Partly — liability yes, the rig itself usually no. While a drill rig or trailer is being towed, your commercial auto policy's liability coverage extends to damage the towed unit causes to others. But physical damage to the towed rig itself is normally NOT covered by the towing vehicle's auto policy — it needs its own physical damage coverage (scheduled on the auto policy) or contractors equipment / inland marine coverage. Bucket trucks are motor vehicles and get their own auto coverage; the boom and mounted equipment typically need equipment coverage on top.
The towing rule most contractors don't know
Commercial auto liability follows the power unit: while your truck tows a drill rig, splice trailer, or equipment trailer, liability for what the towed unit does — swings into a car, detaches, damages property — is covered under the truck's policy. What is NOT automatic is coverage for damage TO the towed unit. If your rig flips on the highway, the truck's collision coverage pays for the truck, not the rig. The rig needs to be separately scheduled for physical damage on the auto policy or insured under contractors equipment / inland marine.
Bucket trucks: two policies in one vehicle
A bucket truck is a licensed motor vehicle, so it carries commercial auto liability and physical damage like any truck. But the aerial device — the boom, bucket, and hydraulics — is often valued separately and can be excluded or sub-limited under a standard auto physical damage form. Best practice: confirm the full in-service value (chassis + boom) is reflected in the auto physical damage limit, or schedule the aerial device on equipment coverage. Rented bucket trucks need Hired Auto physical damage or the rental company's damage waiver.
What primes check
Carrier primes and hyperscaler GCs require $1M CSL commercial auto with Hired & Non-Owned Auto (CA 99 33). They don't check whether your own rig is covered for physical damage — that's your risk, not theirs. Which is exactly why so many contractors discover the gap only after a rollover. If you tow anything worth more than a few thousand dollars, confirm in writing with your broker where its physical damage coverage lives.
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We build fiber contractor programs where the GL, pollution, auto, and equipment coverage actually line up — no fatal exclusions, no surprises at claim time.
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