Employers’ Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability

Did you know that as an employer, you can be liable for damage or injury your employees cause even while in their own vehicle when they’re on the job for you?

So when would your employee be “on the job” while driving their own vehicle?  Just commuting to the shop may not be considered “on the job”, but what if that employee is getting your mail, or doing some other work-related chore on the way to the office, or they’re on the way to a customer’s jobsite?  You could be held liable for any damages they may cause, and that’s where Employers Hired & Non-Owned auto Liability (HNOL) comes in to play.

If your employee (or subcontractor) is driving a vehicle for purposes related to your work, whether that’s a vehicle they own, rent or lease, or a vehicle owned, rented or leased by someone other than the employee, and they cause damage or injury, you could be held liable as the responsible party (“vicarious liability”), which can be covered by HNOL coverage.

Unfortunately HNOL is often overlooked.

The good news is that this coverage is usually very easy and inexpensive to obtain via endorsement, on either a Commercial Auto policy or a General Liability policy.  If you’re wondering if this is a coverage you carry, give one of our experienced brokers a call to do an overview of your current policies to make sure ALL your drivers have adequate coverage, whether they’re driving company vehicles, or one of their own.