Short answer
Generally yes. The standard ISO business auto form (CA 00 01) covers accidents in the coverage territory, which includes the United States, and nothing in it limits coverage to public roads. A covered truck on a private lease road is still a covered auto.
- The gaps on location come from other parts of the form: equipment that counts as "mobile equipment" instead of an "auto," the exclusion for operating pumps and similar equipment mounted on a vehicle, injuries to your own employees, and pollution from what you haul.
- Those gaps are why oilfield auto, general liability, workers comp and pollution policies have to be read together.
Where the auto policy applies
The ISO Business Auto Coverage Form CA 00 01 (10 13 edition) covers "accidents" and "losses" that occur during the policy period and within the coverage territory. The territory is the United States, its territories and possessions, Puerto Rico and Canada, with a narrow worldwide extension for short-term private passenger rentals.
There is no "public road" requirement in that condition. The liability coverage pays for bodily injury or property damage "resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered 'auto'." If your pickup or vac truck is a covered auto and it hits a pumper's truck on a lease road, that is an auto accident like any other.
Two things still need checking: which vehicles are covered autos (the symbols on your declarations decide that), and whether the vehicle or the activity falls into one of the gaps below. Insurer forms vary, so read your own policy, not just the ISO form.
"Auto" versus "mobile equipment"
The auto form defines an "auto" as a land motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer designed for travel on public roads, or any other land vehicle subject to a compulsory or financial responsibility law or other motor vehicle insurance law where it is licensed or principally garaged. It then says "auto" does not include "mobile equipment."
Mobile equipment includes vehicles designed for use principally off public roads, vehicles that travel on crawler treads, and vehicles maintained primarily to provide mobility to permanently mounted cranes, shovels, loaders, diggers or drills. It also includes non-self-propelled units that carry air compressors, pumps and generators, "including spraying, welding, building cleaning, geophysical exploration, lighting and well-servicing equipment."
Two rules then pull some of that equipment back into auto coverage:
- Self-propelled units with permanently attached air compressors, pumps and generators, including well-servicing equipment, "are not 'mobile equipment' but will be considered 'autos'."
- Any land vehicle subject to a compulsory or financial responsibility law where it is licensed or garaged is considered an auto, not mobile equipment.
So a truck-mounted unit is usually an auto, while a skid or trailer-mounted pump may be mobile equipment. Mobile equipment while being carried or towed by a covered auto is treated as a covered auto for liability. IRMI notes that mobile equipment is defined in both the general liability and auto forms, which is why the answer decides which policy you look to.
The exclusions that matter on location
Several CA 00 01 exclusions bite harder on a lease than on a highway.
| Exclusion | What it removes | Where the exposure goes |
|---|---|---|
| Operations | Injury or damage arising out of the operation of pumps, compressors, generators and similar equipment on a vehicle, including well-servicing equipment | Usually general liability. Hot oil, vac and pump trucks should check this closely. |
| Employee indemnification and employer’s liability; fellow employee | Bodily injury to your own employees, and injury to a fellow employee | Workers comp and employers liability |
| Handling of property; movement of property by mechanical device | Injury or damage from handling cargo before it is moved onto or after it is moved off the auto, and from mechanical devices not attached to the auto | General liability |
| Care, custody or control | Damage to property you own, transport or have in your care | Inland marine or other property coverage |
| Pollution | Pollutants being transported, handled or stored in or on the auto, and before or after they are moved on or off it | Pollution buy-back on the auto (for example CA 99 48) and contractors pollution liability |
What the operator’s MSA adds
MSAs usually ask your auto policy to do more than pay your own accidents. Common requests are additional insured status for the operator group, a waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory wording, and coverage for any auto (symbol 1) or for owned, hired and non-owned autos. Each of those needs its own endorsement on the auto policy. A GL additional insured endorsement does not change the auto policy.
If you haul produced water or other fluids, read whether you need pollution coverage to haul produced water. If your crews drive personal or rented vehicles to location, see what hired and non-owned auto is. And if your trucks are big enough to fall under federal or Texas motor carrier rules, see whether your trucks need a USDOT number.
The quick test for each unit
For every truck, trailer and skid on your equipment list, ask: is it a covered auto, mobile equipment, or both at different times? Then confirm which policy covers its operation, not just its driving.
Common questions
Is a lease road a "public road" for my auto policy?
It does not need to be. The ISO auto form covers accidents within the coverage territory without a public-road condition. The "public roads" wording appears in the definition of an auto, which is about how a vehicle is designed, not where it is driven.
My hot oil truck damaged a tank while pumping. Is that an auto claim?
Maybe not. The CA 00 01 operations exclusion removes injury or damage arising out of operating pumps and similar equipment on a vehicle. That exposure is usually meant for your general liability policy. Check both policies before a claim, not after.
Does my auto policy cover an employee hurt in a truck rollover on the lease?
Not for the employee’s own injury. The auto form excludes bodily injury to your employees in the course of employment. That is a workers comp claim.
Are my unlicensed lease trucks covered?
It depends on whether they are covered autos under your policy symbols, or mobile equipment under the definitions. List every unit for your agent so none fall between policies.
Sources
- ISO CA 00 01 10 13, Business Auto Coverage Form (copy hosted by Touchpoint Markets). Coverage territory, definitions of auto and mobile equipment, symbol 19, mobile equipment while carried or towed, and the employee, fellow employee, care custody or control, handling, mechanical device, operations and pollution exclusions.
- IRMI glossary: Mobile Equipment. Defined in both CGL and auto policies; not autos unless subject to a compulsory or financial responsibility law.
- IRMI glossary: MCS-90 Endorsement. Standard auto pollution exclusion and the CA 99 48 broadened pollution endorsement.
- Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 548. Section 548.001: Texas commercial motor vehicle definition tied to use on a public highway.
This page explains insurance, not law. Have your attorney review indemnity and contract language; our job is making the insurance match it.
Keep reading
Coverage
What auto insurance does my oilfield fleet need, and what is the MCS-90 for?
Questions
What is hired and non-owned auto coverage?
Questions
Do I need pollution coverage to haul produced water?
By trade
What insurance does a hot oil or frac water heating company need for operator work?
Coverage
How do I insure my rigs, tools and equipment when they are out on location?