Many business owners do not realize the extent of the liability they have for the actions of their employees. For some of them, it may come as a surprise that anything an employee does, no matter how foolish, stupid, or even illegal, the liability comes back to haunt the business owners.

This is especially true when it comes to the operation of commercial vehicles owned by the business. Commercial vehicles need comprehensive commercial insurance depending on the states where they operate. They may need to have insurance in more than one state if they operate across state lines.

Additionally, even unauthorized use of a vehicle when stolen or used without permission creates a liability for the business owner. There have been legal cases when an employee gets access to the keys for a commercial vehicle and takes it on a “joy ride” after hours without permission and then it is involved in an accident. The business owner wakes up the next day to a horrible circumstance and is suddenly responsible for the damages that occurred.

In a few cases, the damages are severe, and people died in the accidents. Imagine someone takes your company truck without permission in the middle of the night and an unauthorized user crashes it into another vehicle and kills someone. The local news will show your truck as the cause of the accident with your company logo on the truck.

Lawyers are notorious for trying to place the blame on the “deepest pockets" they can find. Business owners with a truck or vehicle involved in an accident are big targets. This is why it is important to have a comprehensive commercial vehicle insurance policy that covers as much of the risks as possible whenever any business has even one vehicle used for operations.

Summary
Culpability is not the only concern. A business may be without any direct responsibility for what happens to the commercial vehicles, used without permission, with their name on them. Nevertheless, if a company’s name is on a vehicle, the liability arises for anything that happens with it. Check with the agents at Assure-US to make sure you are prepared for the worst-case scenario when it comes to commercial insurance for vehicles used in businesses. You will be glad you did.