New Business Quoting

New Prospect Quoting: Commercial Auto

The full process for quoting a new commercial auto prospect, from first contact through a decision.

Purpose and trigger

Get a commercial auto prospect from first contact to a quote they can actually decide on, with a vehicle schedule and driver file that’s actually complete. Start this process as soon as you have a prospect who wants a commercial auto quote.

Commercial auto has more ways to get a quote wrong than personal auto. A missed vehicle on the schedule, a driver without a pulled MVR, or a radius of operation that doesn’t match how the business actually runs, and the quote comes back wrong or the bound policy doesn’t match the exposure. This process exists so that doesn’t happen.

Process owner

The producer or CSR working the prospect owns this process end to end, from intake through the decision. If the prospect isn’t ready to decide, the same person owns the follow-up.

Before you begin

Have these ready before you start:

  • The business’s contact info and what they’re looking to insure
  • Access to your rating system and MVR ordering tool
  • Your agency’s current commercial auto markets and available discounts

Procedure

Prospect Intake

  1. Capture the business name, contact info, and best way to reach them.
  2. Confirm the vehicles and drivers they need covered.
  3. Note their current carrier and renewal or expiration date, if known.

Gather Information

  1. Collect a vehicle schedule (VIN, year, make, model, GVW).
  2. Confirm radius of operation and primary use (local delivery, long haul, passenger, etc.).
  3. Collect the driver list with license numbers and years of experience.
  4. Pull MVRs for each driver.
  5. Confirm DOT/MC number if the business operates interstate.
  6. Note the garaging address for each vehicle.
  7. Pull prior commercial auto loss runs.
  8. Confirm desired liability limits and physical damage or cargo coverage needs.
  9. Ask about hired and non-owned auto exposure.

Run the Quote

  1. Run comparative quotes across your commercial auto markets.
  2. Apply any fleet or safety discounts the business qualifies for.
  3. Double check limits and coverages match what was requested.
  4. Prepare the proposal for presentation.

Present & Follow Up

  1. Present the quote and walk through the coverage.
  2. Explain any exclusions relevant to their operation.
  3. Log the client’s questions and timeline for a decision.
  4. Schedule a follow-up if they’re not ready to decide today.

Handoff

  1. If the client accepts, mark the account ready to bind.
  2. Hand off to New Client Onboarding: Commercial Lines.
  3. If the client declines, note why and whether to follow up at their next renewal.

Exceptions

  • An MVR comes back with major violations. Don’t quote around it. Flag it for underwriting review before you go any further, it can change what markets are even available.
  • A vehicle or operation doesn’t qualify for your standard markets. Note it early and route to a non-standard or specialty market instead of quoting something you can’t place.
  • The business runs a DOT-regulated fleet with filings you don’t normally handle. Confirm what’s actually required (like an MCS-90) before you assume standard commercial auto coverage is enough.
  • Prospect wants a price before you have full information. Give a range if you have to, but don’t present a final quote until the vehicle schedule and driver list are actually confirmed.

Completion

This process is done when the prospect has a clear answer logged, either they accepted and were handed off to New Client Onboarding: Commercial Lines, or they declined and a follow-up plan (or a clear reason not to) is on file.

Agency customization

This resource is intentionally system-agnostic. Fill in your specifics before using it:

Your rating system. Name the comparative rater or portal your team quotes commercial auto from.

Your MVR process. Who orders them, from which vendor, and what counts as disqualifying.

Your markets and discounts. List the carriers you quote most often and the fleet or safety discounts your team should always check for.

Your DOT/MC handling. How your agency confirms filing requirements for interstate operators.

Don’t treat this as complete as written. It’s a starting point built for agencies in general, not yours specifically.

Owner: Agency Packet Version 1.0 Last reviewed September 24, 2026