About $226 a month
Commercial auto in Pennsylvania
Insureon average for Pennsylvania customers, updated March 2026
Pennsylvania · state requirements
Commercial auto insurance in Pennsylvania
For Pennsylvania businesses that run cars, vans, pickups or trucks: the state minimums, PUC filings for for-hire work, what coverage costs and what to have ready for a quote.
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What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto in Pennsylvania
- About $226 a month
- Commercial auto, national
- About $245 a month
- Business auto, national
- $276 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What commercial auto insurance in Pennsylvania costs
About $245 a month
Commercial auto, national
Insureon average for small business customers nationwide, updated March 2026
$276 a month
Business auto, national
Progressive Commercial national average for business auto customers, 2025
$260 a month
Contractor auto, national
Progressive Commercial national average for contractors, 2025
Insureon reports that its Pennsylvania customers pay an average of $226 a month, or $2,707 a year, for commercial auto, slightly below its $245 national figure. Most of those customers have fewer than five employees, so the numbers fit a business with one to a few vehicles. Progressive Commercial’s 2025 national averages are $260 a month for contractors and $276 for business auto. A for-hire truck that needs a $750,000 PUC filing, or a fleet whose contracts require $1 million, should expect to pay well above these figures.
What moves your price
- Vehicle type, weight and value
- Garaging and radius; Progressive says a route inside Philadelphia rates lower than one across Eastern Pennsylvania
- Liability limits: the 15/30/5 floor costs less than a $1 million contract limit
- PUC filings for for-hire hauling or passengers, with floors from $300,000 to $5 million
- UM and UIM limits, which match your liability limits unless you sign the rejection form
- Driver records, claims history and physical damage deductibles
Pennsylvania
What’s different in Pennsylvania
15/30/5 is the legal floor
The Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law sets the minimum at $15,000 for one injured person, $30,000 for two or more and $5,000 for property damage (75 Pa.C.S. 1702). Business vehicles get no higher floor, and anything above your limits falls on the business.
Every policy pays $5,000 in medical benefits first
Every liability policy on a registered vehicle must include a $5,000 medical benefit paid regardless of fault (75 Pa.C.S. 1711). Under section 1722, an injured person cannot then recover those benefits from the at-fault driver.
Limited tort does not shield commercial vehicles
Limited tort is a private passenger option. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 1705(d)(3), anyone injured riding in another type of vehicle keeps full tort rights, so passengers in your box truck or company van can sue for pain and suffering even if they chose limited tort at home.
UM and UIM default to your liability limits
Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. A rejection counts only on the statutory form, signed and dated by the first named insured; otherwise coverage equals your bodily injury limits (75 Pa.C.S. 1731).
A lapse suspends registration for three months
Insurers report cancellations to PennDOT, and a lapse of 31 days or more brings a three-month registration suspension; once in 12 months you can pay a $500 civil penalty instead. Driving uninsured adds a fine of at least $300 and a three-month license suspension.
Truck crashes and deer strikes are frequent
PennDOT counted 6,805 heavy truck crashes in 2024, 124 of them fatal, and 5,111 crashes in which a vehicle hit a deer. Tires, brakes and unsecured or overloaded trailers led the defects in truck crashes caused by vehicle failure.
Coverage
Coverage Pennsylvania businesses need
Auto liability
Pays for injuries and property damage your vehicles cause to others. The state requires 15/30/5, PUC Form E filings are made against it and many contracts ask for $1 million.
How commercial auto works →First-party medical benefits
The required $5,000 medical benefit pays treatment regardless of fault. PUC passenger carriers need $25,000 in medical and $10,000 in wage loss benefits for passengers and pedestrians.
How commercial auto works →Uninsured and underinsured motorist
Pays for injuries caused by a driver with no insurance or too little. It matches your liability limits unless you reject it or request lower limits in writing.
How commercial auto works →Collision and comprehensive
Repairs or replaces your own vehicles after a crash or a non-collision loss such as theft, vandalism, fire or flood. Worth weighing in a state that recorded 5,111 deer crashes in 2024.
How commercial auto works →Motor truck cargo
Pays for damage to goods you haul. PUC common carriers of property and household goods must file at least $5,000 on Form H; dump trucks and construction material haulers are exempt.
Umbrella or excess liability
Adds limits above your auto policy when a customer, contractor or shipper asks for more than your primary limit.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Pennsylvania requirements
Every vehicle registered in Pennsylvania, business or personal, must meet the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law. Businesses paid to move goods or passengers between two Pennsylvania points also need a PUC certificate backed by insurer filings. Interstate carriers answer to federal FMCSA rules as well.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum liability | Every registered or operated motor vehicle | $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident and $5,000 property damage, under 75 Pa.C.S. 1702 and 1786. |
| First-party medical benefit | Every policy on a vehicle registered in Pennsylvania, except motorcycles | $5,000 regardless of fault, under 75 Pa.C.S. 1711. |
| UM and UIM offer | Vehicles registered or principally garaged in Pennsylvania | Must be offered; a rejection is void unless on the statutory form signed by the first named insured (75 Pa.C.S. 1731). |
| PUC certificate | Anyone paid to carry goods or passengers between two Pennsylvania points | Required before operating; a USDOT number does not authorize intrastate work. Fine of $1,000 per violation, per the PUC. Philadelphia taxis and limos answer to the Philadelphia Parking Authority. |
| PUC property carrier liability | For-hire property carriers and household goods movers | $300,000 per accident up to 10,000 lb and $750,000 above, filed by the insurer on Form E (52 Pa. Code 32.12). Cancellation needs 30 days’ notice and a lapse suspends the certificate (32.2). |
| PUC cargo coverage | Common carriers of property and household goods | At least $5,000 on Form H (52 Pa. Code 32.13); dump trucks and earth or stone haulers are exempt. |
| PUC passenger carrier liability | Taxi, limo and other passenger carriers | 15/30/5 plus $25,000 medical and $10,000 wage loss up to 15 passengers, $1 million for 16 to 28 and $5 million for 29 or more (52 Pa. Code 32.11). |
| USDOT number displayed | Intrastate trucks of 17,001 lb or more; interstate trucks of 10,001 lb or more | Shown on the side of the truck under 67 Pa. Code 231.7 and 49 CFR 390.21, per PennDOT. Farm trucks, school buses and government vehicles are exempt intrastate. |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Parking a vehicle for good? Return the plate and registration card to PennDOT within 30 days of canceling its insurance to avoid a three-month suspension.
- Choose UM and UIM limits deliberately and keep the signed forms with your policy.
- Maintain tires, brakes and trailer loading, the leading defects PennDOT found in truck crashes caused by vehicle failure.
- Check every driver’s motor vehicle record before hiring and once a year after.
- Raise collision deductibles on older vehicles you could afford to repair.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- PUC utility number and USDOT number, if you have them
- Vehicle list with VINs, weight ratings, values and garaging addresses
- Driver list with license numbers, dates of birth and experience
- Loss runs from current and prior insurers
- Current declarations page and any signed UM or UIM rejection forms
- Radius of operation and what you haul or whether you carry passengers
- Whether you need Form E or Form H filed with the PUC
- The limits your customers require on certificates
Common questions
Commercial auto insurance in Pennsylvania: questions
Does a pickup I use for work count as a private passenger vehicle?
Under 75 Pa.C.S. 1702, a vehicle of 9,000 pounds or less qualifies only if an individual insures it and it is not principally used for commercial purposes other than farming. A company-owned pickup or one used mainly for business generally falls outside that definition.
Do I need a PUC number to haul for pay inside Pennsylvania?
Yes, if you are paid and the trip starts and ends in Pennsylvania, unless a PUC exemption applies. The fine is $1,000 per violation, and a property carrier application costs $100.
What happens if my commercial auto policy lapses?
Your insurer reports the cancellation to PennDOT, and a lapse of 31 days or more suspends the registration for three months. A PUC carrier’s certificate is suspended immediately, and the PUC warns a suspension can lead to cancellation.
Do I have to buy uninsured motorist coverage in Pennsylvania?
No, but insurers must offer it. Unless the first named insured signs the statutory rejection form, the policy carries uninsured and underinsured coverage equal to its bodily injury limits.
Can someone partly at fault sue my business?
Yes. Under 42 Pa.C.S. 7102, a plaintiff recovers if their negligence is not greater than the defendants’, with damages reduced by their share, and a defendant found at least 60% liable can owe the full award. Injury suits must be filed within two years (42 Pa.C.S. 5524).
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Sources (13)
- PennDOT: Insurance Law fact sheet (February 2025)
- Pennsylvania General Assembly: 75 Pa.C.S. chapter 17, Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law
- Justia: 75 Pa.C.S. 1705, election of tort options
- Pennsylvania PUC: motor carrier insurance and minimum limits
- Pennsylvania PUC: FAQs about intrastate authority (April 2023)
- Pennsylvania Code: 52 Pa. Code chapter 32, motor carrier insurance
- PennDOT: USDOT number fact sheet (April 2025)
- PennDOT: 2024 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics
- Insureon: commercial auto insurance in Pennsylvania (updated March 2026)
- Insureon: commercial auto insurance cost (updated March 2026)
- Progressive Commercial: Pennsylvania commercial auto insurance (2025 averages)
- FindLaw: 42 Pa.C.S. 7102, comparative negligence
- Pennsylvania General Assembly: 42 Pa.C.S. 5524, two-year limitation
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.