Whether you're a self-employed heavy-duty truck driver or a business owner responsible for the disposal of dozens of company cars, commercial vehicle insurance is likely to be one of your biggest expenses. These policies aren't fundamentally different from their private-vehicle counterparts, but they often come with higher liability limits and thus bigger price tags. Before you pull the trigger on a commercial vehicle insurance bundle with the potential to set you back hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month, review the following tips to determine the best policy fit for your business.

1. Establish Ownership

Many budding business owners make the rookie mistake of insuring their company vehicle under their current personal-vehicle plan. While there's nothing legally wrong with that sort of arrangement, it can create serious headaches down the road. For example, your insurer may deny a claim that you make on an incident that occurred while you were operating your vehicle for business purposes, with potentially ruinous results. Your business's vehicle may also have add-ons, like freezers or trailers, that aren't typically covered by private-vehicle insurance policies.

2. Size Matters

If you're planning on insuring a commercial truck, your insurance company will have some questions for you. More than anything, they'll want to know what type of truck you're driving. Unlike big wild animals, big trucks tend not to live as long as their light-duty counterparts, and they require more frequent and expensive repairs while they remain operational. They're also more destructive when they're involved in an accident, which tends to inflate liability premiums.

3. Uses and Usage

The premiums you pay for insurance on your commercial vehicles increase in direct proportion to the number of miles those vehicles are driven in a given year. If you own one or more long-haul trucks or taxicabs, you'll pay more for insurance than you would on a single local delivery truck. Likewise, "company cars" that remain in the possession of a single employee of your business will be considerably cheaper to insure than work trucks shared by multiple handymen.

4. Costly Cargo

Since commercial vehicles haul all manner of cargo, it's up to you to give your insurance company a full rundown of what you'll be carrying. In general, human passengers and volatile substances demand higher liability coverage and thus dearer premiums. Loads that are explosive or otherwise dangerous may demand special coverage, further increasing your business's insurance costs. Remember, higher premiums are worth it when you consider the financial damage that a single well-placed lawsuit might do to your business.

5. Cover Your Assets

As a business owner, you have a lot more at stake than your own safety and the physical integrity of the vehicle that you're driving. Your insurance policy must be generous enough to cover not only the value of the cargo your vehicles carry but the assets of your business as a whole. After all, people tend to see dollar signs when they're involved in an accident with a company vehicle.

If you're overwhelmed by the commercial-vehicle insurance options available to your business, the above tips should help you establish some priorities. By determining exactly how you'll be using your business's vehicle or vehicles, you'll simultaneously save on your insurance and enjoy the peace of mind that comes will full coverage.

Nell Lehman is a freelance writer for motortradinsurance.org. Click here to see a trade insurance comparison site and to learn more about used car sales insurance.