Business vehicles, insured for what they actually do.
One van or twenty trucks. The mistake to check first is the rate class, a vehicle insured for commuting that is actually carrying tools, goods or passengers can leave you arguing at exactly the wrong moment.
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ICBC (opens in a new tab) commercial Autoplan, excess liability, cargo and tools
Trades, delivery businesses, carriers and anyone with work vehicles
What the vehicles carry, where they go, and who drives them
Do I need commercial vehicle insurance in BC?
If the vehicle is used for business, yes. In BC, basic coverage comes through ICBC and the rate class must match how the vehicle is genuinely used, carrying tools, making deliveries, transporting goods for others, or driving between job sites are all business use. On top of that sits your liability limit, physical damage cover, and for anyone hauling goods, cargo coverage, which auto insurance does not include.
If the rate class does not match how the vehicle is genuinely used, a claim can be affected at the worst possible moment. And a serious at-fault accident involving a commercial vehicle can pass your limit quickly.
Declaring the wrong rate class to save money is a shortcut that gets expensive at claim time.
Cover for vehicles that work.
ICBC commercial Autoplan
Correct rate class, correct territory, handled at any of our counters.
Excess liability
Above the basic limit. A serious at-fault accident involving a commercial vehicle can exceed it quickly.
Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive on the vehicle itself, including specialized bodies and equipment.
Tools and equipment in the vehicle
Theft from a van is a common trade claim, and cover for it is not automatic.
Trailers and specialized units
Trailers, dump bodies, cranes and attachments, insured for their real value.
Non-owned auto
When staff use their own vehicles for work, the liability can still reach your business.
Fleet arrangements
Multiple vehicles on one renewal date, with one point of contact instead of five.
Three rate-class traps.
All three are simpler to fix before a claim than afterwards.
“I only carry my own tools”
Still business use. A personal rate class on a working van is a problem waiting for an accident.
Employees driving their own cars
If they are running errands or visiting sites for you, your business can be drawn into the claim.
The occasional delivery
Carrying goods for someone else, even occasionally, changes the class and may need cargo cover.
Basic ICBC costs the same wherever you buy it.
So what are you actually choosing a broker for?
Nobody can discount basic Autoplan, and any broker implying otherwise is being loose with the truth. What differs is whether someone checks that your rate class matches reality, whether your liability limit suits the size of vehicle you are putting on the road, whether your cargo and tools are covered at all, and whether you can walk into an office and sort it the same day.
That is the whole difference, and on a commercial fleet it is worth considerably more than a discount would be.
How this can play out.
A van insured for commuting is carrying twelve thousand dollars of tools between job sites when it is stolen. The rate class did not reflect business use, and the tools were never separately insured. Two gaps, one morning.
Vehicles that earn their keep.
The declarations that decide a vehicle claim.
Vehicle cover is priced on how the vehicle is used and who drives it. When the declared use and the real day drift apart, the claim lands in the gap.
The rate class that stopped being true
A pickup declared for pleasure that now hauls tools to sites every morning is a business vehicle wearing the wrong badge. The premium difference is small. The difference at claim time is not.
Drivers nobody listed
A new hire, a seasonal helper, a son borrowing the van, and regular drivers belong on the record. The occasional legitimate loan is one thing. A pattern the insurer never heard about is another.
Deliveries in personal cars
Staff using their own vehicles for work runs is the quietest gap in the fleet. Their personal policy may not answer for business use, and the business policy may not know they exist. Non-owned auto cover is built for exactly this.
Cargo the policy never priced
Hauling goods for pay, or carrying loads the policy never heard about, sits outside a fleet wording written for tools and crew. What rides in the truck belongs in the conversation.
Ten minutes with the vehicle list and the real routine, once a year. Check that the declarations still describe the fleet you actually run.
What owners and fleet managers ask us.
Does my personal car insurance cover business use?
Usually not, and it is a gap worth checking before you need it. Carrying tools, making deliveries or driving between job sites is business use, and the rate class needs to reflect it.
Is the cargo in my truck insured by my auto policy?
No. Auto insurance covers the vehicle and your liability. The goods being carried need motor truck cargo cover, which is a separate policy.
My employees use their own cars for work. Am I exposed?
Potentially yes. Non-owned automobile coverage exists for exactly this, because a claim arising from an employee driving on your business can reach the company.
How much liability should a commercial vehicle carry?
More than the basic limit. A serious accident involving a truck can exceed it, and the excess layers are priced off the layer below.
Can I put all my vehicles on one renewal date?
Yes, and it is worth doing. One renewal, one conversation, and far less chance of a vehicle quietly lapsing.
Are tools stolen from my van covered?
Only if arranged. It is a claim the trades know well, and it is worth checking your limits before it happens rather than after.
Not the question you had? Build the fleet file and set out your own situation in plain words. A licensed broker reads it and replies in writing.
Premises as well as vehicles? commercial property.
A serious vehicle claim can pass your limit. umbrella & excess liability.
The questions behind the questions.
Tell us what the vehicles do.
What you carry, where you drive, and who else gets behind the wheel.
COUNTER WORK AT ALL THREE BRANCHES · DELTA IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS
Carrying other people’s goods for pay? Motor truck cargo starts with the cargo file. Build yours →