Commercial auto insurance in Florida steps in to protect a company’s vehicles and the people around them. Florida’s rules have some unique twists that every owner and operator should know.
Florida’s Baseline: The State Minimums You Must Carry
Florida requires specific minimum coverages on any vehicle registered in the state, including those used for business. The foundation is:
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP): $10,000, covering 80% of reasonable medical expenses up to the limit, regardless of fault.
- Property Damage Liability (PDL): $10,000, covering damage a driver causes to another’s property.
These are the legal floor for registration and must be kept active continuously while the vehicle is registered. Taxis and certain for‑hire vehicles carry far higher bodily injury requirements, reflecting passenger exposure.
For normal business autos, carriers and brokers often recommend higher limits. This is because commercial use typically involves more miles, heavier loads, and greater liability exposure than a family sedan.
What a Florida Commercial Auto Policy Typically Covers
Commercial auto is a package of coverages that addresses third-party liability, injuries, and damage to business vehicles, with add-ons that fit how a company actually operates.
- Bodily Injury Liability: Pays for injuries to others if a driver operating a business vehicle is at fault, plus legal defense up to limits.
- Property Damage Liability: Pays for damage to others’ property, from vehicles to buildings and fixed objects.
- Personal Injury Protection: Pays medical expenses for the driver and passengers up to $10,000 regardless of fault, consistent with Florida’s no-fault framework.
- Medical Payments: Optional added medical coverage that can supplement PIP for occupants of the insured vehicle.
- Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist: Protects the business and occupants if struck by a driver who lacks adequate insurance.
- Collision: Pays to repair or replace the business vehicle after a crash, regardless of who caused it.
- Comprehensive: Covers non-collision damage such as theft, vandalism, hail, or falling objects.
- Hired and Non-Owned Auto: Extends liability when employees rent vehicles or use their own cars for work tasks.
- Drive Other Car endorsement and similar extras can address executive or occasional use situations, depending on the carrier.
Carriers tailor these to vehicle type, radius, cargo, and driver mix, so two Florida businesses can have very different schedules under the same policy name.
Florida Nuances: No-Fault and Special Classes
Florida’s no-fault system is built around PIP. It pays its 80% share of reasonable and necessary medical bills up to $10,000 from the insured’s own policy before fault questions drive further liability claims.
This structure coexists with third-party claims when injuries and damages exceed PIP and PDL. Liability limits still matter for businesses that want to avoid paying out of pocket after a serious crash.
Some vehicle classes face heightened rules. Taxis must carry high bodily injury limits per person and per occurrence, plus higher PDL, reflecting passenger injury exposure. Heavy commercial motor vehicles also have statutory combined limits that scale with gross weight. Buses and autonomous vehicles operate under separate thresholds or retained minimums in state law and recent legislative analyses.
Who Actually Needs Commercial Auto Insurance in Florida
Any Florida business that owns, leases, rents, or uses vehicles for work needs a commercial insurance policy. Personal auto policies commonly exclude business use and lack the broader limit structure and endorsements for commercial risks.
Common examples include:
- Contractors, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers transporting tools or equipment to job sites.
- Delivery services, couriers, caterers, and food trucks moving goods or serving on location.
- Real estate, sales, and service teams driving to clients and appointments routinely.
- Companies that rent vans or cars for projects or have employees run errands in personal vehicles, which calls for hired and non-owned auto for liability protection.
- Transportation businesses like taxis or shuttle operators, which must comply with higher statutory limits.
Even occasional business use of a personal vehicle can run into an exclusion on a personal auto policy. This makes a commercial policy or, at minimum, a hired and non-owned auto endorsement a smart risk decision.
The Minimums Are Just a Start
Florida’s legal minimums keep a registration valid, but rarely match the losses seen in business crashes. Medical bills and vehicle repair costs climb quickly, and PIP’s $10,000 cap can be reached in a single ER visit with imaging and follow-up care.
Property damage from a low-speed fender bender can eclipse $10,000 when modern vehicles with sensors and cameras are involved, not to mention building or fixture strikes.
Stepping up liability limits and adding collision and comprehensive coverage helps protect the balance sheet when accidents go beyond bare minimums. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is especially valuable in a state where many drivers carry only minimum limits. This coverage helps pay for injuries to occupants of the business vehicle when an at-fault driver does not have adequate insurance.
Trucks and Higher Stakes
Commercial trucking adds another layer. Liability minimums scale with cargo class and can reach $750,000 for general freight, with higher limits for oil or hazardous materials. Interstate carriers must meet federal standards as well.
Florida trucks still carry the same PIP and PDL base but face additional financial responsibility rules due to the severity of large vehicle collisions. A trucking company’s policy looks very different from a handyman’s pickup, even though both are classified as commercial autos.
Common Scenarios That Trigger the Need for Coverage
- An employee takes a personal car to the bank for a deposit and rear-ends another driver. Hired and non-owned auto liability addresses the business’s exposure even though the car is not listed on the policy.
- A catering van is sideswiped and needs bodywork. Collision coverage on the commercial policy pays for repairs regardless of fault, subject to the deductible.
- A delivery driver is hit by an uninsured motorist, suffers injuries, and misses work. PIP pays its portion first, and uninsured motorist coverage can step in for remaining injury damages to occupants up to the policy’s UM limits.
- A storm knocks a branch onto a parked work truck, cracking the windshield and denting the hood. Comprehensive responds because the loss is non-collision.
These situations are everyday Florida business realities. They highlight why a policy tailored to actual usage patterns matters more than a one-size-fit selection.
How to Think About Limits and Options
Start with the legal must-haves, then model realistic loss scenarios. Consider the heaviest unit in the fleet, the most congested routes, and any passenger exposure to set liability limits. Add collision and comprehensive for vehicles, the business cannot afford to lose even for a week.
Use uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to protect the people inside business vehicles when the other party lacks adequate coverage. Attach hired and non-owned auto if employees ever run errands or if rentals enter the picture for seasonal or project work.
Insurers will also look at driver records, garaging, mileage, and vehicle types to price the policy, but the levers that change outcomes after a crash are limits and endorsements aligned with actual risk.
Protect Your Business on Florida Roads with GoldenTrust
GoldenTrust Insurance specializes in safeguarding Florida businesses from costly setbacks. From commercial auto to general liability, property, and workers’ compensation, our policies are built to keep your operations moving when challenges strike.
In addition, we provide auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and health insurance. With an A+ BBB rating and years of community trust, we help you find coverage that truly fits your business.
Have a single work van or a fleet of trucks? Our team takes the time to understand your needs and match you with the right protection. Call us today at (305) 901‑0601 or request a quote online. Let’s keep your business covered: mile after mile, job after job.