Does commercial auto insurance cover tools stolen from a work truck?

Generally no. A commercial auto policy insures the vehicle, not the contents. Comprehensive coverage, if you bought it, pays for theft of or damage to the van itself and, depending on the form and endorsements, equipment permanently installed in it. Loose property inside the van — press tools, cameras, locators, drain machines, hand tools, parts — is not covered by a standard business auto form, subject to the exact wording of the policy you hold.

Tools and equipment are insured under a separate contractor's equipment or inland marine policy. That coverage follows the tools wherever they are: in the van, at the jobsite, in the shop or at a rental yard. Smaller items are usually covered on a blanket basis up to a per-item limit; higher-value items such as a sewer camera or a trailer-mounted jetter are scheduled individually with a stated value.

Read the theft conditions before you need them. Many equipment forms require the vehicle to have been locked and show visible signs of forced entry before they pay for theft from an unattended vehicle, and some limit or exclude overnight theft from a vehicle parked on the street. Keep a current inventory with serial numbers and purchase records; the adjuster will ask for it, and without it a blanket limit is hard to collect in full.