Personal auto stops at the business line.
The moment a vehicle is titled to your company — or your own truck is regularly used for work — your personal auto policy can quit responding. Here's what commercial auto covers, the hired-and-non-owned gap most owners never see, the honest read on Arkansas and FMCSA rules, and why BHHC's commercial focus fits fleets and work trucks.
The short answer
Personal auto policies generally limit or exclude business use, and almost always exclude vehicles titled to a business — so a work truck can be uninsured at the worst moment. Commercial auto covers your owned vehicles (liability + physical damage), fleets, and hired and non-owned autos — the exposure when employees drive rented vehicles or their own cars for work. BHHC is a commercial-focused insurer, so fleet and trucking risk is core, not an afterthought, and it's backed by an A++ (Superior) balance sheet. If a vehicle earns its keep for the business, assume it needs a commercial policy.
The company truck isn't on your personal policy.
This is the commercial-auto surprise: people assume the pickup is "on the auto insurance," and in a narrow sense it sometimes is — right up until the title, or the use, makes it a business vehicle.
excluded the personal-auto limit
Personal auto policies generally limit or exclude vehicles used in business and exclude vehicles titled to a company. Regular business use beyond commuting can void the response you were counting on.
And then there's the employee's own car.
Even if every company vehicle is insured, there's a second gap most owners never see: an employee runs an errand for the business in their own vehicle — a bank run, a delivery, a supply pickup — and causes an accident. In that moment the employee's personal policy may not fully respond, and the claim can land on the business.
Commercial auto closes both gaps: it covers owned vehicles for liability and physical damage, and hired and non-owned auto picks up the rented-vehicle and employee's-own-car exposure. If anyone ever drives for your business, in any vehicle, this is the conversation to have before the claim, not after.
What the law requires — and why it's the floor.
Arkansas requires minimum auto liability limits, but for a business those minimums are usually a floor, not a target. A serious commercial-vehicle accident can far exceed state minimums, and the business is exposed for every dollar above the limit — which is why commercial limits are typically written well higher, often as a single combined limit.
Certain vehicles carry higher requirements. Federally regulated interstate trucking operations face FMCSA financial-responsibility filings that run above state minimums, and many contracts specify their own required limits and certificates. The specifics depend on the vehicle, the cargo, and whether you cross state lines, and they change over time.
Because those details shift, the honest advice is to confirm current requirements with the applicable state and federal authorities and your agent, rather than trusting a webpage to be current. What doesn't change is the exposure: a business vehicle in a bad wreck is a real, uncapped liability, which is what the coverage — and the right limit — is for.
Certificates and additional insureds catch people out.
Many jobs and leases require you to name a customer or landlord as an additional insured and hand over a certificate of insurance before you can start work. That's a policy setup detail, not an afterthought — and getting it wrong can stall a contract. It's a quick fix when it's handled up front, which is part of what we do at the quote.
The coverages built for business vehicles.
Liability (BI & PD)
Pays for bodily injury and property damage your business vehicles cause to others. The single most important coverage on the policy, and the one worth writing above the state floor.
Physical Damage
Covers damage to your own vehicles — collision for crashes and rollovers, comprehensive for theft, fire, hail, and other non-collision losses. Priced to the value of the fleet.
Hired & Non-Owned Auto
Responds when the business rents a vehicle or when an employee uses their own car for work. Closes the gap that lands an employee's fender-bender on the company.
Medical Payments
Covers medical expenses for occupants of your vehicles after an accident, regardless of fault. A modest limit that smooths the small, fast-moving parts of a claim.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist
Protects your drivers and vehicles when the at-fault party has no insurance or not enough. On the road every day, that's not a rare scenario.
Trucking-Related Options
Depending on the operation, coverage can extend to areas relevant to regulated trucking. What applies depends on your vehicles and whether you cross state lines — a quote-time conversation.
The factors behind the number.
Commercial auto isn't a menu of discounts — it's rated on your vehicles, your drivers, and how you use them. A few things do most of the work.
Vehicles & Values
Type, size, weight, and value of each vehicle. A box truck rates differently than a service van, and physical-damage premium tracks what the vehicle is worth to replace.
Drivers & Records
Who's behind the wheel and what their motor-vehicle records look like. Clean MVRs and a real hiring standard are among the biggest levers you actually control.
Radius & Use
How far and how the vehicles travel — local delivery, regional hauling, or interstate. Radius of operation and cargo shape both the price and the filing requirements.
Limits & Loss History
The liability limit you choose and your prior claims. Higher limits cost more but cap your exposure; a clean loss history earns better pricing over time.
From one van to a full fleet.
BHHC writes commercial auto for a range of operations. Appetite and eligibility depend on vehicles, drivers, radius, and state, so treat this as a starting point.
One carrier rarely wins every fleet.
BHHC's commercial focus makes it a serious contender for business auto, but the right market depends on your exact vehicles, drivers, and radius. That's why we run it through an independent lens — quoting BHHC alongside our other commercial markets and telling you which one prices your fleet best.
Rated on your fleet, not a table.
Commercial auto premium depends on the vehicles and their values, your drivers and their records, your radius and use, the limits you carry, and your loss history — so a planning number would mislead more than help. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. What reliably helps: a clean vehicle list with VINs and values, driver details, and any FMCSA or contract requirements, so the comparison across carriers is real.
Backed by an A++ (Superior) carrier.
On March 30, 2026, AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A++ (Superior) — its highest level — and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "aa+" (Superior), stable outlook, for Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Insurance Company and its property-casualty affiliates. On liability claims that can take years to resolve, the ability to pay all the way through matters.
Where we earn it on a commercial auto policy.
The commercial-auto mistakes are consistent: a business vehicle left on a personal policy, hired-and-non-owned never added, liability limits left at the state floor, and certificates or additional insureds handled late. We fix those at the quote. And because we're independent, if BHHC isn't the best home for your fleet, we place it with one of our other commercial markets instead.
The policies around this one.
BHHC commercial auto questions.
Isn't my personal auto policy enough for my work truck?
Usually not. Personal auto policies generally limit or exclude vehicles used in business and almost always exclude vehicles titled to a business. If the truck is registered to your company, or your personal vehicle is used regularly for business beyond commuting, a personal auto claim can be reduced or denied at exactly the wrong moment.
Commercial auto is built for business use: it insures the vehicles, your liability to others, physical damage, and exposure from vehicles you don't own but use for work. If a vehicle earns its keep for the business, assume it needs a commercial policy until proven otherwise.
What does BHHC commercial auto cover?
The core pieces of a business auto policy: liability for bodily injury and property damage; physical damage to your own vehicles through comprehensive and collision; and hired and non-owned auto, which responds when employees drive rented vehicles or their own cars for business.
Depending on the account it can also include medical payments, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and options relevant to trucking. Limits are often written as a combined single limit. Because BHHC is commercial-focused, business auto and fleet exposure is core to what it does.
Does BHHC cover fleets and trucks?
Yes. BHHC writes commercial auto for a range of operations, from a single service van to fleets of trucks. What fits depends on the vehicles, how far and how they're driven, your drivers' records, and whether the operation is FMCSA-regulated for interstate trucking.
Because BHHC is a commercial-only carrier, fleet and trucking exposure is squarely in its lane. Eligibility and appetite still vary by class and state, so it's worth quoting alongside our other commercial markets rather than assuming.
What is hired and non-owned auto, and do I need it?
Hired auto responds to vehicles your business rents or leases short-term. Non-owned auto responds when an employee uses their own personal vehicle for a business errand — a bank run, a delivery, a supply pickup — and causes an accident.
In that moment the employee's personal policy may not fully respond, and the claim can land on the business. If anyone ever drives for your business in a vehicle the business doesn't own, this coverage is usually worth carrying.
How much liability does Arkansas require on a commercial vehicle?
Arkansas requires minimum auto liability limits, but for a business those minimums are usually the floor rather than the goal — a serious commercial-vehicle accident can far exceed them, and the business is exposed above the limit.
Certain vehicles carry higher requirements: federally regulated interstate trucking faces FMCSA financial-responsibility filings well above state minimums, and some contracts require specific limits. The rules depend on the vehicle, cargo, and whether you cross state lines, and they change — so confirm current requirements with the applicable authorities.
How do I get a BHHC commercial auto quote in Northwest Arkansas?
Start at our commercial quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Have your vehicle list with VINs and values, your drivers with dates of birth and license numbers, your radius of operation, and any FMCSA or contract requirements ready.
We'll quote BHHC against our other commercial markets and tell you honestly which one fits your fleet and driving records best.
If our coverage guides and carrier comparisons are helpful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas business owners can find our local explanations.
BHHC is one of 40+ carriers we represent.
Which means we can tell you honestly whether BHHC's commercial auto is the right home for your fleet — or whether one of our other markets fits better. Send your vehicle list, driver records, and radius of operation, and we'll close the personal-auto gap, add hired-and-non-owned where it's missing, set the right limit, and handle the certificates. If a different carrier fits better, we'll say so.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies or Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by them. "Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies" and "BHHC" are marks of their respective owners, used here nominatively to identify a carrier we may place. BHHC's Arkansas commercial policies are issued by the Berkshire Hathaway Homestate group underwriting companies.
This page describes coverage in general terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Coverage, endorsements, options, program terms, product availability and eligibility vary by state, by class of business, by policy, and over time, are set by the carrier, and are subject to underwriting approval and to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Descriptions of the personal-auto business-use limitation are general; your personal auto policy's terms control. If anything on this page conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Statements about Arkansas and federal commercial-vehicle requirements, including FMCSA financial-responsibility filings, are general information, not legal advice, and requirements change and depend on the operation; confirm current rules with the applicable state and federal authorities. Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A++ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating and "aa+" (Superior) Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating referenced were affirmed by AM Best on March 30, 2026 with a stable outlook for Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Insurance Company and its property-casualty affiliates.
Last reviewed July 2026.