HDD Contractor Coverage
Commercial Auto
Trucks, trailers, and the rigs they haul put your bore operation on the road every day. Commercial auto covers the vehicles that move your crews, equipment, and materials between the yard and the job site — including the heavy transport that comes with directional drilling.
What's covered
Coverage included with Commercial Auto
Why bore contractors need commercial auto
A directional drilling operation runs on the road as much as in the ground. You're hauling rigs on trailers, moving vacuum excavators and support equipment, running crew trucks between the yard and job sites, and delivering materials — and the moment your business operates vehicles, you have commercial auto exposure that a personal policy won't cover. Commercial auto covers your liability when a business vehicle is involved in an accident and the physical damage to the vehicles themselves. For an operation moving heavy equipment daily, it's a core part of the program, not an afterthought.
Owned, hired, and non-owned autos
Bore contractors use vehicles in several ways, and coverage has to match. You own trucks and trailers; you may rent or hire vehicles and trailers for a big move; and your crews may drive their own vehicles on company business — to a supply house, between sites, or to pick up parts. Each is a distinct exposure: owned-auto, hired-auto, and non-owned auto. We structure your commercial auto so all three are covered, because a gap in hired or non-owned coverage is exactly how an operation gets caught when a rented trailer or an employee's truck is in an accident on company time.
Hauling the rig — heavy transport exposure
Transporting a directional drill rig is one of the more serious driving exposures a bore contractor has. A rig on a trailer is heavy, sometimes oversize, and an overturn or road incident during transport can damage the rig, the truck, and third parties all at once. Commercial auto liability covers the third-party side, and your trailer and truck physical damage covers the vehicles — but the rig itself is covered under your contractors equipment (inland marine) in transit. We coordinate auto and inland marine so the truck, the trailer, and the rig it's hauling are all covered, with no assumption that the auto policy alone protects a six-figure machine on the trailer.
Cargo and the coordination with inland marine
An important and often-misunderstood point: standard commercial auto liability covers the vehicle and the damage it causes — it generally does not cover the valuable equipment or materials being hauled. Your drill rig in transit is covered by inland marine; the conduit and materials you're hauling are covered by installation/builders-risk. We make sure these coverages are coordinated so the vehicle and what it's carrying are both protected, and there's no gap where everyone assumes another policy responds. Getting this right is where bore contractors are most often surprised at claim time.
Certificates and contract compliance
Like the rest of your program, commercial auto often has to be proven. General contractors, utilities, and job sites may require evidence of auto liability before your trucks come on site, and coverage has to meet state and federal requirements for the vehicles you run. We provide the auto certificates your contracts require and make sure your limits meet the legal and contractual minimums, so a vehicle is never the reason a crew is turned away at the gate.
Why Contractors Choice Agency
We insure trenchless work the way it actually runs.
The HDD and underground-utility-contractor specialty division of Contractors Choice Agency — licensed in all 50 states, covering frac-outs, utility strikes, your iron, and your crew.
We cover the frac-out
An inadvertent return of drilling fluid is the exposure that defines HDD — and standard GL excludes it. We lead with contractors pollution liability so a frac-out is actually covered.
We answer the utility strike
Hitting an existing line is the claim every bore contractor fears. We close the below-grade and care-custody-control gaps standard policies leave open.
We insure the iron
Your drill rig, mud system, and locators are the business. We write contractors equipment coverage that protects them on site, in transit, and between jobs.
Specialty markets, fast COIs
We place HDD contractors with carriers that understand trenchless risk — and turn certificates around fast, because a GC won't let you mobilize without one.
Answers
Commercial Auto — FAQs
Straight answers to the questions directional boring contractors ask us most about this coverage.
No. Personal auto policies exclude or limit coverage for vehicles used in business, so the trucks and trailers you use to haul rigs, move equipment, and run crews need commercial auto coverage. Even a personal truck used regularly for the business can create a gap. If you operate any vehicle for the bore operation, commercial auto is what properly covers it.
Two main things: liability, which covers bodily injury and property damage you're responsible for when a business vehicle causes an accident (often legally required and required by contracts), and physical damage (comprehensive and collision), which covers damage to your own trucks and trailers from accidents, theft, and other perils. For an operation hauling heavy equipment, both matter — liability protects the business and physical damage keeps your fleet running.
Generally no — and this surprises many contractors. Commercial auto liability covers the vehicle and the damage it causes, not the valuable equipment being hauled. Your drill rig in transit is covered under contractors equipment (inland marine), not your auto policy. We coordinate auto and inland marine so the truck, the trailer, and the rig it's hauling are all covered, with no dangerous assumption that auto covers the rig.
Hired auto covers vehicles you rent or lease for the business — like a trailer for a big rig move — and non-owned auto covers vehicles your crews own but drive on company business, such as running to a supply house or between sites. These are common gaps: if a rented trailer or an employee's truck is in an accident on company time without this coverage, the business can be exposed. We make sure owned, hired, and non-owned exposures are all addressed.
Hauling a drill rig is a serious driving exposure — the load is heavy, sometimes oversize, and an overturn can damage the truck, the trailer, the rig, and third parties at once. Your commercial auto liability and trailer/truck physical damage cover the vehicle side, while the rig itself is covered in transit under inland marine. We coordinate the two and make sure your limits and any oversize-load considerations are handled. Tell us how you transport and we'll structure it correctly.
Yes. General contractors, utilities, and job sites often require evidence of auto liability before your trucks come on site, and coverage must meet state and federal requirements for your vehicles. We provide the auto certificates your contracts require and make sure your limits meet legal and contractual minimums, so a vehicle is never the reason your crew is turned away.
Liability limits should meet or exceed legal minimums and any contractual requirements, and many bore contractors carry higher limits — often supported by an umbrella — given how serious auto claims involving heavy equipment can be. Physical-damage limits should reflect the value of your trucks and trailers. We'll recommend limits based on your fleet, how you use it, and your contract requirements.
Call 844-967-5247 or request a free quote and tell us about your vehicles — trucks, trailers, what you own and rent, how you haul rigs, and whether crews drive their own vehicles. We'll structure owned, hired, and non-owned coverage, coordinate it with inland marine for the equipment you haul, and provide the certificates you need. Quotes are free and carry no obligation.
Still have questions? Call 844-967-5247
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Other coverages
One frac-out shouldn't be able to sink your business.
Talk to a specialist about pollution, equipment, underground-utility, and the full coverage an HDD operation needs. Free, no-obligation quote — usually same day.
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