolen and there’s no comprehensive coverage
A company truck is stolen from a job site or parking lot overnight. Without comprehensive coverage, there’s no insurance payment to replace it. The vehicle was insured for liability — but nothing to cover loss of the vehicle itself. A business that depends on its vehicles can’t afford to self-insure that risk.

Who Needs Commercial Auto

Any business that uses vehicles for work needs commercial coverage — regardless of fleet size.

Contractors & Trades

Work trucks, vans, and trailers used to haul equipment and get to job sites are business vehicles. One accident without commercial auto creates personal liability that can follow you beyond the business.

Service Businesses

A single service van driven by an employee to a client’s home is a business vehicle. If there’s an accident on the way to or from a job, personal auto will not cover it.

Delivery & Distribution

Any business making deliveries — products, food, materials — needs commercial auto for every vehicle used in those operations, whether owned by the business or driven by employees.

Restaurants & Catering

Catering vehicles, delivery trucks, and vans used to transport food or equipment are business vehicles that need commercial coverage regardless of whether they’re used full-time.

Sales & Client-Facing Teams

Employees who drive their own vehicles to client meetings or sales calls create a hired and non-owned auto exposure for your business. Your commercial auto program should address this.

Any Business With a Vehicle

If your business owns, leases, or regularly uses any vehicle for work — even one — you need commercial auto. It’s required by Texas law and by most commercial leases and contracts.

Why Get Your Commercial Auto Through McKnight

The right policy covers your vehicles, your drivers, and your exposure — not just the legal minimum.

Commercial auto is required by Texas law, but the minimum required is rarely adequate for a business that depends on its vehicles. We look at your full fleet — how many vehicles, what types, who drives them, what they’re used for, and where they operate — and build a program that covers the actual exposure, not just what checks the legal box.

We work with contractors running a single work truck, service businesses with a fleet of vans, delivery operations, and mixed fleets of all sizes across Texas. Our team comes from business ownership backgrounds in the trades and commercial operations — we understand that a vehicle going down or being in an accident without the right coverage isn’t just a claims problem, it’s an operational problem.

As an independent agency working with 100+ carriers, we shop the market to find the right program for your fleet size, vehicle types, driving history, and industry. Commercial auto rates vary significantly by carrier — we find the right combination of price and coverage for your specific situation.

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

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Every vehicle and driver properly scheduled
We make sure your entire fleet is correctly listed and every driver is scheduled — so coverage isn’t in question if something happens.

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Hired & non-owned auto addressed
If employees use their own vehicles or rental vehicles for work, we make sure that exposure is covered — not left as a gap in your program.

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FAQ

Commercial auto questions we hear all the time.

Does personal auto insurance cover my vehicle when I use it for work?
In almost all cases, no. Personal auto policies contain a business use exclusion — meaning any accident that occurs while the vehicle is being used for a business purpose is excluded from coverage. This applies to your own vehicle and to employees using their personal vehicles for work. The moment the vehicle is on the way to a job site, hauling equipment, or being used for any business task, a personal policy likely won’t cover an accident. Commercial auto is the coverage required for business use.
What does commercial auto insurance actually cover?
A commercial auto policy covers liability (bodily injury and property damage you cause to others in an accident), collision (damage to your vehicle from an accident), and comprehensive (theft, fire, vandalism, weather). You can also add uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and medical payments. What it doesn’t automatically cover: equipment or cargo inside the vehicle, trailers you don’t own, and vehicles or drivers not listed on the policy. Those require separate coverages or endorsements, which we address when building your program.
What is hired and non-owned auto coverage?
Hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) covers your business liability when employees use vehicles that your business doesn’t own — their personal vehicles or rented vehicles — for business purposes. If an employee drives their own truck to pick up materials for a job and gets into an accident, their personal insurer may deny the claim as business use. The liability flows back to your business. HNOA is the coverage that protects you from that exposure. It’s typically a relatively low-cost addition to your commercial auto program, and most businesses that have employees driving for work need it.
How much commercial auto coverage do I need in Texas?
Texas requires a minimum of $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage on commercial vehicles — but these minimums were set decades ago and rarely cover the real costs of a serious accident. Many commercial contracts, job sites, and client agreements require $1M in combined single limit liability. We help you set limits that reflect the realistic scope of a claim against your operation — not just what’s legally required to stay on the road.
Do all my drivers need to be listed on my commercial auto policy?
Yes — every driver who operates a business vehicle should be properly listed on your policy. An unlisted driver in an accident creates a coverage dispute that you don’t want to be navigating after an incident. Some policies cover occasional unlisted drivers under certain conditions, but relying on that creates risk. We make sure every regular driver is scheduled, and we advise on the process for adding new drivers as your team grows.
Does commercial auto cover what’s inside my vehicle — tools, equipment, cargo?
No — commercial auto covers the vehicle itself, not what’s inside it. Tools, equipment, materials, and cargo in a business vehicle are not covered by commercial auto. Those items require separate coverage — typically an inland marine or tools and equipment policy. This is one of the most common coverage gaps we find in businesses that depend on their vehicles. If your truck or van is stolen along with everything in it, commercial auto pays for the vehicle; inland marine pays for the contents.
Can I get a certificate of insurance the same day?
Yes — same-day certificates are standard for us. Whether you need proof of commercial auto to land a job, meet a contract requirement, or get on a job site today, call us and we handle it quickly.

Get Started

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

One truck or a full fleet — we’ll build a commercial auto program that covers your vehicles, your drivers, and the exposure that comes with operating them. No pressure. No jargon. Just straight answers.

Serving Texas businesses across DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin  ·  Same-day certificates available