Tag: general liability

The Key Differences Between General Liability Insurance and Truck Liability Insurance Coverage

Bob Holtzman

General liability insurance and specialized commercial truck insurance may sound like they are one and the same, or interchangeable, but there are some key differences that can be addressed to clear up confusion. The main thing to know is that a general liability policy  is not be enough to cover a trucking operation that wants to protect their company from costly bills and reputational damage.

To better understand the right option for your trucking operation, let’s go over a few key comparisons that can help you make the right coverage decision depending on your needs.

Overview

For general liability insurance, the name itself should be an indicator as to its coverage and extent. This kind of coverage pertains to very broad third-party liability coverage not related to automobiles or trucks. Protection for injuries or property damage, such as injuries sustained while on company premises, are the types of things this kind of coverage is made for.

Truck (auto) liability insurance is meant to zero-in on the use of, and third party liability for, trucks and their operations. This kind of protection is a requirement and is usually the costliest type of insurance.Truck liability insurance protects for property damage or injuries to other people as a result of truck accidents and is required by State and Federal agencies.

Policy Limits

For Commercial General Liability insurance, policy limits are usually issued at $1,000,000 per any one occurrence and $2,000,000 in aggregate for the policy for one year. Of course, higher limits can be set depending on your operation and needs.

Truck liability insurance is generally issued at limits of $750,000 per any one occurrence which is the limit set by US DoT for trucks having a GVW over 10,000 lbs. Most trucking companies are carrying $1,000,000 limits of coverage and the recent trend is to get higher limits. For those vehicles under 10,000 GVW, or not subject to Federal DOT requirements, lower limits may be obtained. Your insurance broker can verify the requirements you are subject to.

Additional Considerations

When it comes to truck liability insurance, various policy endorsements are available. Some additional coverage to keep in mind include pollution liability, Federal MCS90 and State form endorsements that extend coverage to regulatory agencies.

Additional broader forms are available where  the policy can be issued on an “any auto,” basis, or issued with Hired and/or Non-Owned Autos which further protects the trucking company from other liability they may have on vehicles they do not own.

Regardless of all the moving parts that need to be taken into consideration, consulting with your commercial truck insurance representative is always a good rule of thumb to follow to get accurate pricing and coverage options.

About Western Truck Insurance Services

Western Truck Insurance Services is a commercial truck insurance agency with roots dating back to 1954. We have evolved into a highly respected, professionally managed, truck and transportation insurance brokerage. The hallmark of our organization is our desire to provide unparalleled service. We go way beyond what you expect to receive from an insurance brokerage. Equipped with state of the art automation, Western Truck Insurance can provide you with lightning fast truck insurance quotes, customer service, Insurance certificates and coverage changes.

General Liability – What is General Liability, Who Needs It, What does it Cover?

Bob Holtzman

A form of Insurance designed to protect Owners and Operators’ businesses from a wide variety of liability exposures.  These exposures could include liability arising out of accidents resulting from the premises or the operations of an insured, products sold by the insured, operations completed by the insured, and contractual liability.

General Liability insurance is the first major layer of protection for claims of bodily injury or property damage against your business.  General Liability covers you, but it also covers many others involved in your business, such as:

  • If you have a joint venture or partnership, all of your partners, members and their spouses are protected if they are sued for something they do in an official capacity related to your business
  • If your business is a corporation, your policy covers all of your business executive officers, stockholders and directors while they are acting in their official capacities
  • If you have subsidiaries, your policy liability coverage extends to any subsidiary where you own at least 50 percent of the stock
  • Your employees are also protected from claims that result from actions they take in their capacity as employees.
  • If you have a written agreement to indemnify a person or organization, such as a vendor, that person or organization would be protected against liability claims for property damage or bodily injury as a result of selling or distributing your products
  • Anyone legally associated with your business, including volunteers working under your direction, are covered for liabilities that result from the work they do for you, and for the use or maintenance of your property that is in their care

What GL Insurance Provides

  • Bodily Injury
    – Covers Medical Costs
    – Loss Of Services
    – Court Awarded Compensation for deaths that result form Injury.
  • Property Damage
    – Physical damage to the property or
    – Loss of use of the property

Coverages

General Aggregate – limit that will be paid during any one policy period.
Occurrence – limit for the sum of damages and medical expenses because of all bodily injury and property damages arising out of any one occurrence.
Products & Completed Operations Aggregate –  limit for damages because of bodily injury and property damage.
Personal & Advertising Injury – limit for the sum of all damages because of all  personal and advertising injury sustained by any one person or organization.
Damage to Rented Premises – limit for damages because of property damage to any one premises while rented to you, or in the case of fire, while rented to you or occupied by you with permission of the owner.
Medical Expenses – limit for all medical expenses because of bodily injury sustained by any one person.

Rating

There are four main ways to rate General Liability:

  • Trucker’s Payroll
  • Gross Receipts
  • Number of Units
  • Area (square feet)

Excess Liability

  • Insurance that is excess over any other insurance, whether it is primary, excess, contingent or on any other basis.
  • Fire, Extended Coverage, Builder’s Risk, Installation Risk or similar coverage for your work
  • Fire insurance for premises rented to you or temporarily occupied by you with permission of the owner
  • Insurance purchased by you to cover your liability as a tenant for property damage to premises rented to you or temporarily occupied by you with   permission of the owner

When this insurance is excess, there will be no duty to defend the insured against any suit if any provider of other insurance has a duty to defend the insured against that suit. If no provider of other insurance defends, we will undertake to do so, but we will be entitled to the insured’s rights against all those providers of other insurance.

  • When this insurance is excess over other insurance, we will pay only our share of the amount of the loss, if any, that exceeds the sum of:
  • The total amount that all such other insurance would pay for the loss in the absence of this insurance
  • The total of all deductible and self-insured amounts under all such other insurance.
  • We will share the remaining loss, if any, with any other insurance that is not described in this Excess Insurance provision.

Catering Truck Insurance

Bob Holtzman

What to Know About Catering Truck Insurance

Food trucks have grown in popularity in recent years. Many consumers appreciate the fact tasty food can be delivered to their home or business. If you operate this kind of vehicle, then it is vital to get it insured. It needs to be insured no matter what because it is a vehicle, but if you sell food, then you need to obtain a specialized catering truck insurance policy. When pursuing this, it is vital to keep several points in mind to get the best coverage out there.

Buy From an Experienced Food Truck Insurance Agent

Since food is being sold from the truck, different types of policies are required. That means an operator of a catering truck needs more than simply a standard auto insurance policy. For this reason, it is good to work with an agent who has dealt with catering trucks in the past. Someone who has never done this before may be willing to take on the job but does not understand everything that needs to go into the policy. Experience matters in the insurance world.

Get Every Policy You Need

Owning a company vehicle usually requires the owner, whether it is an individual or company, to have commercial auto insurance. A catering truck requires much more than that, such as:

  • Auto Liability Insurance: Vehicle insurance should cover damage caused by collisions and damage caused by fire or other natural disasters. It is also good to acquire uninsured coverage in case you end up in an accident with someone else lacking insurance.
  • Commercial Property (Equipment) Insurance: This covers additional property you own outside of the truck. That includes kitchen equipment and any computers you need to operate the day-to-day actions.
  • Commercial General Liability Insurance: This insurance protects you in case of property damage or injuries you cause in your food services business.. If the food from your truck makes someone sick, then  commercial  general  liability coverage protects you. 
  • Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Various employees need to work on a catering truck including the driver and  the cooks in the back. You need to ensure employees injured in a vehicle collision or from getting hurt in the kitchen have safeguards in place.

Catering truck insurance technically consists of several different coverages, and they are all essential. Professional brokers will assist you in finding a policy that covers everything you need, so you can operate your business with peace of mind.