Question 1

Why can't I use my personal auto policy for business driving?

Accepted Answer

Your personal auto insurance generally will not cover accidents that happen while you are driving for business, because personal policies specifically exclude most business use. If you use your own car for work beyond a normal commute and have an accident, your insurer can deny the claim, leaving you to pay for the damage and any injuries yourself. The reason comes down to risk. A personal policy is priced for personal driving, like commuting, errands, and weekend trips. Business driving usually means more time on the road, more miles, tighter schedules, and sometimes carrying goods or passengers for pay. That is a higher and different risk than the insurer agreed to cover, so the policy carves it out with a business use exclusion. What counts as business use is broader than many people think. Making deliveries, driving to multiple job sites, hauling tools and equipment, transporting clients, or using your car for rideshare or delivery apps can all trigger the exclusion. A simple daily commute to one regular workplace is usually fine, but the moment driving becomes part of how you earn money, you are likely in business use territory. Here is a real example. You run a small flooring business and use your pickup to carry materials between job sites in Cobb County. You rear end another vehicle, causing $35,000 in damages and injuries. Because you were driving for business, your personal auto insurer denies the claim. You are now personally responsible for the full $35,000, plus the repairs to your own truck. Commercial auto insurance closes this gap, which is built for exactly this kind of driving. It covers vehicles used for business, often provides higher liability limits suited to business risk, and can cover employees who drive for you. If your business owns the vehicle or uses it regularly for work, commercial auto is the correct policy. Driving for business on a personal policy is one of the most common and costly coverage gaps we see. We can review how you actually use your vehicles and recommend the right coverage in a free coverage review before a denied claim catches you off guard.

Question 2

What is hired and non-owned auto coverage?

Accepted Answer

Hired and non-owned auto coverage protects your business when someone drives a vehicle for work that your company does not own. "Hired" means vehicles you rent or lease, like a moving truck for a job. "Non-owned" means personal cars that owners or employees use for business errands, such as a staffer driving their own car to the bank or to a client meeting. This coverage matters because a standard commercial auto policy only covers vehicles you own and list. It also matters because a personal auto policy can deny a claim once the insurer learns the car was being used for business. That gap leaves your company exposed to the liability, meaning the cost of injuries or damage you cause to others. Hired and non-owned coverage usually pays only for liability, not for damage to the borrowed or rented vehicle itself, so check that detail when you renew a rental. It is often inexpensive and can be added to a business owners policy or general liability program. For example, a Savannah catering employee runs to a supplier in her own car, rear-ends another driver, and causes $40,000 in injuries. Her personal insurer denies the claim because she was working. With hired and non-owned auto coverage in place, the business policy responds and pays the claim instead of the owner. If anyone ever drives for your business, this is worth confirming. Ask us for a free coverage review at our coverage review page.

Question 3

Does commercial auto cover cargo I am hauling for a client?

Accepted Answer

No, a standard commercial auto policy does not cover the cargo you are hauling for a client. Commercial auto mainly covers your liability for injuries and property damage you cause to others, plus physical damage to your own vehicle if you carry that. The freight sitting in the truck is treated as separate property and needs its own protection, usually called motor truck cargo coverage. Motor truck cargo insurance pays when goods you are transporting are lost, stolen, or damaged in a covered event, such as a wreck, fire, or theft. Limits are set based on the value of what you typically haul, and the policy lists exclusions, meaning situations it will not pay for, like certain unsecured loads or specific high-value items. This gap surprises many Georgia owner-operators. The client often requires proof of cargo coverage before you can pick up a load, and your contract may make you responsible for the full value of the goods. For example, an Atlanta courier hauling $25,000 of electronics is rear-ended on I-285 and the product is destroyed. The commercial auto policy pays for the truck repairs and the injuries, but it pays nothing for the ruined electronics. A motor truck cargo policy with a $50,000 limit would have covered that loss. If you move goods for others, you likely need both pieces in place. We can review your trucking coverage and quote the cargo limit you need with a free coverage review at our coverage review page.

Question 4

What are Georgia's commercial auto insurance minimums?

Accepted Answer

Georgia requires every registered commercial vehicle to carry at least the state's minimum liability insurance, which mirrors the personal auto minimums: 25/50/25. That means at least $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. These are the floor, not a recommendation, and for a business they are usually far too low. Each figure caps a different part of a claim: $25,000 bodily injury per person: The most paid for one injured person's injuries. $50,000 bodily injury per accident: The most paid for all injuries in one accident combined. $25,000 property damage: The most paid for damage to other people's property, such as their vehicle. The problem is that real accidents often cost far more. If one of your work trucks injures someone seriously, medical bills and a lawsuit can run into the hundreds of thousands. Anything above your limit comes out of the business, putting your company's assets at risk. That is why most Georgia businesses carry much higher limits, often a single combined limit of $500,000 or $1,000,000. For example, say your delivery van rear-ends a car and injures the driver, with medical and legal costs totaling $180,000. With only the state minimum, your policy pays $25,000 and your business owes the remaining $155,000. With a $1,000,000 limit, the policy covers it. Note that certain vehicles, such as some for-hire and interstate operations, face higher federally mandated minimums. To set the right commercial auto limits for your Georgia business, request a free coverage review.

Question 5

What is hired and non-owned auto and does my Georgia business need it?

Accepted Answer

Hired and non-owned auto coverage, often shortened to HNOA, protects your Georgia business when an employee drives a vehicle for work that your company does not own. Most small businesses do need it, because the gap it fills is easy to overlook until a claim hits. The coverage has two parts. "Hired auto" applies to vehicles your business rents, leases, or borrows, such as a rental truck you pick up for a job. "Non-owned auto" applies to personal vehicles employees use for business errands, like an employee running to the bank, picking up supplies, or driving to a client meeting in their own car. Here is why this matters. If your employee causes a serious crash while running a work errand in their personal car, the injured party can sue your business. The employee's personal auto policy may pay first, but personal limits are often low and personal insurers sometimes deny claims that happen during business use. Your company is then exposed for the rest. Example: a Georgia marketing firm sends an employee to drop off materials at a client site in her own sedan. She runs a red light and injures another driver, who racks up $180,000 in medical bills and sues the firm. Her personal policy pays its $50,000 limit, leaving $130,000 the business must cover. With HNOA tied to a $1 million liability limit, that gap is covered. Almost any Georgia business with employees who drive for work, even occasionally, should carry HNOA. It is inexpensive and is frequently added to a business owners policy or general liability policy. Learn more about commercial auto insurance or pair it with a business owners policy. To see whether your current coverage closes this gap, request a free coverage review.

Commercial auto insurance covers vehicles your business owns, leases, or uses for work.

What commercial auto covers.

Liability coverage

Physical damage

Hired and non-owned auto

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

What commercial auto does not cover.

Personal use exclusions

Cargo and goods in transit

Specialized equipment on the vehicle

Driver MVR violations and class restrictions

Who needs Commercial Auto Insurance.

What you can expect to pay.

Claims tips

Carriers We Work With

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Berkley Aspire Insurance

Hanover Commercial Insurance

Liberty Mutual Commercial

Next Insurance

Progressive Commercial Insurance

The Hartford Commercial Insurance

Travelers Commercial Insurance

Georgia commercial auto: MCS-90 for trucking, Progressive leads pricing

If you have a claim in Georgia

Common Commercial Auto Insurance Questions

Commercial Auto Insurance: frequently asked questions

Driving for work on a personal auto policy?