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The best policies for businesses, delivery services, fleet owners, and employers
Progressive has served more commercial auto insurance customers than any other provider in the country. In 2019, SNL Financial named Progressive as the number one commercial truck insurer in the country.
If you’re looking for commercial auto insurance, Nationwide will have the coverage you need for your business. It serves half a million businesses all over the U.S. and covers a variety of vehicle types, including fleet coverage, delivery service vehicles, and rentals.
Whether for direct store delivery, landscaping, fleets, or large-scale construction, businesses all across the U.S. use commercial auto insurance to keep their businesses, employees, and vehicles protected. Commercial auto insurance provides you with coverage for any car accidents or damages incurred during business-related activities. It’s necessary because even if you’re using a personal vehicle, your personal auto insurance plan will not cover you or your employees during business operations.
With so many different types of businesses and commercial auto insurance options, it’s hard to know which provider to go with. That’s why we’re here. Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the best commercial auto insurance providers and their plans.
Best Overall Commercial Auto Insurance: Progressive
Best Commercial Auto Insurance for Fleets: Nationwide
Best Commercial Auto Insurance for Large Businesses: The Hartford
Best Commercial Auto Insurance for Contractors: Farmers
Best Commercial Auto Insurance for the Public Sector: Travelers
Insurance company | Average annual rates for drivers | Bundling discounts (multi policy) | Safe driver discount | Umbrella Insurance | J.D. Power overall customer satisfaction index (out of 1,000)1
Review |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Progressive | $1,508 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 859 | Progressive review |
Nationwide | $1,614 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 858 | Nationwide review |
The Hartford | $1,520 | Yes | No | Yes | 889 | Coming soon |
Farmers | $1,878 | Yes | N/A | Yes | 862 | Coming soon |
Travelers | $1,620 | Yes | No | Yes | 853 | Travelers review |
Progressive writes more commercial auto insurance premiums than any other provider in the country, offers a long list of discounts, and is highly rated for customer satisfaction and customer service. It also has some of the most flexible coverage options, including protection for a wide range of vehicle types and customizable plans that fit a variety of business needs.
Progressive offers a number of discounts that may apply to you and your business. Discounts for commercial auto insurance, similar to those for personal auto insurance, differ from state to state and business to business, so speak with an agent to see if any of the following discounts apply to you:
Snapshot ProView programs help you save by allowing Progressive to track your driving habits, routes, and other data points. The Snapshot ProView works the same way it would with personal insurance. Download the app (or plug in the device), start driving, and earn savings while the app tracks your habits. However, poor driving habits like speeding or slamming the brakes could increase your premiums, so sign up with caution.
New Progressive commercial truck customers can save an average of $1,106 with the Smart Haul Program. Every commercial truck and bus owner is required to install an electronic logging device that tracks metrics like your location, identification, route, and vehicle miles. If you allow Progressive to gather data from your device, you’ll earn some big savings.
Progressive is one of the most recognized commercial auto insurance businesses for its customer service ratings, national availability, and financial strength. It was awarded the number one spot on S&P Financial’s top truck insurance providers in 2019. And in 2022, AM Best gave Progressive an A+ rating (Superior) for financial strength, which is the second-highest rating an insurance company can receive.
Nationwide is a reputable and reliable provider of both personal and commercial auto insurance. With several tracking app functions, discounts, and safety features geared toward delivery trucks and vans, Nationwide is a great option for small businesses and direct store delivery owners with fleets. You’ll also get all the basic commercial protections (such as liability, collision, comprehensive, and uninsured motorist) and a number of add-ons for other commercial vehicle types.
If you own a fleet of vehicles for delivery or other services, you can sign up for Nationwide’s free telematics program, Vantage 360 Fleet. Vantage 360 Fleet allows you to track your drivers and alter schedules based on their locations and vehicle statuses. Nationwide incentivizes the program for both you and your drivers. You can earn up to 10 percent off your commercial auto policy with Vintage 360 Fleet, and your drivers can earn points for safe driving habits that they can redeem for gift cards.
Vantage 360 Fleet also helps reduce your claims and accidents rate. Seventy-four percent of drivers who used smartphone telematics apps had nearly 50 percent fewer claims and the claims they did make were less severe, making the program a win-win for everyone involved.2
FYI:
According to a 2022 GPS Insight Fleet Safety Report, fleet drivers get into an average of 4.5 accidents per year. Fleet drivers were at fault in more than 33 percent of those accidents.3
Commercial auto insurance coverage protects you from many of the same events as personal insurance. An extensive plan will provide you with liability, comprehensive, collision, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. On top of that, Nationwide also offers the following additional commercial coverage types:
Filing claims quickly is especially important for business owners who rely on their vehicles or fleets to keep their businesses running efficiently. Nationwide’s On Your Side Claims Service provides you with written guarantees on your repairs and a choice of qualified repair shops.
Like warranties, written guarantees can be huge benefits to business owners because they ensure a mechanic will repair or replace your vehicle within a specific period of time. The On Your Side Auto Repair Network includes repair shops that Nationwide has pre-screened and pre-qualified so you don’t have to worry about the quality or trustworthiness of your mechanic.
The Hartford, which started as a fire insurance company, has been providing insurance for over 200 years. It specializes in commercial auto insurance for large businesses, including construction, professional services, energy, wholesale distribution, and manufacturing. If you’re a large business owner with employees in and outside the U.S., The Hartford could be the best option for you.
If you have a fleet, manufacturing warehouse, distribution center, or other business operation overseas, you can benefit from The Hartford’s international coverage. With The Hartford’s commercial auto insurance for large business plans, you get worldwide liability coverage for drivers that goes beyond passenger cars. Your plan will cover truck drivers, delivery services, construction vehicles, and other vehicles in and out of the U.S. The Hartford also has a multinational claims number so you can speak to a representative for your international claims, 24/7.
Company-vehicle accidents can be a huge stressor for employers. They slow your business down, upset customers/clients, and are often expensive. The Hartford has three coverage add-ons that help speed your claims process and mitigate the losses to your business.
SURPRISING STATISTIC
Vehicle breakdowns cost the U.S. economy more than $41 billion dollars per year. Businesses lose productivity from repair wait-times and traffic delays equivalent to 30 million employee workdays per year.4
J.D. Power awarded The Hartford with the highest overall customer satisfaction (889) among both midsize and large insurance providers. J.D. Power also gave it the highest ratings for insurance claims satisfaction based on responses from nearly 6,000 customers who filed claims within between April and December 2021.
The Hartford has several customer service numbers for specific claims, like a multinational line, windshield/glass-only claims, and catastrophe prep and support services (storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other events that might affect truck routes), which are all relevant to fleets and truck drivers. Whether you need to file a claim, prepare for an incoming natural disaster, or find a qualified repair shop, The Hartford’s representatives will be there to guide you through the process.
Farmers has all the basic coverage you’d want from a commercial auto insurance provider, but it also offers some specialized options for contractors like ice cream truck drivers and construction companies. With 90 years of experience, Farmers is a great option for businesses and contractors looking to cover their vehicles.
Farmers caters to contractors who rely on expensive equipment to run their businesses. If you’re in construction, the food industry, or another service that requires you to carry equipment in your vehicle, Farmers can help you attain customized coverage that extends to your business related tools/equipment.
You can also sign up for primary and noncontributory coverage as a subcontractor. This type of coverage will pay for damages that you cause so the main contractor doesn’t have to. Non-contributory is important when there are several parties involved — like an owner, contractor, and subcontractor — and you want to ensure you have protection for any damages that you are responsible for.
Farmers designed coverage specifically for food trucks, which have some unique needs when it comes to commercial auto insurance. As a food truck driver, you have to worry about thefts and damages, the chance of your customers getting food poisoning, costly equipment malfunctions, and incurring income losses because your truck broke down.
Farmers helps mitigate these risk with the following food truck coverage features:
DID YOU KNOW?
In a Boston-centered food truck study, nine of 96 food trucks were closed down after on-the-spot inspectors found food safety hazards. Although your provider won’t reimburse you for lost revenue due to a health inspection shutdown, quick claims on refrigeration and food storing equipment repairs can help prevent spoilage and foodborne illness.
Farmers has a new and redesigned mobile app that will make managing your commercial auto insurance a lot more convenient. The new design has a sleek look and an easy-to-navigate menu page that lets you access your bills, payment options, policy documents, ID cards, claims requests, roadside assistance, and customer service agents.
We wanted to test the app’s advanced audio features, so we synced the app with Siri and tried to pay a claim. The process was as simple as asking Siri to pay a bill, answering Siri’s questions (when and how much we wanted to pay), and confirming the amount. That’s it.
We were also able to sync Alexa to the Farmers app for our non-iOS users. If you’re seeking a mobile- and tech-friendly insurance platform, Farmers won’t disappoint.
Travelers offers both general and specialized commercial auto insurance plans for businesses and the public sector, including commercial trucking insurance, public sector insurance, and oil and gas insurance. You can get coverage for fleets, public sector municipalities (law enforcement, emergency services, etc.), and mobile equipment for oil and gas companies.
If you’re part of the public sector and are looking for solid coverage for vehicles, Travelers has a wide selection of coverage options. Travelers provides plans for the following public sector vehicles and equipment:
Travelers also offers specialized risk control services to help you navigate challenging insurance-related situations when a regular insurance agent doesn’t know the answer. Navigating a claim for a fleet, delivery service, or police car can have very different procedures and technicalities, so you can rest easy knowing a specialized Travelers risk control agent is ready to assist you when you need it.
Northland, a division of Travelers, has been offering services to trucks and fleets for over 70 years. Whether you own a couple of trucks or a fleet of vehicles, Travelers has customizable plans for both small and large businesses. You can also benefit from Travelers’ fleet assistance programs like Fleet Safety TravSources, a one-stop shop with helpful informative resources, program guides, fleet safety checklists, and technical bulletins.
You can also access an interactive, web-based self assessment to help you find eligible fleet safety programs that fit your company’s qualifications. You’ll be able to access online safety programs and training classes for your pickup drivers, large-passenger van drivers, and medium to heavy trucks.
Travelers offers industry-specific coverage for owners in the oil and gas industry. With more than 20 years in the industry and a team of risk control professionals who focus exclusively on oil and gas claims, Travelers has established itself as a leader in the industry. Businesses owners can benefit from a combination of specialized coverage to meet the unique needs of their businesses, including coverage for the following items:
According to Progressive, the average cost of commercial auto insurance is $187 a month, or $2,224 annually. However, these numbers depend on your business type and insurance needs, so ask for a quote based on the coverage you need for your business.
You might need commercial auto insurance if you conduct services with your vehicles, transport goods or people in your vehicle for a price, carry expensive equipment or tools in a vehicle for business purposes, or operate a vehicle as an employee for business-related purposes.
Personal auto insurance plans cover you and your vehicle for personal usage, and commercial auto insurance plans cover all business vehicles and employees who drive vehicles for business purposes.
Commercial auto insurance plans tend to be more expensive than personal plans because commercial plans generally have higher coverage limits. Additionally, commercial vehicles typically carry more equipment or involve large trucks/fleets of trucks, which require more coverage.
Auto Insurance Rate Hikes Erode Price Satisfaction, Drive Surge in Value Shopping, J.D. Power Finds. J.D Power. (2022).
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-us-insurance-shopping-study
Nationwide Vantage 360 Fleet offers a simple view of your fleet and your drivers. Nationwide. (2022).
https://www.nationwide.com/business/insurance/telematics/vantage360fleet
GPS Insight 2022 Fleet Safety Report. GPS Insight. (2022).
https://www.gpsinsight.com/premium/2022-fleet-safety-report/
VEHICLE BREAKDOWNS COST US ECONOMY $41B PER YEAR. Agero. (2019).
https://blog.agero.com/vehicle-breakdowns-cost-us-economy-41b-per-year