# Bright Coast Insurance **Florida-Licensed Independent Insurance Agency** | Florida License #L103957 Phone: (239) 475-0361 | Email: support@brightcoastins.com Address: PO Box 417, Pineland, FL 33945 Website: https://brightcoastins.com Google Business Profile: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Bright+Coast+Insurance&query_place_id=ChIJ2bHi4scRv4gRzuxlEjQ0a84 --- # Class 8233: coal merchants, their local managers and drivers 8233 is the coal merchant class: businesses that receive, store, sell and deliver coal. Its phraseology is unusual because local managers ride in the same class as yard workers and drivers. An older version of this page described 8233 as "Fuel Dealers - All Other". Florida's FWCJUA table and the classification phraseology both say Coal Merchant. ## Verified facts about code 8233 - The FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 rate for 8233 Coal Merchant is $2.762 per $100 of payroll. Florida is a rate state, so carrier pricing starts from the OIR-approved approved rate, then the carrier's deviation, schedule rating, premium discount and your experience mod. ([Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (I-File 25-055760, acknowledged January 26, 2026), published by FWCJUA](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046)) - FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association)'s phraseology reads "Coal Merchant & Local Managers, Drivers", which places local managers in the same class as the yard crew. ([Montana State Fund](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf)) - OSHA names coal among the materials whose dust can be combustible. ([OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/combustible-dust)) - Fuel and material dealers other than coal are listed under 8232, suffix 03 (Fuel & Material Dealer NOC - New - & Drivers). ([Montana State Fund](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf)) ## How 8233 compares with the other fuel and yard classes in Florida | Class | Florida description | Rate | |---|---|---| | 8233 | COAL MERCHANT | $2.762 per $100 of payroll | | 8232 | BUILDING MATERIAL DEALER - NEW MATERIALS | $3.848 per $100 of payroll | | 8106 | IRON OR STEEL MERCHANT | $3.540 per $100 of payroll | FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 rate, effective January 1, 2026: [OIR-acknowledged exhibit](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046), checked 2026-10-24. Florida is a rate state, so carrier pricing starts from the OIR-approved approved rate, then the carrier's deviation, schedule rating, premium discount and your experience mod. FWCJUA prices 8233 well below the LPG gas dealer class (8353) and below the building material and fuel dealer class 8232, which covers fuel dealers other than coal. A business that sells both coal and other fuels needs its payroll split by what each employee actually handles. A single label cannot sort that out. **Illustration (not a quote):** A coal yard has a local manager, three yard workers and two drivers, with $260,000 in total payroll. Two recent strain claims pushed its experience mod to 1.10. $260,000 ÷ 100 × $2.762 = $7,181; × mod 1.10 = $7,899. FWCJUA (assigned-risk) estimate: $22,354, before the $160 expense constant, $475 flat fee and minimum premium. ## What a coal yard's payroll looks like under 8233 The class covers the merchant's full local operation: receiving coal, stockpiling it in the yard or in bins, weighing and loading it, and delivering it to customers. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) writes drivers into the phraseology, so delivery stays in 8233. The phraseology also writes in local managers. A yard manager who supervises loading and handles customers is reported in 8233, not split off as a lower-rated supervisor. ## Fuel work that belongs to a different Florida class Selling other fuels is not coal merchant work. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) puts fuel and material dealers NOC in 8232 suffix 03. Liquefied petroleum gas dealers appear in Florida's FWCJUA table as 8353, at a much higher rate. Coal mining and coal processing are not dealer operations. FWCJUA lists clerical office employees under 8810 at a fraction of the 8233 rate, but only for staff whose duties fit that class. ## Coal merchant jobs that report in 8233 Roles drawn from the class phraseology: - Yard worker running a front-end loader to move coal from the stockpile to the scale - Local manager supervising truck loading and settling customer accounts at the yard - Driver delivering coal and dumping or bagging it at the customer's site - Scale operator weighing outbound loads ## Dust, stockpiles and loaded trucks OSHA includes coal in its list of materials that can form combustible dust. That makes dust accumulation in enclosed bins, conveyors and bagging rooms a fire and explosion concern as well as a housekeeping one. The rest of the exposure is mobile equipment and driving. Loaders and trucks share the yard with people on foot, and drivers spend most of the shift on the road. OSHA treats work driving as an occupational hazard. ## Controls a coal merchant can document Each follows from the OSHA topic cited: - Set a written housekeeping schedule so coal dust cannot build up in enclosed bins, conveyors or bagging areas - Control ignition sources wherever coal dust collects - Separate loader traffic from walking routes in the yard - Apply OSHA's motor vehicle safety practices to delivery routes and loads ## Coal merchant, fuel dealer or LPG dealer? This page's previous label, "Fuel Dealers - All Other", shows the most common mix-up. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) does not put general fuel dealers in 8233; it puts them in 8232 suffix 03. A dealer that moved from coal to other fuels years ago, but never updated its policy, will be reclassified at audit. LPG is the costlier error. FWCJUA's 8353 rate is far above 8233's, so propane delivery payroll reported as coal merchant payroll is a predictable audit adjustment. ## Florida coverage duties for a coal dealer Coal dealing is not on the construction list in Rule 69L-6.021, so the four-employee threshold in s. 440.02 applies. In a family coal yard, a sole proprietor or partner is outside the employee count unless they file an election to be covered. Owner-operators who haul coal for the merchant are not automatically independent contractors. Section 440.02 requires at least four of its listed criteria, such as a separate business with its own truck and equipment, before a non-construction worker falls outside the definition of employee. ## Coal yard owners' questions about class 8233 **Is 8233 the code for all fuel dealers?** No. 8233 is Coal Merchant. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) lists other fuel and material dealers under 8232 suffix 03, and Florida's FWCJUA table lists LPG dealers under 8353. **Can a coal yard manager be reported as clerical?** the classification phraseology names local managers as part of 8233, so a manager working at the yard belongs in this class. 8810 is limited to clerical office duties. **Do hired haulers count as employees?** Under s. 440.02, a non-construction hauler is an independent contractor only if at least four statutory criteria are met, such as running a separate business with their own truck. **What does a coal yard send with a new-business submission?** Send a diagram of the yard, the number of drivers, and whether anyone uses a torch. A submission that only names the commodity leaves the underwriter guessing about the equipment. ## Sources - Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (I-File 25-055760, acknowledged January 26, 2026), published by FWCJUA: [1-1-2026 Rate Filing: OIR Acknowledgement of Filed Rates, class rates effective January 1, 2026](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046) - Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA): [2026 rates and minimum premiums by class, effective January 1, 2026](https://www.fwcjua.com/Rates) - Montana State Fund: [Classification Codes PY2026: classification phraseologies and suffixes](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf) - OSHA: [Combustible Dust](https://www.osha.gov/combustible-dust) - OSHA: [Motor Vehicle Safety](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety) - Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers' Compensation: [Rule 69L-6.021, F.A.C.: Construction Industry Classification Codes, Descriptions, and Operations Scope of Exemption](https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=69L-6.021) - Florida Senate: [Section 440.02, Florida Statutes: Definitions (employment, employee, employer, exemptions)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/440.02) --- ## About Bright Coast Insurance Bright Coast Insurance is a Florida-licensed independent insurance agency (Florida License #L103957) specializing in commercial insurance for Florida contractors, builders, property owners, and HOA/condo associations. As an independent agency, we represent multiple carriers including US Assure (builders risk), Employers Holdings, AmTrust Financial, and others — allowing us to find the best coverage at the most competitive rate for each client. **Contact:** (239) 475-0361 | support@brightcoastins.com **Address:** PO Box 417, Pineland, FL 33945 **Website:** https://brightcoastins.com **Hours:** Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM ET *Bright Coast Insurance is an authorized FWCJUA placement agency and an authorized US Assure builders risk agency.*