Commercial vehicle insurance is a bit different than the insurance you have for your own personal car or truck, and if you're a business owner or are self-employed and use a vehicle in the course of your business, you may need this type of insurance coverage for your vehicle. This will ensure that repairs needed for that vehicle are properly covered if you should get into an accident while in the course of business.

While an insurance agent can answer your specific questions about insurance repairs for heavy vehicles, note a few factors to keep in mind about this coverage and about getting repairs reimbursed from this coverage so you know what to discuss with him or her.

How is commercial insurance different than personal insurance when it comes to repairs?

Most vehicle insurance will cover some basics, including property damage and medical costs that are caused by a collision or accident. However, commercial insurance may offer coverage options that aren't typically available with personal insurance, such as reimbursing you the cost of inventory that gets damaged during a collision or during the loading and unloading process. This is good to remember if you're having a commercial vehicle repaired, as you may want to ask about being reimbursed for the cost of damaged inventory at the same time as you ask to be reimbursed for those collision repairs.

Personal insurance may also not cover certain upgrades and features on a vehicle that are made specifically for a business. For example, if you added a luggage rack to your car so you can strap a bike on the back of the vehicle, a personal vehicle policy may not cover the cost of repairing that rack, but your commercial vehicle insurance should cover the cost of repairing the vehicle fully.

Does commercial insurance cover repairs on heavy-duty vehicles that aren't used on roads?

Many commercial insurance policies cover the cost of damage to heavy equipment, even if that equipment is damaged on your own site and by your own employee! If a warehouse person runs a forklift into a wall and damages the forks or the cab of the forklift, for example, the insurance policy may cover the cost of repairs. You may be required to use a mechanic or smash shop that is properly licensed to make repairs to heavy equipment in particular, but don't assume that damage done to equipment that's not on the road won't be covered by commercial insurance.