Business Insurance / Commercial Auto
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 (separate endorsement or policy)
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 they're 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Call 817.277.6166 →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.
Get a quote →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.
Learn more →FAQ
Commercial auto questions we hear all the time.
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
Commercial Auto Insurance Insights
Coverage tips, claims guidance, and risk management for Texas business fleets.
