Commercial Vehicle Insurance in Oakhurst, CA

Most businesses today operate with a motor vehicle. If the vehicles are damaged in an accident or stolen, the business has to repair or replace them. If there is an accident and the business is at fault, the business may be subject to large claims from people injured in the accident. A business auto insurance policy helps to cover both property and liability risks that businesses face because of the ownership or use of autos and trucks.

An auto is defined as any motor vehicle designated for primary use on the road.This includes all types of trucks and trailers pulled by trucks. The insured is the person or entity who holds title to the vehicle. Owners of small businesses often use the same vehicles for both personal and business purposes. Problems may occur if the insurance is not written in the name of the person or entity with title to the vehicle. For example, John Smith owns the XYZ Company that owns the vehicle that Smith drives for both business and pleasure. Smith told his insurance agent that he owned the car so the agent put Smith's name on the auto insurance policy and not the company's name. Smith is involved in an accident. There may be problems when he attempts to collect on an insurance claim to repair the damage to the car because the insurance policy requires that the owner of the vehicle be the principal insured.

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance.

Bodily injury liability insurance does not protect you or your car directly. If you cause an accident injuring other people, it protects you against their claims up to the stated amounts for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. It will also usually pay if the accident was caused by a member of your family living with you or a person using your auto with your consent.

Property Damage Liability Insurance.

Property Damage Liability insurance pays for any damage up to the stated amount you cause to the property of others such as a crushed fender, broken glass, or a damaged wall or fence. Your insurance will pay of this damage if you were driving your auto or if it was being driven by another person with your consent.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage.

Uninsured motorist coverage applies to bodily injury you, your family, and other occupants of your vehicle incur when hit by an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver. It also covers you and your family if injured as a pedestrian when struck by an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver. It protects you by making sure that money is available to pay for your losses that were caused by someone else.

Uninsured motorist coverage does not cover your property damage and does not protect the other driver. Your insurance company may sue the other driver. Your insurance company may sue the other driver for any money the company pays you because of the other driver's negligence.

Under-insured Motorist Coverage.

This is an optional coverage that increases the personal injury protection to you and the people in your car up to the amount of coverage purchased. It becomes effective when the party causing an accident has lower limits that you purchase and the accident costs more. The maximum dollars paid is then the difference between the two limits. For example, assume the under-insured motorist (UIM) limits selected were $100,000 per person and the person causing the accident had limits of $50,000 per person. Under this scenario, you could collect up to $50,000 from the at-fault driver and up to an additional $50,000 (the difference in limits) under your own UIM coverage. UIM coverage typically does not “add” the amount you purchased to the amount available from the person causing the accident. Insurers are required to notify policyholders who do not have UIM coverage of its availability. The limits of UIM coverage, if accepted after notification is $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.

Medical Payments.

This provides medical or funeral expenses for people injured or killed in your car. It also covers you and members of your family if hit by a car or injured while riding in another car. Medical expense coverage is usually sold as a single amount such as $1,000. Companies must offer this coverage but you don't have to buy it.

Physical Damage Coverage

There are three basic types of physical damage coverage for motor vehicles.