I am heading out to Chicago to help my daughter and son-in-law drive a rented truck full of their possessions back to Massachusetts. Before I get behind the wheel I need to make sure that I am insured in case I cause an accident and injure someone. I know the MA Auto Policy will cover me when I rent a private passenger vehicle but what about a truck or van?
In this case it depends upon the Gross Vehicle Weight of the vehicle. According to the MA Automobile Insurers Bureau (AIB) the MA Auto Policy will cover a pick-up or van that has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 pounds. In this case, the truck has a GVWR of 12,300 lbs. and is therefore ineligible for coverage under my personal policy. As such we have purchased the insurance from the rental company that covers both the liability exposure (in case we injure another party) and the property exposure (if we damage the truck).
The MA Auto Policy is not meant to cover all vehicles all of the time and this is a perfect example. If you will be moving a child to school in the next month and plan on renting a van or truck make sure you check with your agent or company about whether you need to buy insurance from the rental company.
Please call us at (781) 598-5000 if you have any questions about auto insurance or would like to receive a free quote. You can also email me at jolson@ColumbiaInsuranceAgency.net.