Written by Justin Goodman, CIC, CLCS, CISC, CEO and Co-Founder, Total CSR Published: October 7, 2026 · Last reviewed: October 7, 2026
In plain language: Symbol 8 tells an insurance company that a business auto policy covers vehicles the business rents, leases, or borrows for business use. A contractor who rents a truck for a weekend job relies on Symbol 8 for that vehicle’s coverage.
Technical definition: Symbol 8, designated on the Business Auto Coverage Form (CA 00 01) Declarations, triggers coverage for “hired autos,” defined as autos the named insured leases, hires, rents, or borrows, excluding autos owned by employees or partners that are used on the insured’s behalf.
Symbol 8 – Hired Autos Only at a Glance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hired Autos Symbol, Hired Auto Liability Symbol |
| Category | Commercial auto coverage symbol |
| Lines of business | Commercial Auto, Business Auto Policy |
| Industries most affected | Construction, transportation, staffing agencies, retail delivery, professional services |
| Related forms or endorsements | CA 00 01 (Business Auto Coverage Form), CA 20 01 (Liability Extension), CA 9 44 (Physical Damage Coverage for Hired Autos) |
| Who bears the risk | Named insured for liability arising from rented, leased, or borrowed vehicles |
| Common solution | Add Symbol 8 alongside Symbol 9 and consider Hired Auto Physical Damage coverage |
| Also interacts with | Symbol 9 (Non-Owned Autos), general liability policy, rental car company’s own insurance |
Key Takeaways
- Symbol 8 extends Business Auto liability or physical damage coverage to vehicles a company rents, leases, or hires for business purposes.
- Agencies must pair Symbol 8 with Symbol 9 in most commercial accounts, since Symbol 8 alone does not cover employee-owned vehicles used for work.
- A frequent misunderstanding is assuming Symbol 8 includes physical damage coverage automatically; liability and physical damage are purchased separately.
- Agencies should confirm Symbol 8 appears on every account that rents vehicles for business trips, trade shows, or temporary project needs, since the gap is easy to miss during account rounding.
What Is Symbol 8 in Insurance?
Symbol 8 is one of the numbered coverage symbols used on the ISO Business Auto Coverage Form to define which vehicles trigger coverage under a given policy section. Carriers use these symbols because a business auto policy must clearly state whether it covers owned autos, scheduled autos, hired autos, or non-owned autos, and each symbol answers that question for liability, physical damage, or both. Symbol 8 exists because businesses routinely borrow, lease, or rent vehicles they do not own, and without a specific symbol, coverage for those situations would be ambiguous or absent entirely.
The doctrine behind Symbol 8 reflects a basic insurance principle: coverage attaches to defined categories of vehicles, not to the business generally. A general contractor who rents a box truck from a local rental company for a three-day move has no ownership interest in that truck, so Symbol 1 (Any Auto) or Symbol 7 (Owned Autos) would not respond. Symbol 8 fills that gap by extending the policy’s liability coverage, and optionally physical damage coverage, to the hired vehicle for the duration of the rental agreement.
A worked example illustrates the mechanism. A landscaping company rents a chipper truck for a seasonal job and causes a collision while driving it to a job site. If the policy carries Symbol 8 for liability, the Business Auto policy responds to the third-party bodily injury and property damage claim. If Symbol 8 was never added to the declarations, the business has no coverage for that rental vehicle under its auto policy and may face a direct out-of-pocket loss or reliance on a separate rental agreement’s limited protection.
How Does Symbol 8 Work?
- The rental. A business employee rents, leases, or borrows a vehicle for a business purpose, such as a job site delivery or a client meeting.
- The declarations check. The Business Auto Coverage Form Declarations page lists the symbols purchased; Symbol 8 must appear next to the liability or physical damage coverage line for hired autos to be covered.
- The loss event. An accident, theft, or damage event occurs involving the hired vehicle while it is being used for business purposes.
- The claim submission. The named insured reports the loss to the carrier, identifying the vehicle as a hired auto and providing the rental agreement.
- The coverage response. The carrier verifies Symbol 8 applies, confirms the vehicle meets the hired auto definition, and adjusts the claim under the applicable liability or physical damage coverage.
Real Claim Examples Involving Symbol 8
Rental truck collision during a trade show setup
A marketing company rented a box truck to transport booth displays to a regional trade show. The driver, an employee, rear-ended another vehicle in a parking lot, causing significant bodily injury to the other driver. Because the policy carried Symbol 8 for liability, the Business Auto policy covered the third-party claim, and the rental agency’s own insurance served only as excess coverage above the primary limit.
Borrowed flatbed trailer damaged in transit
A construction firm borrowed a flatbed trailer from a sister company to haul equipment between job sites. The trailer sustained frame damage when it struck a low bridge. The firm had Symbol 8 for liability only, with no Hired Auto Physical Damage coverage added, so the trailer’s repair cost fell outside the policy and became a direct expense to the firm.
Rental car accident during an out-of-town sales trip
A sales representative rented a sedan for an out-of-state client visit and caused a multi-vehicle accident. The business auto policy included Symbol 8, so it responded to the liability claim as the primary coverage, ahead of any credit card rental insurance or personal auto policy the employee carried. This outcome mattered because the business, not the employee, was named as the responsible party in the lawsuit.
Symbol 8 vs. Symbol 9: What Is the Difference?
Symbol 8 and Symbol 9 both extend Business Auto coverage to vehicles the named insured does not own, but they apply to different ownership situations. Symbol 8 covers autos the business itself hires, leases, or rents, while Symbol 9 covers autos owned by employees, partners, or members of their households when used for business purposes.
| Comparison area | Symbol 8 (Hired Autos) | Symbol 9 (Non-Owned Autos) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Vehicles the business rents or leases | Employee-owned vehicles used for business errands |
| Coverage / concept type | Liability and optional physical damage for hired vehicles | Liability coverage only, typically excess over the employee’s personal policy |
| Typical exclusions | Autos owned by employees, long-term leases treated as owned autos | Physical damage to the employee’s own vehicle |
| Who is most affected by errors | Businesses that frequently rent trucks or equipment haulers | Businesses with employees who drive personal cars for work errands |
| Common mistakes | Assuming physical damage is automatically included | Assuming the business carries no exposure because the employee owns the car |
What Are the Most Common Mistakes With Symbol 8?
- Agencies assume Symbol 8 automatically includes physical damage coverage, when liability and physical damage must each be separately selected on the declarations.
- Accounts carry Symbol 8 without Symbol 9, leaving a gap for employee-owned vehicles used on company business, a combination Total CSR sees flagged repeatedly in CSR file audits.
- Producers fail to confirm Symbol 8 extends to long-term leased vehicles, which some carriers treat as owned autos rather than hired autos after a specified lease duration.
- CSRs overlook renewing Symbol 8 after a client’s operations change, such as a contractor who begins renting heavy equipment transport vehicles for the first time.
- Agencies rely on a rental company’s insurance as the sole protection, not realizing that coverage is often limited, excess, or subject to its own exclusions.
- Clients assume foreign rental vehicles, such as those rented during international travel, are automatically covered, when many Business Auto policies limit hired auto coverage to the United States, its territories, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
How to Explain Symbol 8 to a Client
Explaining Symbol 8 to a personal lines client
Symbol 8 generally will not apply to a personal lines client’s situation because it is a commercial auto concept. If a client runs a small side business and rents a van occasionally, this is the moment to explain that their personal auto policy will not help and they likely need a commercial policy with Symbol 8 added.
Explaining Symbol 8 to a small business owner
Symbol 8 means the business auto policy will protect the company if a rented truck or van gets into an accident while being used for work. Without this piece of coverage on the policy, a rental vehicle accident could become a direct financial loss to the business rather than an insurance claim. Anytime the business plans to rent vehicles regularly, this is worth confirming is already built into the policy.
Explaining Symbol 8 to a CFO or risk manager
Symbol 8 establishes the Business Auto policy as the primary layer of protection for hired and rented vehicles, which reduces reliance on rental company coverage that is often limited or excess. This symbol should be reviewed alongside Symbol 9 for non-owned autos and alongside Hired Auto Physical Damage coverage to close the full exposure created by any fleet strategy that relies on short-term rentals. A gap analysis comparing current symbols against actual rental frequency is a reasonable annual exercise for any organization with variable transportation needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Symbol 8
Does Symbol 8 cover physical damage to a rental vehicle?
Symbol 8 by itself typically addresses liability coverage, not physical damage to the hired vehicle. Physical damage protection for hired autos requires a separate endorsement, often called Hired Auto Physical Damage, which must be purchased in addition to Symbol 8.
Is Symbol 8 required if a business already has Symbol 1?
Symbol 1, which covers any auto, already includes hired autos within its broader definition, so a policy carrying Symbol 1 does not need Symbol 8 separately. Many smaller commercial accounts instead carry a combination of narrower symbols, such as 7, 8, and 9, rather than Symbol 1, making Symbol 8 necessary in those cases.
Does Symbol 8 cover vehicles rented internationally?
Coverage for hired autos under most Business Auto policies is limited to the United States, its territories and possessions, Puerto Rico, and Canada. A business renting vehicles outside that territory should confirm with the carrier whether any international extension applies, since Symbol 8 alone will often not respond.
Can an employee’s rental car accident on a business trip be covered under Symbol 8?
Symbol 8 can apply when the business itself, rather than the employee personally, is the renting party under the rental agreement used for business purposes. If the employee rents the car in their own name without clear business purpose documentation, the claim can become more complicated to adjust under the hired auto definition.
What happens if a business carries Symbol 9 but not Symbol 8?
A business with only Symbol 9 has coverage for employee-owned vehicles used for business, but no coverage for vehicles the business itself rents or leases. This is one of the most common coverage gaps Total CSR identifies during policy reviews, since many agencies assume the two symbols overlap when they actually address distinct ownership situations.
Does a long-term equipment lease fall under Symbol 8?
Long-term leased vehicles are sometimes treated as owned autos rather than hired autos, depending on the lease term and the carrier’s underwriting rules. Agencies should confirm with the carrier whether a lease exceeding a specific duration, often six months or more, requires the vehicle to be scheduled as an owned auto instead of relying on Symbol 8.
Related Insurance Terms
- Symbol 9 – Non-Owned Autos: a Business Auto coverage symbol that extends liability coverage to employee-owned vehicles used for business purposes, commonly paired with Symbol 8 to close coverage gaps.
- Business Auto Coverage Form (CA 00 01): the standard ISO form that establishes commercial auto liability and physical damage coverage, with Symbol 8 serving as one of its numbered coverage triggers.
- Hired Auto Physical Damage: a separate endorsement that adds physical damage protection for hired and rented vehicles, since Symbol 8 alone typically addresses liability only.
- Contingent Liability: a type of exposure that arises when a business is responsible for losses involving vehicles it does not own, directly relevant to how Symbol 8 fills that gap.
- Symbol 1 – Any Auto: a broader Business Auto symbol covering all vehicle types, including hired autos, making Symbol 8 unnecessary when Symbol 1 is already in force.
- Rental Reimbursement Coverage: a personal or commercial auto endorsement paying for a replacement vehicle after a covered loss, distinct from Symbol 8, which addresses liability for vehicles the business rents rather than reimbursement for a vehicle the business lost.
Sources and References
- Verisk / Insurance Services Office (ISO). ISO Forms Products.
- International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). Hired Auto Coverage.
About the Author
Justin Goodman, CIC, CCIP, CISC, CLCS, CRIS, PCIA, QCLS, MFHR CEO and Co-Founder, Total CSR, Inc.
Justin Goodman is a third-generation insurance broker with over two decades in agency operations. He has trained more than 100,000 CSRs, account managers, and producers in commercial and personal lines coverage, from workers’ compensation to construction risk. He was named 2024 Insurance Journal Agent of the Year and one of the nation’s top five construction insurance experts by Risk & Insurance. He is the author of Retain, which applies cognitive science research on memory and knowledge transfer to insurance training, and speaks nationally on how agencies build durable technical expertise in their teams.