Oregon Commercial Vehicle Insurance
Get a full analysis of Oregon commercial vehicle costs, coverage, and companies.
Written by
Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She has covered topics as easy as insuring a car, and as difficult as transparency in healthcare costs.
Find the Best Commercial Vehicle Insurance Options in Oregon
While having an accident in your personal car can be traumatic, an accident behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle can be disastrous. If you own a business in Oregon, you need commercial vehicle insurance if you use any vehicles for business purposes. If an accident occurs, having the right commercial auto insurance may mean the difference between keeping the doors open and closing up shop.
An independent insurance agent in Oregon can help you find competitively priced coverage that is compliant with all state and federal laws and affordable for your business.
Best Commercial Vehicle Insurance Companies in Oregon
How can you make the best choice for commercial vehicle insurance in Oregon?
We selected the following carriers as some of the best commercial vehicle insurance companies in Oregon. They are highly rated for their mix of valuable coverage offerings and competitive pricing.
- Progressive: Progressive is based in Ohio and offers commercial vehicle insurance across all 50 states. Oregon business owners can look to Progressive for most of their business insurance needs.
- Liberty Mutual: Liberty Mutual is headquartered in Boston, MA, and has been offering business insurance since 1912. Today, the company offers a flexible, multi-line range of coverages, including commercial vehicle insurance, designed to meet the needs of any business, regardless of size or industry.
- Travelers: Travelers offers highly rated commercial vehicle insurance in Oregon. The company provides a variety of other business insurance options, including inland marine, workers' compensation, and general liability.
- EMC Insurance Companies: EMC is one of the top 60 business insurance companies in the United States. The company specializes in designing well-rounded insurance programs to protect the financial assets of many types of businesses and organizations.
- Nationwide: Nationwide provides commercial auto insurance and other popular types of business insurance coverage in Oregon. The company is headquartered in Columbus, OH, and is represented by independent insurance agents in 50 states.
An independent insurance agent in your area can help you learn more about these and other Oregon commercial vehicle insurance companies. A local agent can help you get competitive quotes for the coverage that fits your needs.
Oregon Commercial Vehicle Insurance Requirements
Business vehicle owners in Oregon must purchase a car insurance policy that meets the state's minimum coverage requirements. In Oregon, you must have the following coverage, at a minimum, in order to comply with state law and avoid penalties:
- Bodily injury liability coverage: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash
- Property damage liability coverage: $20,000 per crash
- Personal injury protection: $15,000 per person
- Uninsured motorist: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury
Trucks over 10,000 pounds have additional state and federal regulations that they must comply with, including additional liability insurance requirements. The amount of liability insurance required for trucks depends on several factors, including:
- The truck’s weight
- Whether the truck is involved in interstate commerce
- Whether the truck is transporting people, household goods, hazardous materials, etc.
Your independent insurance agent can help you learn more about the requirements for commercial vehicle insurance in Oregon.
What Commercial Vehicle Insurance Covers in Oregon
You need commercial auto insurance in Oregon to cover your business cars, trucks, and any other vehicles used in business operations. Your commercial auto insurance policy can cover:
- Vehicles that your business owns
- Vehicles that your business owns, hires, and leases
- All vehicles that are used for business purposes, including those that the business does not own, hire, or lease (e.g., when your employees drive their own personal vehicles for business purposes)
All commercial vehicle insurance policies in Oregon will include at least the state-mandated coverage for each vehicle on the policy:
- Bodily injury liability coverage: Helps pay for other drivers’ and passengers’ injuries when the policyholder is at fault in an accident.
- Property damage liability coverage: Pays for damage to someone else’s property when the policyholder is at fault for that damage (i.e., another party’s vehicle, a fence, etc.).
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: Covers your driver’s medical expenses following an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver.
In addition, an Oregon commercial auto policy may include the following types of optional coverage:
- Collision coverage: Covers damage to your vehicle sustained in a collision, regardless of who was at fault.
- Comprehensive coverage: Covers the cost to repair or replace your vehicle if it is damaged or totaled by a non-collision event such as a hailstorm or theft.
- Medical payments coverage: Helps pay for medical, dental, and funeral expenses for you or your passengers, regardless of who is at fault for an accident.
- Towing and roadside assistance: Covers the cost of a service call if your company vehicle becomes disabled while on the road.
- Non-owned or hired auto liability insurance: Provides liability coverage for non-owned vehicles used for business purposes, such as when you rent or lease a vehicle or when you or an employee use a personal vehicle for business purposes.
Your local independent insurance agent can help you determine which coverage types may benefit your unique needs.
Average Cost of Commercial Vehicle Insurance in Oregon
Because there is such a wide variety of commercial vehicles used for business purposes, it would be virtually impossible to provide a cost estimate without knowing the details of your vehicle fleet.
If you drive a four-door sedan for work purposes, your Oregon commercial auto insurance may cost much less than it would for a business owner who employs a fleet of trucks. Factors that will affect your commercial vehicle insurance premium include:
- The number of vehicles your business is insuring
- Each vehicle’s type, year, make, model, and safety features
- Each vehicle’s passenger capacity if used for transporting people
- Whether your vehicle(s) will be used to transport hazardous materials
- The estimated number of miles your vehicle(s) will be driven annually
- The driving histories of the employees who will be operating the vehicles
- The amount of coverage you wish to purchase
Because each insurance company has its own method for determining costs, it pays to compare rates before purchasing a policy. That way, you can be sure you are getting the coverage you want at a competitive price.
An independent insurance agent can help you understand all the risks you face and get quotes for affordable commercial auto insurance in Oregon.
How to Find the Best Commercial Vehicle Insurance Quote in Oregon
Commercial vehicle insurance can cover everything from small cars to large buses, so Oregon businesses have varying coverage requirements and needs. Seeking the advice of a local independent insurance agent is the best way to get your questions answered and find affordable coverage.
An independent insurance agent in Oregon can help you obtain and compare a selection of customized quotes for your unique coverage needs.
Find Commercial Auto Insurance
Our independent agents shop around to find you the best coverage.
Oregon Commercial Vehicle Insurance FAQs
If your commercial vehicle is involved in an accident that results in serious injuries or fatalities, you can be faced with a very expensive lawsuit. And even minor fender-benders can result in property damage costs and loss of income for your business.
Any Oregon business that owns vehicles needs commercial auto insurance to protect itself from the large financial losses that can result from a crash.
The requirements for commercial auto insurance are determined by either state or federal law depending on the type of vehicle, the vehicle’s weight, the number of passengers, what the vehicle carries (e.g., innocuous goods or hazardous materials), and whether it is engaged in interstate commerce.
Most small business owners don’t own vehicles that are subject to federal law, and they must purchase commercial auto insurance coverage that meets the same requirements as all personal auto insurance policies.
All commercial vehicle insurance policies in Oregon will include at least the state-mandated coverage for each vehicle on the policy:
- Bodily injury liability coverage: Helps pay for other drivers’ and passengers’ injuries when the policyholder is at fault in an accident.
- Property damage liability coverage: Pays for damage to someone else’s property when the policyholder is at fault for that damage (i.e., another party’s vehicle, a fence, etc.).
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: Covers your driver’s medical expenses following an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver.
In addition, an Oregon commercial auto policy may include the following types of optional coverage:
- Collision coverage: Covers damage to your vehicle sustained in a collision, regardless of who was at fault.
- Comprehensive coverage: Covers the cost to repair or replace your vehicle if it is damaged or totaled by a non-collision event such as a hailstorm or theft.
- Medical payments coverage: Helps pay for medical, dental, and funeral expenses for you or your passengers, regardless of who is at fault for an accident.
- Towing and roadside assistance: Covers the cost of a service call if your company vehicle becomes disabled while on the road.
- Non-owned or hired auto liability insurance: Provides liability coverage for non-owned vehicles used for business purposes, such as when you rent or lease a vehicle or when you or an employee use a personal vehicle for business purposes.
Business vehicle owners in Oregon must purchase a car insurance policy that meets the state's minimum coverage requirements. In Oregon, you must have the following coverage, at a minimum, in order to comply with state law and avoid penalties:
- Bodily injury liability coverage: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash
- Property damage liability coverage: $20,000 per crash
- Personal injury protection: $15,000 per person
- Uninsured motorist: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury
Trucks over 10,000 pounds have additional state and federal regulations that they must comply with, including additional liability insurance requirements.
Business owners in Oregon can deduct from their taxes the ordinary and necessary cost of any business insurance policy as a business expense. This includes any insurance policy that is common, helpful, and appropriate for your industry.
What’s more, most businesses are required to carry some types of business insurance — including commercial auto insurance — because of state laws, industry regulations, or contracts. Premiums for these policies are tax-deductible.
In addition, self-employed people who use their cars for business-related purposes can deduct many of the expenses associated with that vehicle, including car insurance premiums. If you use your car strictly for work-related purposes, you can write off all costs associated with operating and maintaining it. If your car use is mixed between business and personal reasons, you can only deduct costs that are related to the business usage of the vehicle.
Your insurance company will consider the number of vehicles and drivers, the makes and models of the vehicles, the amount of coverage that each vehicle needs, and more to determine the cost of your commercial auto insurance in Oregon.
Remember that a company with a fleet of trucks will pay more than a small business with a few cars used for sales calls or deliveries.
You can minimize your risk of collisions and control costs by hiring experienced drivers with good driving records, and by ensuring that your company’s vehicles are well-maintained. It is also a good idea to limit the number of hours your employees spend on the road each day to prevent problems with driver fatigue.
These activities not only promote safety and help avoid accidents, but also many insurance companies offer discounts to policyholders who provide their drivers with safety education materials and training.
Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Travelers, Progressive, and EMC are some of the best commercial vehicle insurance companies in Oregon. They are highly rated for offering broad coverage, top-notch customer service, and a variety of affordable options for business owners.
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to commercial auto insurance. A business that relies on a few cars for making local deliveries will have vastly different needs than one that uses heavy trucks for interstate commerce.
A local independent insurance agent can help you find a competitively priced policy that meets your state’s coverage requirements. Contact an independent agent in Oregon to begin comparing customized commercial vehicle insurance quotes.
https://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/driverid/insurance.aspx