Any auto vs scheduled autos on commercial auto insurance

Any auto vs scheduled autos at a glance

Each coverage on a business auto policy has its own covered auto symbol; IRMI notes that the business auto form uses symbols 1 to 9 and 19. On the standard ACORD certificate, the auto liability section has boxes for any auto, owned autos only, scheduled autos, hired autos only and non-owned autos only. Wellesley College’s certificate review guide maps any auto to Symbol 1 and scheduled autos to Symbol 7.

Symbol 1 has no ownership test at all. Symbol 7 covers only the vehicles described on the declarations with a premium shown, plus, for liability, non-owned trailers attached to them.

Where scheduled autos leave gaps

Symbol 7 works as long as the schedule matches reality. The form’s wording creates three common gaps:

One gap is smaller than many owners think. Even on Symbol 7, liability covers a vehicle you don’t own while it is used as a temporary substitute for a covered vehicle that is out of service for breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction. Grit Insurance Group calls the reporting burden the Symbol 7 trap: fleets add and swap trucks, and the schedule falls behind.

• New vehicles: a vehicle bought mid-term is covered only if you already insure all your owned vehicles for that coverage, or it replaces one that was, and you tell the insurer within 30 days. On Symbols 1 to 6 and 19, new vehicles of the type described are covered for the rest of the policy period.
• Rentals and borrowed vehicles that aren’t temporary substitutes are not covered autos.
• Employees’ cars used on business are not covered autos, so a suit against your business after an employee’s crash has no auto policy behind it.

Scheduled autos plus hired and non-owned: close, but not equal

When an insurer won’t write any auto, the usual fallback is to add Symbol 8 (hired autos) and Symbol 9 (non-owned autos), paired with Symbol 2 (all owned autos) or Symbol 7. On a certificate, that shows as several boxes checked instead of any auto. Christopher Boggs, writing for MyNewMarkets and the Insurance Journal Academy, calls 2, 8 and 9 very close to Symbol 1 but not equal. The remaining gaps include:

• Vehicles you rent or borrow from employees, partners, LLC members or their households: Symbol 8 excludes them and Symbol 9 excludes anything you rent or borrow.
• Rentals in an employee’s own name: Boggs points to the Employee Hired Autos endorsement (CA 20 54) to close this gap.
• Owned vehicles missing from the schedule, if you pair 8 and 9 with Symbol 7 rather than Symbol 2.
• For vehicles you don’t own, your coverage is excess over the owner’s or rental policy, which pays first.

When a contract requires any auto

Wellesley’s guide tells certificate reviewers to check the contract whenever anything other than any auto is checked. Gulf Coast Risk Management, which reviews certificates for clients, says a contract that requires any auto needs Symbol 1, not Symbol 7, and that a certificate showing the wrong symbol can leave you in breach of the contract. To meet the requirement:

• Read the exact contract wording; some only require hired and non-owned coverage, which Symbols 8 and 9 satisfy.
• Ask your insurer whether Symbol 1 is available by endorsement or at renewal, and what it adds to the premium.
• If it isn’t, ask the client in writing whether 2, 8 and 9 or 7, 8 and 9 is acceptable.
• Never ask for a certificate that shows any auto when the policy says otherwise; the certificate does not change the policy.
• Get a new certificate after any change.

Can you get any auto, and what does it cost?

Often not on a first policy. Big “I” Virtual University faculty say many insurers won’t offer Symbol 1 because they consider it too broad, and an insured may have to pay more premium to get it. Avanti Group, an independent agency, says refusals are common on smaller or first-time accounts. Insurers price this individually, so ask for quotes on both setups rather than assuming the difference.

Any auto also doesn’t replace an accurate vehicle list. The same faculty panel says owned vehicles should still be listed, that leaving units off can raise misrepresentation questions and that insurers can only report coverage to state motor vehicle departments for VINs they know about.

Which setup fits your business

Avanti Group recommends liability on Symbol 1 wherever the insurer allows it and physical damage on Symbol 7, scheduled by VIN. This table applies that guidance to common situations.

Underwriting appetite for any auto varies, so the same business can get different answers from different insurers. A broker such as Florin can compare how several insurers would write your policy.