Tools were stolen from the van or trailer, or the owner wants them covered before they are

Does commercial auto insurance cover tools?

Not by name. ISO's business auto form pays for physical damage "to a covered "auto" or its equipment," lists no tools and never defines "equipment," so whether anything inside the van counts is a question for your insurer, answered by the policy it issued. The same form's liability coverage excludes property you own or transport. Tools are insured separately: ISO's contractors' tools endorsement for a businessowners policy carries its own limit, deductible and theft-from-vehicle exclusion, and The Hartford sells tools coverage as inland marine.

Updated October 3, 2026. Written by Andre Beukers, principal at Redoubt, a commercial insurance agency in Salt Lake City, not a government office.

What does commercial auto pay for when a work van is broken into?

The van, under whichever physical damage coverage your declarations show. In ISO's CA 00 01, Comprehensive pays "From any cause except" collision and overturn, and Specified Causes Of Loss lists "(2) Theft" and "(5) Mischief or vandalism," so a punched lock or a broken window falls there, less the deductible. Both pay for "loss" to a covered "auto" or its equipment.

What counts as the van's equipment is not settled by the form, which never defines the word. The Hartford, listing what its inland marine policies leave out, names "Vehicles and vehicle‑mounted equipment, which are generally covered under commercial auto insurance." For shelving, ladder racks, a bolted-in toolbox or a mounted compressor, ask the carrier in writing whether it treats them as the van's equipment and what value it holds for them.

Electronics have their own exclusion. The form excludes "Any electronic equipment, without regard to whether this equipment is permanently installed, that reproduces, receives or transmits audio, visual or data signals," with exceptions only for equipment that runs solely on the van's electrical system and is permanently installed, sits in a permanently installed housing, or is needed to run the vehicle. A laptop or tablet is electronic equipment of the kind the exclusion describes unless it meets one of those exceptions.

Loose tools are what tools coverage is written for. The Hartford says its inland marine, which it designs for midsize and large businesses, "helps protect tools, equipment and property that move from place to place," and ISO's BP 07 01 adds tools coverage to a businessowners policy with its own deductible. A break-in can then mean two claims, the van on the auto policy and the tools on the tools coverage, each with its own deductible.

One break-in, item by item
What was taken or damaged	What CA 00 01 says	What to settle with the insurer
Punched lock, pried door, broken window	Loss to the covered auto, under Comprehensive or Specified Causes Of Loss if shown	Which coverage and deductible the declarations show
Shelving, racks, a mounted compressor	"Its equipment" is covered; the word is not defined	Whether the carrier counts it as the van's equipment
Hand and power tools, ladders, meters	Not listed; liability excludes property you own	Which tools coverage applies, and its limit
Laptop, tablet, inspection camera	Electronic equipment exclusion, with narrow exceptions	Whether a tools or equipment form lists it
An employee's own tools	Not listed; liability excludes property in your care	Whether employees' tools coverage was added

Sources: 2, 3, 1, 6, 30, 4, 32, 31, 10, 5

Does general liability cover stolen tools?

No. Liability coverage pays other people for injury and for damage to their property, not you for your own things. CG 00 01, the general liability form, excludes property damage to "Property you own, rent, or occupy" and to "Personal property in the care, custody or control of the insured." The business auto form's liability section excludes property "owned or transported by the "insured" or in the "insured's" care, custody or control."

Those same care, custody or control wordings reach a customer's part stolen along with your tools, so a claim for it does not land in either liability section. The Hartford describes its inland marine as able to protect "property owned by others while it is in the insured’s care."

Sources: 15, 16, 5, 33

Are personal tools stolen from a company van covered?

Not by name in the company's auto policy, which lists no tools, and not by ISO's tools endorsement unless its employees' tools coverage has a limit on the schedule. BP 07 01 leaves "Your employees' (including temporary or leased employees') tools" out of its main tools coverage, and its Employees' Tools Coverage pays at most $2,500 for all of one employee's tools.

The employee's homeowners policy is capped too. ISO's 2011 homeowners form, HO 00 03 05 11, limits coverage to "$1,500 on property, away from the "residence premises", used primarily for "business" purposes." Under those two ISO forms, a technician with $8,000 of personal tools in the company van would collect at most $4,000 between them, and the same $1,500 cap meets an owner who keeps business tools under a homeowners policy. Carriers' own forms may differ; if your people bring their own tools, decide in writing who insures them.

Sources: 11, 12, 18

What should you do if your tools are stolen?

Notify the police, and give notice under each policy that may pay. CA 00 01 requires you to "Promptly notify the police if the covered "auto" or any of its equipment is stolen." For tools on an ISO inland marine form, CM 00 01 says "Notify the police if a law may have been broken. 2. Give us prompt notice of the loss or damage. Include a description of the property involved." A tools endorsement on a businessowners policy modifies the businessowners form, so read that policy's own duties section.

CM 00 01 also asks for a description of "how, when and where the loss or damage occurred" and, when the insurer asks, "a signed, sworn proof of loss" within 60 days. Keep the police report number with the claim; the checklist below lists what else to gather.

Utah sets the insurer's clock. Its claims rule, R590-190, applies to property and casualty insurers and says "An insurer shall acknowledge receiving a notice of loss within 15 days of receipt," and notice to the insurer's agent counts as notice to the insurer. Within 30 days after a complete proof of loss, the insurer must accept or deny the claim or say why it needs more time, and a denial must refer to the provision, condition or exclusion it rests on.

Sources: 7, 19, 9, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29

Can you claim stolen tools without receipts?

Neither Utah's claims rule nor ISO's inland marine conditions names a store receipt as required proof. Utah defines proof of loss as "an insured's reasonable documentation in support of a claim" and requires the insurer to state "the type of proof of loss required by the insurer." CM 00 01 asks to "inspect the property proving the loss or damage and examine your books and records." So ask the insurer for its written statement of the proof it requires.

Then gather what documents the purchases and the tools: card and bank statements, supplier and online order histories, warranty registrations, photos of the tools, serial numbers, and your accountant's fixed-asset list if there is one. Ask the adjuster in writing which of those it will accept. Next time, the inventory in the checklist below starts the claim with records in hand.

Sources: 23, 27, 22

How do you stop tools being stolen from a van?

Take them out, or make them hard to take and hard to sell. A Prince William County, Virginia, police alert on larcenies from work vans starts with "Remove tools from the van, if possible," then lists painting or engraving tools, which it says "lowers the tools’ resale value and increases the risk of arrest to the thief," removing batteries and chargers, locked cabinets and security chains, exterior puck locks, an alarm, and parking "with sliding or rear doors against a wall or fence, in a well-lit area." That is a police department's advice, not a policy condition.

Under ISO's BP 07 01, locking also decides coverage. Its tools and equipment coverage, Coverage 2, excludes theft from an unattended vehicle unless the windows, doors and compartments were "closed and locked" and there are "visible signs that the theft was a result of forced entry," an exclusion that does not apply to property in the custody of a carrier for hire. If your tools are on another form, find its vehicle theft condition before the first loss.

Sources: 34, 35, 36, 13

What does tool truck insurance need to cover?

The stock, which the standard forms leave out. ISO's BP 07 01 tools coverage lists among property not covered "(4) Property held for sale;", the CP 00 10 property form's off-premises extension "does not apply to property: (a) In or on a vehicle," and the business auto form's liability section excludes property "owned or transported by the "insured"." Its physical damage coverage is written for the covered auto or its equipment.

So ask any carrier quoting the truck which form covers the stock, at what limit, and under what theft condition. The Hartford describes its inland marine as able to protect "movable property, property in transit" and property of others, for midsize and large businesses. If a franchisor or supplier has given you a written insurance requirement, send it with the application so the quote is built to it.

Sources: 14, 17, 5, 1, 33, 31

What to send

What to send after tools are stolen from a work vehicle

Send each policy's agent or insurer the parts its claim needs.

1.The police report number and the date you reported it
2.Where the vehicle was parked, when, and whether it was locked
3.Photos of the forced entry
4.Every item taken, with make, model and serial number
5.Who owned each item: the company, an employee or a customer
6.Receipts, or card statements, invoices and order histories instead
7.Photos or video showing the tools before the theft
8.The auto and tools policy numbers
9.The insurer's written statement of the proof of loss it requires
10.A repair estimate for the vehicle damage

Frequently asked questions

Is a toolbox bolted to the truck bed covered by commercial auto?

CA 00 01 does not define "equipment", so ask the carrier whether it counts a bolted-in box. The Hartford says vehicle-mounted equipment is generally covered under commercial auto; the form lists no tools inside the box.

Are tools in a cargo trailer covered by the trailer's auto coverage?

CA 00 01 counts a trailer designed for public roads as an auto, so the trailer itself can carry physical damage coverage. Its contents raise the same questions as tools in a van.

Sources

Where these answers come from

Each entry carries the exact words of the source so you can check it yourself. Forms, rules and carrier pages change; read the current version before acting.

The same moment

Tools were stolen from the van or trailer, or the owner wants them covered before they are

Contractors' tools and equipment: what commercial auto leaves out, inland marine and tool floaters, and what to schedule.

Commercial auto insurance: every question, by the moment that blocks the businessThe hub: 69 pages, grouped by who is holding what.Insurance for tools in vanHow to insure tools kept in a work van: which policy covers them, blanket or scheduled limits, the theft clause for a parked van, and what it costs.What is inland marine insurance?Inland marine covers property that moves: equipment, goods in transit, customer property. What it covers, how it works, its cost and who requires it.

Elsewhere on the site

Do you need cargo insurance?Sort what is in the vehicle by who owns it and why you have it, including freight you haul for pay.Personal vehicle used for businessWhen the van or pickup carrying the tools is titled to you, not the business.Utah contractor insuranceTools alongside general liability, workers compensation, vehicles and certificates.General liability insuranceWhat a general liability policy does pay for: injury and damage to other people's property.

Talk to Redoubt

Tools stolen from the van, or about to load a new one?

Text Redoubt what was taken or what you carry, where the vehicle parks overnight, and the policies you have now. We will go through which policy each item falls under and what the claim or the new coverage needs first.

Text us the tool list Call 385-375-7655

This is general insurance information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. The policy forms, the endorsements the carrier issues, and the requirement in writing from whoever is asking control.