Commercial auto symbols decide which trucks are covered
Every coverage on your auto policy carries a small number, and that number, not the truck, decides whether a claim is covered. Here is what each symbol means, where trucking fleets get caught, and what the MCS-90 does and does not fix.
Written by Rigo Diaz
Covered auto symbols in numbers
Commercial auto symbols are the numbers next to each coverage on your declarations page, and they decide which vehicles are covered autos. The ISO Business Auto form uses 1 to 9 and 19; the Motor Carrier form uses 61 to 71 and 79. Symbol 7 covers only the vehicles you list.
Most carriers pick their auto liability limit carefully and never look at the digit printed next to it. That digit deserves as much attention as the limit, because it quietly decides whether the truck in a claim was ever on the policy.
I spent more than six years in risk management before I founded Simplex, and I have led it for more than 25 years since. This guide walks through each symbol in the standard forms, the ones that matter most in trucking, and a short routine to keep your symbols in step with your fleet.
The full briefing, read aloud
8 chapters. Select one to jump to it.
Generated with AI text-to-speech from this article's key insights, in order, rather than reading it word for word. Chapter times come from a transcript of the audio. The article itself was written and reviewed by Rigo Diaz.
Key takeaways
The symbol defines the covered auto
The symbols next to each coverage on your declarations page designate the only autos that coverage applies to, and each coverage can carry different symbols.
Symbol 7 covers only what is listed
A truck you acquire is covered only if you already insure every owned auto for that coverage or it replaces one, and you tell the insurer within 30 days.
Symbol 10 is a custom symbol
Its meaning is written into your policy by endorsement. Mobile equipment subject to a financial responsibility law is symbol 19.
Trucking forms use different numbers
The ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form uses 61 to 71 and 79, including two trailer interchange symbols the Business Auto form does not have.
The MCS-90 protects the public, not you
It makes your insurer pay judgments for vehicles not described in the policy, but the insurer can then seek reimbursement from you.
In this articleContents
What are commercial auto symbols?
Commercial auto symbols, formally covered auto designation symbols, are the numbers that tell you which vehicles count as covered autos for each coverage on your policy. In the ISO Business Auto Coverage Form (CA 00 01), the symbols entered next to a coverage "designate the only autos that are covered autos."
That makes the symbol a coverage decision, not a label. The form also defines an auto to include trailers and semitrailers designed for public roads, so your trailers depend on your symbols too.
Where do I find the symbols on my policy?
On the declarations page, in the schedule of coverages (Item Two), next to each coverage you bought. If you use symbol 7, the vehicles themselves are listed in Item Three, the schedule of covered autos.
Liability and physical damage use separate symbols
Each coverage carries its own symbols. A truck can be a covered auto for liability and not for comprehensive or collision, so read the line for every coverage, not just the first one. If you are unsure what your commercial truck insurance includes, start there.
What does each commercial auto symbol mean?
The ISO Business Auto Coverage Form defines ten standard symbols: 1 through 9, and 19. Here is what each covers in plain English.
| Symbol | Name | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Any auto | Any auto |
| 2 | Owned autos only | Autos you own, including ones acquired mid-term; for liability, trailers you don't own while attached to your power units |
| 3 | Owned private passenger autos only | Private passenger autos you own, including ones acquired mid-term |
| 4 | Owned autos other than private passenger | Owned autos not of the private passenger type, such as trucks and tractors; for liability, trailers you don't own while attached to your power units |
| 5 | Owned autos subject to no-fault | Owned autos that must have no-fault benefits where they are licensed or principally garaged |
| 6 | Owned autos subject to a compulsory uninsured motorists law | Owned autos that must carry, and cannot reject, uninsured motorists coverage where they are licensed or garaged |
| 7 | Specifically described autos | Only autos listed in Item Three with a premium charge; for liability, trailers you don't own while attached to a listed power unit |
| 8 | Hired autos only | Autos you lease, hire, rent, or borrow, except from your employees, partners, LLC members, or their households |
| 9 | Non-owned autos only | Autos you don't own, lease, hire, rent, or borrow that are used in your business, including employees' cars while used in your business |
| 19 | Mobile equipment subject to compulsory or financial responsibility law | Land vehicles that would count as mobile equipment if a motor vehicle insurance law did not apply to them |
Symbols 1 through 6 and 19 automatically pick up autos of the described type that you acquire during the policy period. Symbol 7 does not, which is why it gets its own section below.
Is there a symbol 10?
Not as a standard definition. IRMI describes symbol 10 as a custom symbol, added through the Covered Autos Designation Symbol endorsement (CA 99 54), with wording you and the insurer agree on. If your policy shows a 10, that endorsement is the only place its meaning is written.
Mobile equipment that is subject to a financial responsibility law is symbol 19, not 10. Mobile equipment itself, such as a forklift built for use off public roads, is not an auto under the form at all. For the liability exposures an auto policy leaves out, see what CGL insurance covers for truckers.
What symbols does a Motor Carrier policy use?
Trucking policies can instead be written on the ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form (CA 00 20), which uses 61 to 71 and 79. IRMI lists 41 to 50 and 59 for the ISO Truckers form.
| Motor Carrier | Business Auto | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | Any auto |
| 62 | 2 | Owned autos only |
| 63 | 3 | Owned private passenger type autos only |
| 64 | 4 | Owned trucks, tractors, and trailers |
| 65 | 5 | Owned autos subject to no-fault |
| 66 | 6 | Owned autos subject to a compulsory uninsured motorists law |
| 67 | 7 | Specifically described autos |
| 68 | 8 | Hired autos only |
| 69 | None | Trailers you don't own, in your possession under a written interchange agreement in which you assume liability for loss |
| 70 | None | Trailers you own or hire, in someone else's possession under a written trailer interchange agreement |
| 71 | 9 | Non-owned autos only |
| 79 | 19 | Mobile equipment subject to a financial responsibility law |
Two differences matter if you lease on owner-operators. Symbol 68 excludes only private passenger type autos hired from your employees, agents, or their households. And the Motor Carrier form can make the lessor of a leased power unit an insured while it is used in your for-hire business under a written lease with no hold-harmless clause. The Business Auto form does not.
Why is symbol 7 the biggest gap for a growing fleet?
Because symbol 7 covers only the autos described in Item Three of your declarations with a premium charge shown. A truck that is not on that schedule is not a covered auto for that coverage, even if you own it.
New equipment is where fleets get caught. Under both ISO forms, a newly acquired auto is covered under symbol 7 (or 67) only if both of these are true:
- You already cover every auto you own for that coverage, or the new one replaces an auto that had it
- You tell the insurer within 30 days of acquiring it that you want it covered
Trailers follow the same rule. For liability, symbol 7 picks up trailers you don't own while attached to a listed power unit, but a trailer you own has to be listed itself.
The form does give some relief. For liability, a vehicle you don't own is covered while used, with its owner's permission, as a temporary substitute for a covered auto you own that is out of service for breakdown, repair, servicing, loss, or destruction.
Symbol 7 can work well for a stable fleet. For a fleet that is buying, leasing, and swapping units, I would not run it without a written process that makes adding a truck to the policy part of adding it to the operation.
How do hired and non-owned autos work (symbols 8 and 9)?
Symbol 8 covers autos you lease, hire, rent, or borrow. Symbol 9 covers autos you don't own, lease, hire, rent, or borrow that are used in connection with your business.
In trucking, symbol 8 is about leased tractors, short-term rentals, and units borrowed during a breakdown. It excludes autos you hire or borrow from your employees, partners, LLC members, or members of their households.
Under the Business Auto form, the owner you hire a unit from is not an insured under your policy, except for a trailer connected to a covered auto you own. If owner-operators are leased on to you, confirm which form your policy uses and whether each owner-operator carries non-trucking liability for the time off dispatch.
Symbol 9 includes your employees' own cars, but only while they are used in your business or your personal affairs. A dispatcher running an errand or a manager driving between terminals in a personal car is the typical exposure.
Why 2, 8, and 9 together are not the same as 1
Symbol 1 covers any auto. Combining 2, 8, and 9 leaves the gaps their definitions create: a vehicle you hire or borrow from an employee falls outside symbol 8, and because you hired or borrowed it, outside symbol 9 as well.
Does the MCS-90 fill the gaps in your symbols?
No. The MCS-90 protects the public, not you. It is the endorsement that proves federal financial responsibility, and in it the insurer agrees to pay final judgments for public liability "regardless of whether or not each motor vehicle is specifically described in the policy."
So a symbol 7 gap does not leave an injured person uncompensated. But as IRMI explains, when a claim is paid only because of the MCS-90, the insurer can seek reimbursement from you. The gap moves to your balance sheet.
Under 49 CFR 387.7, proof of financial responsibility is an MCS-90, an MCS-82 surety bond, or FMCSA authorization to self-insure, kept at your principal place of business. Under 387.15, the MCS-90 must be issued in your exact name and stays in effect until terminated.
| Carrier and vehicle | What you haul | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| For-hire, interstate or foreign, 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Property (nonhazardous) | $750,000 |
| For-hire and private, 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Oil, hazardous waste, and hazardous materials not in the $5 million rows | $1,000,000 |
| For-hire and private, 10,001 lb GVWR or more | Listed hazardous substances in bulk and other high-hazard materials named in the rule | $5,000,000 |
| For-hire and private, interstate or foreign, under 10,001 lb GVWR | Certain bulk high-hazard materials and highway route controlled radioactive quantities | $5,000,000 |
Those are floors. Shippers, brokers, and lenders can require more, so check your contracts as well as the regulation.
How to review your commercial auto symbols at renewal
A short routine keeps your symbols in step with the trucks you actually run.
Step 1: Match your unit list to the policy
If you use symbol 7 or 67, every power unit and every trailer you own should appear in Item Three. Reconcile the two lists on a schedule, not just at renewal.
Step 2: Put the 30-day clock in writing
Whoever buys or leases a unit tells your insurance contact the same day, and someone confirms the insurer's change in writing.
Step 3: Map how you source equipment
Owned trucks, leased-on owner-operators, rentals, and interchanged trailers each point to a different symbol. Make sure each one is on your declarations page.
Step 4: Check personal vehicle use
If staff drive their own cars for the business, confirm you carry symbol 9 or 71 for liability.
Step 5: Read every non-standard symbol
A 10, a 72, or any number not in the tables above means an endorsement defines it. Get that endorsement and read it.
Step 6: Compare your limits with what you haul
Check your liability limit against the federal minimum for your cargo and against your contracts. For what drives the price of those limits, see how much commercial truck insurance costs.
How Simplex helps you get your auto symbols right
The right symbol depends on how you actually own, lease, and run your equipment. We look at the operation first, then the policy.
Coverage built around your fleet
As a broker, we quote and place commercial truck insurance, from auto liability to physical damage and cargo, and a licensed agent can walk you through the symbols on your declarations page.
Owner-operators leased to a carrier
If you run under another carrier's authority, our non-trucking liability coverage is built for the time your truck is not under dispatch.
The compliance behind the policy
Our DOT safety compliance team keeps the records underwriters look at in order, from driver qualification files to ELD and hours of service.
Frequently asked questions
What is symbol 7 on a commercial auto policy?+
What does auto symbol 8 cover?+
What is symbol 10 on a commercial auto policy?+
What is auto symbol 2?+
What does auto symbol 5 mean?+
Where do I find the symbols on my policy?+
Where this information comes from
The symbol definitions below come from the standard ISO coverage forms, and the federal requirements from FMCSA's regulations, all checked on September 24, 2026. Insurers can change the standard wording by endorsement, so confirm your own policy with your agent.
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1
eCFR — 49 CFR 387.9
The federal minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers.
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2
eCFR — 49 CFR 387.7
The duty to carry financial responsibility, and the MCS-90, MCS-82, or self-insurance as proof.
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3
eCFR — 49 CFR 387.15
The MCS-90 must be in FMCSA's form, issued in the carrier's exact name, and continuous until terminated.
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4
ISO Business Auto Coverage Form CA 00 01 10 13 (County of Sonoma copy)
The wording of symbols 1 to 9 and 19, the 30-day rule for symbol 7, and who is an insured.
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5
ISO Motor Carrier Coverage Form CA 00 20 10 13 (National General forms catalog)
The wording of symbols 61 to 71 and 79, including the trailer interchange symbols and lessor insured status.
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6
IRMI — Auto coverage symbols
Symbol ranges for each ISO form, and symbol 10 as a custom symbol under endorsement CA 99 54.
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7
IRMI — MCS-90 endorsement
How the MCS-90 works on a reimbursement basis.
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8
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit — Illinois Central R.R. v. Dupont (2003)
Quotes the MCS-90 language covering vehicles not specifically described in the policy.
Written by
Rigo Diaz
Founder & CEO, Simplex Group
Founder and CEO of Simplex Group, with more than 25 years leading the company and helping trucking entrepreneurs navigate compliance, insurance, and the day-to-day demands of running a carrier. Before founding Simplex, he spent more than six years in risk management, experience that continues to shape how he approaches insurance, compliance, and carrier risk today.
Published · Updated
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The right symbol is the one that matches how you run
Your fleet changes every time you buy, lease, rent, or swap a unit. Your symbols decide whether the policy changed with it, and the MCS-90 only protects the public if it did not.
If you want a second look at the symbols on your declarations page before you renew, talk to our team.