Commercial auto coverage for Manitoba business vehicles and fleet risks
Business vehicles face different risks than personal vehicles because they are tied directly to customers, contracts, jobsites, deliveries, service calls, and daily revenue. Manitoba businesses may need coverage for company cars, work trucks, service vans, delivery vehicles, employee drivers, fleet operations, liability claims, vehicle damage, theft, and downtime after an insured loss.
The right commercial auto or fleet insurance depends on how the vehicles are used, who drives them, where they travel, what they carry, and how much the business relies on them each day. Westland helps Manitoba businesses review MPI requirements, compare coverage options, understand limits and exclusions, and choose protection that fits their vehicles, drivers, operations, and budget.
Why Choose Westland?
We know that your business insurance needs to match your goals, your business and your budget. Our expert business insurance advisors get to know you and your business, so that they can tailor a policy to your exact needs. We’ll work with you to build a risk management solution, ensuring coverages line up with your business needs.
Insurance can be complex sometimes. Let our expert insurance advisors do the heavy lifting! We’ll help you find a policy that you feel is the best fit and provides peace of mind. To learn more about the benefits of being a Westland client, click here.
Commercial Auto Insurance Explained
Whether your operation has one vehicle or many, you need the proper protection with a commercial auto insurance solution based on your needs. Commercial auto insurance is required on vehicles that operate outside of personal use purposes. For those that operate with many vehicles, fleet insurance is a great option from an efficiency and cost management perspective.
A commercial vehicle is defined a vehicle used for business or commercial purposes and operated more than:
- 30 km from the registered owner’s place of business (if not located in an urban municipality)
- 30 km from the municipal boundary (if business is located in an urban municipality other than Winnipeg)
- 20 km from the City of Winnipeg municipality boundary (if located in Winnipeg)
Limited-use commercial trucks are treated separately as their gross vehicle weight is 4,500 kg or more and specifically used for commercial purposes other than gain or compensation and are operated less than or equal to the specifics listed for commercial vehicles.
With that said, there are a lot of factors that go into determining what class to register trucks being used for commercial purposes, and if you’re not sure, we can help. From vehicle weight, to qualifying cargo types, to operating radius, it’s complicated to properly register each vehicle. Our expert insurance advisors will be able to help answer any questions you may have and register your vehicle with the correct class and coverages specific to your requirement.
A fleet is ten or more vehicles that are registered and/or leased to a company. The MPI Autopac Fleet Program works to reward vehicle maintenance and safe driving. The main advantage of the program is the discount awarded to companies for safe driving across all vehicles.
Our team of Fleet Insurance professionals are dedicated to servicing the needs of our commercial auto customers. We pride ourselves on building long-term relationships by providing our clients with the highest level of service.
The MPI Fleet Program operates on a scale of rebates and surcharges when determining the cost for fleet vehicles. Throughout the year, you’ll receive four statements outlining claims incurred and fleet loss ratio to better understand the details of your fleet. For example, if your fleet had an accident free year, you’ll be on track to receive a rebate for your annual costs. On the other hand, if your drivers have experienced accidents throughout the year, there will be an increase in annual premium. For example, a high loss experience will result in a high surcharge which will impact insurance costs. We’ve put together a few examples of loss experience to understand the impact of rebates and surcharges:
| Loss Experience | Rebate or Surcharge |
| 68% Loss Experience | 2% Refund |
| 37% Loss Experience | 33% Refund |
| 81% Loss Experience | 2% Surcharge |
| 129% Loss Experience | 50% Surcharge |
Any organization that has a group of vehicles that are used for business purposes can benefit from fleet insurance, including:
- Cities, Municipalities & Townships School Districts
- General Contractors
- Transportation & Trucking
- General Companies
- Care Service Providers
- Churches & Religious Associations
- Automotive Repair Garages
- Dealerships & Towing Companies
- Restoration Services
- Farms
- Specialty Trade Contractor
No, there is no registration required. If a customer account has ten or more vehicles registered to it, the status automatically updates to fleet.
Is your business in the trucking or logistics industry? If so, you’ll want to check out our Transportation & Logistics page.
How Much Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cost in Manitoba?
Just as businesses differ across Manitoba, so do the risks and exposures which impact the cost. The following factors will impact the cost of your fleet insurance coverage:
- Location
- Types of Vehicles
- Number of Vehicles
- Driver Experience
- Nature of Business
- Claims History
- Loss History
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10 Manitoba Business Facts
- It should come to no surprise that the agriculture industry is a vital part of the economy in Manitoba. In fact, it’s found in almost all communities in the southern half of the province.
- Manitoba boasts the largest producers of sunflower seed and dry beans.
- Love fast food fries? They likely came from hard working potato farmers in Portage la Prairie and surrounding community. So much so there is the Potato Festival every year in celebration of just that, potatoes!
- The main tourist attraction in Manitoba is Churchill’s Arctic wildlife. Visitors can travel to northern Manitoba and become part of a sloth of polar bears.
- The oldest company in Canada finds its home in downtown Winnipeg. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is the oldest Canadian company and just the second oldest in North America.
- When you think of Manitoba, does the aerospace industry come to mind? It should! It is the largest in Western Canada and employs over 5,300 people.
- Manitoba is the cultural capital of Canada when it comes to festivals. Locals can take in Festival Du Voyageur, Folklarama, Trapper’s Festival and Manito Ahbee.
- Transportation and logistics are another strength of Manitoba. CentrePort Canada is a 20,000-acre inland port. It provides facilities for warehousing, manufacturing and distribution.
- Manitoba has some pretty creative residents! So much so in fact that it’s coined the name the Cultural Cradle of Canada. We have more than 4,600 business involved in visual arts, music and performing. We also have 400 in film, 900 design firms, and 300 marketing and advertising businesses.
- Food processing pulls in $4.7 billion in revenues with over 250 companies. Food items include pork, eggs and other meat products.
Keep your business vehicles working for you
Whether you operate one work vehicle or manage a full fleet, Westland can help you review Manitoba commercial auto insurance options for drivers, MPI requirements, liability, vehicle damage, theft, downtime, and how your business uses vehicles every day.
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