Why GL and commercial auto don't cover your tools
General liability covers third-party claims, not damage to your own property. Commercial auto covers the truck but excludes the cargo. The gap is what inland marine — also called Contractor's Equipment or Tools and Equipment coverage — exists to fill. If your truck is broken into overnight at a job site and $18,000 of nail guns, ladders, and harnesses walk away, this is the policy that pays.
Scheduled vs blanket coverage
There are two ways to insure your tools. SCHEDULED coverage lists each high-value item by serial number with its own value — used for items over a per-item threshold (typically $1,000 or $2,500 depending on the carrier). BLANKET coverage applies one limit to the entire collection of small tools without listing them individually. Most roofing contractors need both: blanket for the everyday hand tools and scheduled for the expensive items like generators, lifts, and large compressors.
What's typically covered
Owned, rented, leased, or borrowed tools and equipment used in your roofing operation. Coverage applies whether the equipment is at the job site, in transit, in your shop, or stored at an employee's home (with some carrier restrictions). Ladders, nail guns, hammers, harnesses, lifelines, generators, compressors, fall arrest systems, debris chutes, scaffolding, and small leased equipment are all standard.
What's typically excluded
Heavy equipment like skid steers and forklifts above a certain value cap usually need to be scheduled separately or covered under a Contractor's Equipment Floater. Items in unattended vehicles overnight may be subject to a deductible or a sub-limit. Theft from open job sites without forced entry can be excluded by some carriers — read the policy carefully if you leave equipment on rooftops overnight.