Does General Liability Insurance Cover Your Work Truck in Arizona?
Your contracting business has general liability insurance. You have a work truck, a trailer full of tools and a crew that drives between job sites. So what happens if someone causes an accident while driving for the business? General liability insurance generally does not replace commercial auto insurance. A standard commercial general liability policy typically […]
What Does an FMCSA Insurance Filing Prove for an Arizona Trucking Company?
You’re getting a trucking business ready to operate, and someone asks whether your insurance is filed with the FMCSA. You already have an insurance certificate. Isn’t that enough? Not necessarily. For motor carriers that require federal operating authority, an FMCSA insurance filing is a formal record of required financial responsibility submitted to the federal agency […]
Do Arizona Contractors Need Workers’ Comp for 1099 Subcontractors?
You hire a subcontractor for a job. They invoice you. You issue a 1099. They’re an independent contractor, so they’re automatically outside your workers’ compensation policy. Right? Not necessarily. For Arizona contractors, the bigger question is whether the person is actually an independent contractor under Arizona law. Calling someone a subcontractor, paying them on a […]
What Is a Certificate of Insurance and Why Do Arizona Contractors Keep Getting Asked for One?
You win a job. The general contractor sends over the subcontract agreement. Before you’re allowed on the site, someone asks for your COI (certificate of insurance.) Then comes another request: “We also need to be listed as additional insured.” For contractors, these requests become so routine that it’s easy to treat a certificate of insurance […]
Insurance Mistakes Arizona Startups Make During Their First Year
The first year of a startup in Arizona is the year when insurance decisions get made with the least information and have the most lasting consequences. The coverage that gets bought in the first month reflects what the founder understood about business risk at the time of purchasing it, which is almost always less than […]
Does Your Business Need Cyber Insurance Even If You Don’t Sell Online?
The assumption that cyber insurance is for businesses that operate online is the assumption that leaves the most businesses underinsured for a risk they’re already carrying. A business that doesn’t have a website, doesn’t process online transactions, and doesn’t consider itself a technology company is still handling data in ways that create cyber insurance liability […]
How Often Should Arizona Businesses Review Their Insurance Policies?
Most Arizona businesses review their insurance policies once, when they buy them. The renewal that arrives each year gets processed with the same coverage, the same limits, and the same structure as the year before because nothing prompted a different conversation and the renewal is easier than the review. This approach works until it doesn’t, […]
What Happens If a Subcontractor Causes Damage on Your Job Site?
The damage a subcontractor causes on a job site doesn’t stay the subcontractor’s problem. It lands on the general contractor’s desk, in the general contractor’s insurance claim, and sometimes in the general contractor’s lawsuit, regardless of who physically caused the damage or whose employee was holding the tool when it happened. Understanding why this is […]
Why Some Arizona Businesses Outgrow Their Insurance Coverage Faster Than Expected
Business growth and insurance coverage don’t update on the same schedule, and the gap between them is where Arizona businesses discover they’re underinsured at the worst possible time. A policy that was correctly sized when it was written reflects the business as it existed at the point of purchase. The business that’s grown significantly since […]
What Happens During a Commercial Insurance Claim Investigation?
Most business owners file commercial insurance claims rarely enough that the investigation process is unfamiliar when it starts. The claim gets filed, an adjuster gets assigned, and what happens next is a process that has specific stages, specific requirements, and specific timeframes that affect the outcome in ways the business owner doesn’t always understand until […]