# 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 8385: garage employees of bus, ambulance, taxi, limousine and rental fleets 8385 is a garage class. It rates the mechanics and service staff who keep a fleet running, while the fleet's drivers are rated elsewhere. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) applies it to auto rental, bus, ambulance and emergency medical, limousine and taxicab companies, and to street railroad yard employees. This page was previously labeled "Gas Dealer - Bottled or Liquefied", which is Florida class 8353. ## Verified facts about code 8385 - The FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 table lists 8385 as Ambulance Service Companies: Garage Employees, at $1.889 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 8385 suffixes cover garage employees of auto rental (01), bus, ambulance and emergency medical providers (02), limousine (03) and taxicab (05) companies, plus street railroad yard employees (04). ([Montana State Fund](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf)) - OSHA says it has no specific standard for users of automotive lifts. Employers are held to the General Duty Clause, with the ANSI/ALI ALOIM standard as industry guidance. ([OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2014-11-19)) - 29 CFR 1910.177 governs servicing multi-piece and single-piece rim wheels on large vehicles such as trucks and buses, but not automobiles or light trucks with LT tires. ([OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.177)) ## Garage payroll versus the fleet classes it serves | Class | Florida description | Rate | |---|---|---| | 8385 | AMBULANCE SERVICE COMPANIES: GARAGE EMPLOYEES | $1.889 per $100 of payroll | | 7705 | AMBULANCE SVC COMPANIES, EMS PROVIDERS & DRIVERS | $3.141 per $100 of payroll | | 7382 | BUS COMPANY | $3.901 per $100 of payroll | | 7370 | TAXI CAB CO. - ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES & DRIVERS | $3.656 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. In FWCJUA's 2026 table, 8385 is less than two-thirds of the rate for the fleet classes whose vehicles it maintains: ambulance and EMS service (7705), bus companies (7382) and taxicab companies (7370). That gap is why carriers look closely at who in the garage also drives. **Illustration (not a quote):** An ambulance company's garage has four mechanics and a fleet washer, with $310,000 of payroll reported separately from its crews. The company has a 1.00 mod. $310,000 ÷ 100 × $1.889 = $5,856; × mod 1.00 = $5,856. FWCJUA (assigned-risk) estimate: $16,572, before the $160 expense constant, $475 flat fee and minimum premium. ## The garage side of five kinds of passenger fleets 8385 applies to the people who service vehicles: mechanics, tire and lube staff, washers and garage helpers. The fleet types are named one by one in FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association)'s suffixes: auto rental, bus and ambulance or emergency medical providers, limousine and taxicab companies, plus yard employees of a street railroad. Florida's FWCJUA table describes 8385 by its ambulance garage wording. The classification scope is the same set of fleet garages. ## Fleet payroll that is not garage payroll Drivers, paramedics and dispatch staff of the same companies fall under the operating classes. Bus, ambulance and EMS, and limousine "all other employees & drivers" are listed under 7382, and taxicab companies under 7370. Florida's table also lists 7705 for ambulance service companies and EMS providers with their drivers. A repair shop that services the general public's cars is an auto service or repair center, 8380, rather than a fleet garage. ## Garage roles reported under 8385 Typical payroll in the class: - Diesel mechanic rebuilding brakes on a transit bus - Technician restocking and servicing an ambulance's electrical systems between shifts - Rental car prep attendant washing and checking returned cars - Tire technician mounting rim wheels on buses - Garage helper moving taxis between service bays inside the yard ## Lifts, rim wheels and exhaust in a fleet garage Fleet garages service heavy vehicles. Transit buses and ambulances are raised on lifts or worked over pits, and OSHA has said it has no standard specific to lift users, so lift hazards are enforced through the General Duty Clause with ANSI/ALI ALOIM as the benchmark. Bus fleets add large-vehicle rim wheels, which fall under 29 CFR 1910.177, OSHA's standard for servicing multi-piece and single-piece rims on large vehicles. Ambulance garages also handle the units' electrical and oxygen systems between shifts. ## What a fleet garage should have in place Each item maps to the OSHA source cited: - Inspect and maintain lifts to the manufacturer's instructions and ANSI/ALI ALOIM, which OSHA uses as evidence of a recognized hazard - Train bus tire technicians under 1910.177 and use restraining devices when inflating rim wheels - Run a hazard communication program covering solvents and brake cleaners - Ventilate service bays where engines run indoors ## Garage staff who drive: the 8385 audit issue Garage staff who also drive the fleet are the usual dispute. A mechanic who takes ambulances on calls, or a rental prep worker who shuttles cars between lots on public roads, may have that time pulled into the operating class. Keep driving logs. The opposite error is putting the whole company in 8385 because the garage is the largest department. The operating classes cost more, and an auditor will move driver payroll back where it belongs. ## Florida coverage rules for fleet operators Fleet garages are not construction work, so s. 440.02's four-employee threshold applies to the employer as a whole. Garage staff count toward it along with drivers. Section 440.02 includes aliens and minors in the definition of employee, so apprentice technicians count too. Public employers are different. Ambulance and bus garages run by a county or city are covered as employment by a political subdivision under s. 440.02(17)(b)1, which sets no employee minimum. ## Fleet garage questions about class 8385 **Is 8385 a propane or bottled gas code?** No. Florida lists LPG dealers under 8353. 8385 is for garage employees of passenger fleets such as ambulance, bus, taxi, limousine and rental companies. **Are ambulance crews in 8385?** No. 8385 is the garage. Florida's FWCJUA table lists ambulance service companies, EMS providers and drivers under 7705. **Does OSHA have a lift standard for garages?** OSHA says no specific standard covers lift users. It enforces lift safety under the General Duty Clause, using ANSI/ALI ALOIM and manufacturer guidance as evidence. **Does the ambulance garage share a policy with the crews who ride the trucks?** Often yes, and the application still has to split them. Garage staff who stay on the lot are a different class from the people who staff the vehicle on a call. ## 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: [Standard interpretation (November 19, 2014): OSHA standards applicable to automotive service lifts](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2014-11-19) - OSHA: [29 CFR 1910.177, Servicing multi-piece and single piece rim wheels](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.177) - OSHA: [Regional Emphasis Program for Automotive Services (CPL 20-06)](https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/directives/CPL_20-06_04-01.pdf) - OSHA: [Hazard Communication](https://www.osha.gov/hazcom) - Florida Senate: [Section 440.02, Florida Statutes: Definitions (employment, employee, employer, exemptions)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/440.02) - 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) --- ## 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.*