Non-Owned Auto Insurance Quote
Non-owned auto insurance covers your company's liability when employees drive personal vehicles for business. A broker like Shay Denise at JackRick Logistics shops your submission to trucking markets: call (757) 744-2484.
Trucks are not the only vehicles your business touches. Dispatchers drive to shipper meetings, office staff run errands in their own cars, and safety managers travel between terminals in personal vehicles. When one of those non-owned vehicles is involved in a crash while doing company business, the resulting liability can land on your company. Non-owned auto insurance exists for exactly that exposure: it provides liability coverage for vehicles your business uses but does not own.
A non-owned auto insurance quote estimates the cost of adding that protection to your commercial auto program. It is not a standalone policy in most cases; it is an endorsement or coverage part attached to a business auto or commercial auto liability policy. Underwriters price it based on how many employees drive personal vehicles for work, what kind of driving they do, and the limits your operation needs. This page explains what the coverage does, what information you will need to provide, and how a broker shops it.
JackRick Logistics is the insurance brokerage of Shay Denise, a licensed commercial insurance broker based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, serving trucking operations since 2022. If your company has people on the road in cars you do not own, a non-owned auto quote is worth getting. Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] and we will walk you through the submission.
What Non-Owned Auto Insurance Is — and Isn't
Non-owned auto insurance provides liability coverage when your employees drive vehicles your company does not own while performing company business. If a dispatcher rear-ends another car on the way to a client meeting, or an office manager hits a pedestrian while running a company errand, non-owned coverage responds to the third-party bodily injury and property damage claims against your business. The key word is liability: this coverage protects your company against claims from others, not damage to the vehicle itself.
What it is not matters just as much. Non-owned auto does not cover physical damage to the employee's own car — that stays with the employee's personal auto policy. It does not replace the hired auto coverage you need for vehicles you rent, lease, or borrow for business. And it does not cover your owned trucks or trailers; those belong on your commercial auto liability and physical damage policies. Treating non-owned as a substitute for any of those leaves real gaps.
Most trucking companies carry non-owned auto as an endorsement on their business auto policy rather than as a separate policy. The coverage is typically written on an excess basis over the employee's personal auto insurance, meaning the driver's own policy responds first and the company's non-owned coverage steps in above it. Understanding that excess structure is important, because it shapes both the quote and how a claim would actually be handled.
There is also a human-resources dimension underwriters notice. Companies that require employees who drive for work to carry their own personal auto insurance at reasonable limits — and that verify it annually — present a cleaner risk than companies with no such policy. The non-owned coverage still matters, because the company's liability exists regardless, but documented employee-insurance requirements show the kind of operational discipline that makes a submission easier to place and easier to defend if a claim arises.
Who in Trucking Actually Needs Non-Owned Coverage
Any carrier or brokerage with employees who drive personal vehicles for work has this exposure. Safety directors traveling to inspection sites, dispatchers meeting drivers at truck stops, recruiters visiting CDL schools, and executives driving to industry events all create non-owned auto exposure. Even a small carrier with one office manager who occasionally runs company errands in her own car technically has the exposure, though the premium significance scales with the number of drivers and miles.
Freight brokers and logistics companies face it especially. Brokerage staff routinely drive to shipper and carrier meetings, and many brokerage employees work remotely while traveling in personal cars. Because brokers do not own trucks, non-owned auto can be one of the few auto-related coverages on their program, and shippers or partners sometimes require evidence of it before doing business.
The table below shows common trucking roles and how non-owned auto typically applies to them. Use it as a starting point for your own exposure review, not as a coverage determination — actual applicability depends on your policy language and how each vehicle is used.
| Role / scenario | Typical non-owned application |
|---|---|
| Dispatcher driving a personal car to meet a driver | Covered while on company business; personal errands are excluded |
| Safety manager traveling between terminals | Covered; frequent business driving may affect the quote |
| Office staff running a bank deposit in a personal car | Covered for the business errand itself |
| Employee commuting to and from work | Not covered; commuting is personal use, not business use |
| Employee renting a car for a business trip | Usually hired auto, not non-owned — different coverage part |
| Owner-operator driving the company truck | Not non-owned; covered under the carrier's auto liability |
What Information You'll Need to Provide for a Quote
A non-owned auto quote starts with the basics of your business: legal name, years in operation, number of employees, and the nature of your trucking or brokerage operation. Underwriters want to understand who might be driving non-owned vehicles and why. You will be asked how many employees regularly drive personal vehicles for company business, what kinds of trips they take, and roughly how often those trips occur. You do not need exact mileage logs, but a realistic picture matters.
You will also need to describe your current insurance program: whether you have an existing business auto policy, what limits it carries, and whether you already have hired auto coverage. Underwriters ask about your loss history too — prior auto claims involving non-owned vehicles, or a pattern of frequent claims, will draw scrutiny. Having your current policy declarations page handy speeds the process considerably.
Finally, expect questions about controls. Do you verify that employees who drive for work carry their own personal auto insurance? Do you pull motor vehicle reports or set minimum personal-limits requirements? Carriers that can show basic fleet-safety discipline around non-owned drivers tend to get better reception from underwriters. A broker can tell you which of these answers matter most before you submit.
What Affects Non-Owned Auto Pricing
Underwriters price non-owned auto on exposure, not on a fixed schedule. The biggest factor is how many employees drive personal vehicles for business and how much driving they do. A brokerage with thirty account managers visiting shippers daily presents far more exposure than a three-truck carrier whose only non-owned driver is a part-time bookkeeper. Be honest about the headcount; understating it is a classic reason claims get complicated.
Limits are the next lever. Non-owned auto is often quoted at the same liability limits as the underlying business auto policy, and higher limits cost more. Your contractual obligations matter here: if shippers, brokers, or government contracts require specific auto liability limits, the non-owned coverage usually needs to match. Underwriters also consider your industry segment, your overall loss history, and the states where your employees drive.
What does not affect pricing is the value of the employees' cars, since non-owned auto provides no physical damage coverage for them. That is a common point of confusion. The quote reflects liability exposure only — the risk that your company gets sued because of a crash involving a non-owned vehicle, not the cost of repairing anyone's personal car.
Common Gaps: Hired vs Non-Owned vs Primary Liability
The most common gap is confusing hired and non-owned auto. Hired auto covers vehicles you rent, lease, hire, or borrow — the company has temporary possession. Non-owned covers vehicles the company never possesses, like an employee's personal car. Many operations need both, and quoting only one leaves the other exposure bare. Review which of your people use rentals versus personal cars, and make sure each bucket is addressed.
Another gap is assuming the employee's personal policy handles everything. Personal auto policies frequently exclude or limit coverage for business use, and even when they respond, their limits may be far below what a serious crash demands. Non-owned coverage exists precisely because the personal policy may not be enough — or may deny the claim entirely if the insurer argues the vehicle was being used commercially.
A third gap is the FMCSA filing question. Non-owned auto does not satisfy federal financial responsibility filings; interstate motor carriers still need their primary auto liability with the BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing at the FMCSA minimums — $750,000, $1,000,000, or $5,000,000 depending on the operation, per FMCSA rules. Non-owned is a complement to that foundation, not a replacement for it.
A final gap worth naming is the missing paper trail on employee vehicles. If a crash involves an employee's car and you cannot show that you knew the employee drove for work, verified their license, or required personal coverage, the claim gets harder and the underwriter's confidence drops. Keeping a simple roster — who drives for work, their license status, and confirmation of personal insurance — costs almost nothing and pays for itself the first time it is needed.
Get Your Non-Owned Auto Insurance Quote
Getting a non-owned auto quote through JackRick starts with a conversation about your operation. Shay Denise, a licensed commercial insurance broker in Virginia Beach, Virginia, will review how your people actually use non-owned vehicles, check what your current program already covers, and take the submission to the markets that write trucking risks. You will know what information is needed up front, what the quote includes, and what questions the underwriter is likely to ask.
To start, call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected]. You can also reach out through the contact page at /contact/. Bring your current policy declarations if you have them and a rough count of employees who drive personal vehicles for work — that is enough to get the quoting process moving.
Key takeaways
- Non-owned auto covers business use of vehicles your company does not own — not the vehicles themselves.
- It is usually an endorsement on your business auto policy, often responding excess over the driver's personal policy.
- You need it if employees drive personal cars for errands, meetings, or travel on company business.
- Hired auto (rentals) and non-owned auto (personal cars) are different coverage parts — many operations need both.
- It does not satisfy FMCSA filings; interstate carriers still need filed primary auto liability at federal minimums.
- A quote needs your employee-driver count, driving patterns, current policy declarations, and loss history.
Questions carriers ask
What information do I need to get a non-owned auto insurance quote?
Your business details, the number of employees who drive personal vehicles for company business, the type and frequency of that driving, your current business auto policy declarations, and your loss history. Knowing whether you already carry hired auto coverage also helps the broker structure the quote correctly.
What is the difference between hired auto and non-owned auto coverage?
Hired auto covers vehicles your company rents, leases, hires, or borrows — vehicles you temporarily possess. Non-owned auto covers vehicles your company never owns or possesses, such as an employee's personal car used for business errands. Many trucking operations need both coverage parts on their commercial auto program.
Does non-owned auto insurance cover damage to my employee's personal car?
No. Non-owned auto is liability-only coverage for claims against your business from third parties. Damage to the employee's own vehicle stays with their personal auto policy. If the personal policy excludes business use, the employee could have a gap — which is one reason companies set minimum personal-limits requirements for business drivers.
How does the broker quote process work at JackRick?
You describe your operation and how employees use non-owned vehicles, Shay Denise reviews your current program for existing coverage or gaps, and then the submission goes to insurance markets that write trucking risks. You receive quotes you can compare, with the coverage terms explained before you decide anything.
Does non-owned auto satisfy FMCSA insurance filings?
No. Interstate motor carriers must still carry primary auto liability with the proper FMCSA filing at the federal minimums — $750,000, $1,000,000, or $5,000,000 depending on the operation, per FMCSA rules. Non-owned auto is an additional liability layer for business use of vehicles you do not own; it does not replace the filed primary coverage.
What happens if an employee's personal auto policy excludes business use?
The personal insurer may deny the claim, leaving your company's non-owned coverage to respond to third-party claims — typically on an excess basis, which can get complicated. This is why many companies require employees who drive for work to carry adequate personal limits and confirm their policy does not exclude business use.