Commercial Auto Insurance for Food Trucks
Your food truck isn’t just a vehicle, it’s the hub of your business. Commercial auto coverage from Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) is there to shield you from the cost of damage and liability claims when you hit the road.
What Is Commercial Auto Insurance for Food Trucks?
Food truck commercial auto insurance helps cover the cost of accidents or damage to your vehicle. It also covers claims stemming from injuries or property damage caused by your food truck if it’s involved in an accident.
Who Needs Food Truck Commercial Auto Insurance?
Commercial auto insurance is a critical coverage for your business if you:
- Own, lease, or rent a food truck, trailer, and/or towing vehicle for your business
- Have employees who drive personal vehicles for business (e.g., delivery drivers)
- Have employees who drive owned, leased, or rented food trucks and/or towing vehicles
Nearly every state requires commercial auto insurance for business vehicles, and specific liability coverage limits are the minimum required to legally operate your food truck.
What Commercial Auto Limits Does My Food Truck Need?
Each state has its own minimum liability insurance limits for commercial vehicles, including food trucks. Some policies will have a split liability limit, meaning different limits for:
- Bodily injury (per person)
- Bodily injury (per accident)
- Property damage
Other policies will have a combined single limit, which doesn’t separate maximum payouts for different types of liability claims. Always check your state’s department of insurance or licensing website to confirm the minimum limits.
Additionally, many events and festivals will require you to carry certain limits. While this varies greatly, many events require a $1,000,000 combined single limit — even if this is above your state’s minimum requirement. Confirm what limits you need with the event organizer before you apply as a vendor.
What Does Commercial Vehicle Insurance Cover for My Food Truck?
Commercial auto policies offer several types of coverage that help pay for damage to your food truck, injuries to you or your passengers, and injuries or damage your truck may cause to others.
| Coverage | What It Means | What It Pays For |
|---|---|---|
|
Liability |
Covers injuries to third parties (other people) or damage to their property you cause with your food truck |
Other people’s medical bills, vehicle repairs, property damage, and legal costs |
|
Uninsured/underinsured motorist |
Protects you if another driver causes an accident but has no insurance or not enough insurance |
Medical bills and lost wages for you and your passengers |
|
Medical payments |
Provides immediate, no-fault medical coverage (doesn’t matter who caused the accident) |
Medical and funeral expenses for you and your passengers after an accident |
|
Collision |
Pays for damage to your food truck from a crash, overturn, or rollover |
Repairs or replacement of your food truck after a collision with a vehicle or object, regardless of fault
|
|
Comprehensive |
Covers damage to your food truck not caused by a collision with another vehicle |
Theft, fire, vandalism, specific weather events, falling objects, or animal damage
|
What Types of Vehicles Are Covered?
Commercial auto policies are designed to cover your:
- Food truck
- Food trailer
- Cargo van
- Towing vehicle (e.g., pickup truck)
- Passenger vehicles you use for work
Any vehicle you use for work purposes can be covered by a commercial auto policy, including vehicles you also use for personal reasons. For example, if you tow your food trailer with your pickup truck and also use it to run errands unrelated to your business, it can still qualify for commercial auto coverage.
How Does Commercial Auto Insurance for Food Trucks Work?
Commercial auto insurance works similarly to personal auto insurance, but for claims relating to your food truck because it’s considered a business (commercial) vehicle.
If you or anyone else named on your policy (e.g., employees) causes injuries or damage while operating your food truck, commercial auto insurance helps cover related costs.
Additionally, if your truck is damaged or destroyed during an accident (with or without another vehicle involved), your commercial auto policy can help here, too. It can cover the cost of repairs or a replacement vehicle if you have collision and comprehensive coverage.
What Are Common Commercial Auto Insurance Food Truck Claims?
Just like your personal vehicle, there’s always a risk of damage or injury when driving your food truck. Review these common claim scenarios and how commercial auto insurance can cover costs stemming from each.
| Scenario | Coverage That Applies | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
You rear-end another vehicle in your food truck on the way to an event |
|
|
|
An uninsured driver collides with your food truck |
|
|
|
Your food truck is stolen while parked overnight at an event |
|
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Why FLIP for the Best Commercial Auto Insurance?
FLIP is your one-stop shop for food truck insurance needs. That includes commercial auto and food truck liability insurance, plus a wide selection of coverage options to customize your policy.
Simple Online Application
Skip printed forms and emailed PDFs. Simply fill out FLIP’s online application, and an agent will contact you to discuss your quote.
Stellar Customer Service
Our U.S.-based, licensed agents are happy to help you find the coverage you need for an affordable price.
Coverage in One Convenient Place
Get commercial auto, general liability, and other essential coverages that protect you from common food truck claims — all from FLIP.
FLIP is proud to offer commercial auto policies for food trucks in the following states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virgina
How Can I Get My Quote?
1. Start your online application
2. Enter information about your food truck business
3. Hit “Submit”
4. A licensed agent will contact you with your free quote
FLIP Customer Testimonials
Read what others say about their experience from over 350+ reviews.
Coverage Details
Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability
Up to $250,000 per person / $500,000 per accident / $100,000 per property, or a combined single limit up to $2,000,000
Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury
$25,000 person / $50,000 accident
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage
$10,000 with $100 deductible, $300 hit and run deductible
Personal Injury Protection
- $10,000
- $35,000
Medical Payments
Up to $10,000 each person
Comprehensive
Up to $5,000 deductible
Collision
Up to $5,000 deductible
Yes, food trailers are eligible for commercial auto coverage because they are considered a business vehicle. If you use a food trailer instead of a food truck, you need commercial auto coverage for both the trailer and the towing vehicle.
Pro Tip: Commercial auto coverage provides liability coverage for claims arising while your trailer is attached to your towing vehicle or while it is on the move. For liability coverage that applies when your trailer is parked and detached, check out our food trailer liability insurance policy and one-of-a-kind food trailer endorsement.
Commercial auto premiums are calculated based on the risk associated with the vehicle, the drivers, and how the vehicle is used.
Key factors influencing food truck commercial auto premiums include:
- Vehicle value and size (more expensive or larger trucks tend to cost more to insure)
- How the truck is used (mileage, local vs. event travel, and urban driving influence risk)
- Who’s driving it (accounts for driving records, driving experience, and number of drivers)
- Coverage limits and deductibles (higher limits and lower deductibles increase your premium)
- Where it’s stored when not in use (in a garage, in a driveway, at a commissary, etc.)
- Claims history (prior losses can mean higher premiums)
Yes, you need HNOA if your staff use their own personal vehicles for work-related tasks.
For example, you ask your employee to pick up supplies at your commissary kitchen in their car, and they rear-end another driver on the way there. Their personal auto policy would pay first, but if the damage they caused exceeds their limits or if the other driver names you in a lawsuit, HNOA could protect your business from the resulting expenses.
If you need HNOA, let your agent know after submitting your application. They may be able to help you get this coverage through our trusted partner, Insurance Canopy.
Commercial auto insurance typically covers gear and equipment permanently attached to your food truck, such as a stove bolted to the floor.
To cover damage or theft of unattached equipment, like a portable generator or microwave, you need tools and equipment (inland marine) insurance.
Yes, any vehicle you use for work purposes is considered commercial and not personal.
Other vehicles considered commercial autos include:
- Catering vans
- Food trailers
- Pickups
- Utility trucks
- Passenger vehicles
Personal auto insurance only covers vehicles you use for personal reasons. In other words, if you use your vehicle for business in any capacity, most personal auto policies will exclude it from coverage.
On the flip side, commercial auto policies cover your work vehicles, even if you sometimes use them for personal reasons, too.