Heavy truck and commercial vehicle repair insurance in Ontario.

Heavier and higher-value units

Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety pages treat trucks and highway tractors with a gross weight or registered gross weight of more than 4,500 kilograms as a distinct category. A shop that services these units may hold individual vehicles worth far more than a typical customer car, sometimes with loads or equipment attached. Insurers may ask for the maximum individual value, the maximum total value on site at once and the typical mix of light, medium and heavy units.

• Largest and most valuable single unit on site
• Typical and peak number of heavy units at once
• Trailers, specialty bodies and attached equipment
• Customer-supplied cargo or contents

The intake form’s question about vehicles over 11,001 kg

The quote form asks whether the shop works on vehicles over 11,001 kg. That is an underwriting question about the shop’s operation, not a statement of any legal rule. A yes can change which insurers are approached and what they ask, so answer it accurately and add detail: how often, what types, and what share of revenue. Do not leave the answer blank because the work is occasional.

Hoist, yard and bay capacity

Insurers may ask whether hoists, bays and doors are rated for the units being serviced, and where heavy units wait for parts or approval. A yard with limited fencing and lighting presents a different picture from a secured compound. Describe the actual capacity of the equipment, not the largest vehicle you hope to take in.

Road tests of large units

Driving a loaded or very large vehicle is different from road-testing a passenger car. Insurers may ask who drives, what licence classes they hold, whether abstracts are reviewed, where test routes run and whether units are ever driven with cargo on board. Confirm in writing what is accepted before heavy units are driven.

Commercial-vehicle inspections and certificates

Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety requirements say annual inspections apply to most trucks, trailers and converter dollies above 4,500 kilograms, and that inspections must be completed by a licensed motor vehicle inspection technician at a Ministry of Transportation-licensed station. A safety standards certificate is required in certain situations, such as registering a rebuilt vehicle or changing a vehicle’s status from unfit to fit. If the shop performs, supports or advertises inspection-related work, tell the broker, because that is a separate service from general repair.

Customer vehicles in your care, custody or control

Ontario’s garage automobile wording addresses liability for damage to a customer’s automobile while it is in the insured’s care, custody or control, subject to the certificate, limits, deductibles and exclusions. For heavy units, check how the limit and any per-vehicle values on the certificate compare with the value of the biggest unit you could hold.

Prepare a heavy-truck submission

Useful information includes the vehicle weight classes serviced, the share of revenue from heavy work, maximum individual and total unit values, hoist capacity, driver licensing and abstracts, subcontracted work, premises security and current policies and loss history.

Common questions