It doesn’t have to be reiterated that insurance is essential for keeping you and your finances safe, especially if you’re always at risk in your daily work from instances that you may or may not have considered. This is the case with courier drivers.
You can be on the roads with insurance but many courier drivers are often caught out because their courier insurance policy does not cover everything they thought it did. The finer details are hidden in the small print and can lead to uncertainty amongst new courier drivers as to what is necessary to be fully protected when doing their job.
Here are three insurance policies necessary for new courier drivers:
- Courier insurance
If you have any form of courier insurance already, this is likely to be it. You may have noticed that a courier insurance policy, especially for new courier drivers, is slightly more expensive than regular motor insurance and taxi insurance. This is because adhering to a strict time schedule and driving for long hours, sometimes at night, with multiple stops is considered a high risk by insurance brokers so they bump up the price of courier insurance premiums.
This level of courier insurance does, however, cover any injuries to you and damage to your vehicle or another vehicle in the event of an accident. Otherwise, you would be liable for these costs if the accident was your fault.
- Goods in Transit insurance
Don’t assume that you are covered in the event of damage to the goods in your vehicle because, without Goods in Transit insurance, the courier driver is the one deemed responsible if the cargo isn’t transported safely to the required destination.
Compensation costs for extremely valuable cargo can easily reach thousands of pounds and, due to the nature of certain goods being transported, courier vehicles often become the target of theft so Goods in Transit insurance also covers items that are stolen or lost as well as damaged. Some courier insurers won’t compensate for damage to goods as a result of bad packaging so be clear on this when initially sorting your policy.
Goods in Transit insurance is a useful way for you to promote yourself to customers who then know their goods are protected and some companies will even ask for proof of Goods in Transit insurance before allowing you to courier for them.
- Public liability insurance
As a courier driver, there will be instances on a daily basis where you interact with the public so public liability insurance is crucial for keeping you covered when these situations arise.
Negligence claims can result from accidents involving the public and your vehicle or your cargo, particularly heavy items, and, without cover from public liability insurance, you will be required to pay any compensation. It is worth paying for this additional policy alongside your courier insurance and Goods in Transit insurance to have peace of mind that you are fully protected when going about your daily work.
For more information on courier insurance and advice on introductory discounts for new courier drivers, visit InsureCourier today and our friendly team will do all they can to answer your requests promptly and professionally.
