Garagekeepers Insurance
Garagekeepers insurance covers damage to a customer's vehicle while it's in your possession for bedliner application or coating work. Every truck that rolls into your bay is your responsibility — garagekeepers is the policy that protects you when something goes wrong.
Garagekeepers Insurance for Bedliner Shops
The moment a customer hands you the keys to their $60,000 pickup for a spray-in bedliner, that vehicle is in your care, custody, and control — and your general liability policy specifically excludes it. Garagekeepers is the coverage built for exactly that situation: damage to customers' vehicles while they're on your premises or in your possession for service.
What Garagekeepers Covers
- Overspray & masking failures: Coating that lands on paint, glass, trim, or wheels
- Fire & explosion: Solvent and coating fires that damage vehicles in your shop
- Theft & vandalism: Customer vehicles stolen or damaged while in your care
- Collision in your care: A vehicle backed into a post or another truck while being moved
- Falling objects & shop accidents: A lift failure, a dropped tool, or a rack collapse
Direct Primary vs. Legal Liability
Garagekeepers can be written on a legal liability basis (pays only when you're legally at fault) or direct primary basis (pays for covered damage regardless of fault — what most customers expect). We help you choose the form and limit that actually matches the value of the vehicles in your bays, including the high-end trucks and fleet vehicles a busy bedliner shop sees every week.
Why General Liability Isn't Enough
A standard commercial general liability policy contains a "care, custody, and control" exclusion — it will not pay for damage to a vehicle you were working on. That single exclusion is why every coating, detailing, and auto-service shop needs garagekeepers as a dedicated coverage. We set the per-vehicle and per-location limits around your real exposure.
What's Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
What is garagekeepers insurance for a bedliner shop?
Garagekeepers covers physical damage to a customer's vehicle while it's in your care, custody, and control for bedliner or coating work — overspray on paint, fire, theft, vandalism, or a vehicle damaged while being moved. Your general liability policy excludes this, so it's essential coverage for any shop that takes in customer trucks.
Should I get direct primary or legal liability garagekeepers?
Direct primary pays for covered damage to a customer's vehicle regardless of who's at fault — which is what most customers expect when they leave their truck with you. Legal liability only responds when you're proven legally responsible. We usually recommend direct primary for coating shops and size the limit to the vehicles you actually service.