Stop-start urban miles, driven by people who change every month.

Commercial auto

Vehicles the business owns and the people who drive them for work.

Without it — High-mileage urban driving with continuous passenger pick-up is the highest-frequency exposure in public auto.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage. It is the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — Passenger boarding, the dispatch office and the lot are outside the auto policy.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — City authority requirements and a serious passenger injury both push past primary limits.

Hired & non-owned auto

Covers vehicles the business does not own but its people drive on the job: rentals, and employees running errands in their own cars. Their personal auto policy will not cover a business trip, and the claim lands on the business. Pricing depends entirely on HOW it is bought: as an endorsement on a general liability policy we write, HNOA often costs a few hundred dollars; as a stand-alone (monoline) policy it runs $2,500 to $5,000, and association practitioner programs (CPH, CM&F and similar) generally cannot take the endorsement, so "add HNOA to my existing policy for $300-$800" is usually not a real option. A package carrying GL, professional liability and HNOA together is typically cheaper than the monoline.

Without it — Vehicles brought in by drivers, or leased out to them, sit outside the owned schedule without it.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Where drivers are employees rather than lessees, it is required and it is checked.

Auto physical damage

Damage to your own tractor and trailer. Primary liability pays for what you do to everyone else and nothing for your equipment, so without this a rollover you caused leaves you paying off a truck you can no longer run.

Without it — A fleet vehicle off the road earns nothing and still carries its finance.

Garagekeepers

Customer vehicles in your care, custody and control. Every repair shop and dealership has the exposure and most standard policies exclude it.

Without it — Vehicles parked on your lot between shifts are property in your care.

Does it matter whether my drivers are employees or lessees?

It matters a great deal, to the auto policy and to workers compensation. A fleet that leases vehicles to independent drivers has a different exposure from one employing them, and the arrangement determines who is insured while the vehicle is out. Getting this described accurately is the single most important thing on the application, because a mismatch between the paperwork and the practice is what unravels at claim.

Are city or authority requirements different from the state minimum?

Frequently yes, and usually higher. Municipal taxi and vehicle-for-hire regulations often set their own limits and their own certificate filing, separate from the state financial responsibility requirement. The binding constraint is usually the local one, and it is worth confirming before assuming the state minimum is enough.

How do underwriters look at driver turnover?

Closely, because it is the largest variable they cannot see. Annual MVR screening, a documented hiring standard and telematics or cameras move the price in this class more than almost anything else. Operators who can produce a current driver list with clean records get quoted; operators who cannot, often do not.

What does a taxi and rideshare fleet operations insurance application ask for?

The applications for taxi and rideshare fleet operations businesses ask about 4 things above all: what type of livery service do you operate (taxi, limousine, airport shuttle, tour bus, or other); how far on average do your passengers travel from pickup to drop-off; what are your written policies and procedures for driver hiring, background checks, drug testing, and experience requirements; how long has your business been operating. Have your last five years of claims history from your current insurer, called loss runs and a list of all your drivers with their names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, years of experience, driver's license numbers, hire dates, and any accidents or violations ready and a quote takes a day instead of a week.