Three layers cover an HVAC fleet properly.
Service Vans and Install Trucks
Liability comes first, usually at a $1,000,000 combined single limit to satisfy the property managers, builders and commercial customers who ask for certificates. Physical damage covers the van, including shelving, bulkheads and racks, plus any wrap, all of which have to be declared to be paid.
Florida's baseline for any registered vehicle is $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage liability (ss. 627.736, 324.022, Fla. Stat.), which is well short of what a commercial account requires. Our work van and cargo van insurance page covers van specifics including upfits and wraps.
Refrigerant, Gauges and Tools in the Van
Auto physical damage stops at the vehicle. Recovery machines, gauge sets, vacuum pumps, cylinders of refrigerant and nitrogen, and the hand tools that make up a technician's kit need inland marine or contractors equipment coverage. Overnight theft from vans is one of the most common claims in this trade across Tampa Bay, and it is the claim most likely to be uncovered when only auto insurance is in place.
Equipment staged for an install is the bigger number. Condensers and air handlers waiting on a truck or at a job site need coverage that follows the property, not the van.
Technicians Who Take Vans Home
Take-home vans are standard in HVAC, and they change two things. The garaging address for each van becomes the technician's neighborhood rather than the shop, which affects rating, and the personal use of a company vehicle needs to be permitted properly on the policy.
A van garaged in Brandon, another in Town 'n' Country and a third in Wesley Chapel are three rating territories on one policy, and they should be listed that way rather than all at the shop address.
