Florida/Georgia Personal Injury & Workers Compensation

...Unlike the dangerous instrumentality doctrine, financial responsibility can be tailored to provide custom solutions for different types of motor vehicle ownership and to provide varying amounts of insurance depending on the nature of vehicle and its use. See § 627.7415, Fla....

...person, in the amount of $20,000 because of bodily injury to, or death of, two or more persons in any one accident ...; ⅝ * ⅜ 8⅞! ⅝ ⅝ (d) With respect to commercial motor vehicles and non-public-sector buses, in the amounts specified in §§ 627.7415 and 627.742, respectively. Both parties agree the truck-tractor in question is a “commercial vehicle.” 4 Pursuant to section 627.7415, commercial vehicles over 26,000 pounds are required to have more insurance than those covered only by section 324.021(7)....

...ler, which is the maximum gross weight as declared by the owner or person applying for registration. § 320.01(11), Fla.Stat. (Supp.1986). Southern argues that the truck-tractor in this case falls below the greater insurance coverage requirements of section 627.7415 because at the time of the accident, it had no attached semi-trailer, and its net weight was only 16,000 pounds....

...the time of the accident. Thus, the general provisions of section 324.021(7) apply. Indeed it appears that truck-tractors owned and held by dealers for sale, where no certificate of gross weight is obtained or applicable, are not clearly covered by section 627.7415....

...But if it does none of these things, the prior owner’s gross weight declaration should control. Accordingly, we hold that in this case, the gross vehicle weight of the truck-tractor was 80,000 pounds, and Central Florida as owner was required by section 627.7415 to obtain insurance coverage for it of $300,-000....