Business Auto Coverage Symbols

Business auto coverage symbols are the numbers — 1 through 9, plus custom symbol 10 — printed on the ISO Business Auto Coverage Form that tell you exactly which vehicles each coverage on the policy applies to. They appear on the declarations page next to each coverage line (liability, medical payments, uninsured motorists, physical damage), and the symbol — not the vehicle schedule alone — controls the scope of protection. The key symbols are: 1 = any auto (broadest), 2 = all owned autos, 7 = specifically described autos, 8 = hired autos only, and 9 = non-owned autos only. Because a policy can carry different symbols for different coverages, reading them is the fastest way to know what a commercial auto policy really covers.

Symbols matter to a small-business buyer because a mismatch creates uncovered exposure that no one notices until a claim. If liability is written with symbol 7 (only the trucks listed on the policy), then an employee who rents a van or drives a personal car on company business is not covered for the business's vicarious liability. To close that gap you combine symbols: adding 8 and 9 brings in hired and non-owned autos, which is the same exposure addressed by hired and non-owned auto coverage. Symbol 1 is the safest choice because it means "any auto," but insurers underwrite it more carefully and it is not always available for every risk.

A practical nuance: the numbered families change by policy type. The Business Auto form uses 1–9, but the Garage form uses symbols in the 20s, the Truckers form uses the 40s–50s, and the Motor Carrier form uses the 60s–70s, so a dealer or a trucker will see entirely different numbers. There is also a Covered Autos Designation Symbol endorsement (custom symbol 10) that lets the insurer and insured write tailored wording when the standard symbols do not fit. When you review a certificate or an endorsement, always confirm the symbol behind each coverage rather than assuming "auto" means "all autos."