Insurance is a complicated business, even for the simple purpose of insuring a small family car, let alone for the van you use to make a living. Are you certain that you have the correct insurance?
After a quick Google search of “what insurance does a courier need” it becomes clear that there isn’t a great deal of ‘plain English’ information about the correct insurance required for courier services. There’s also a great deal of confusion and conflicting information on forums.
Intentionally or unintentionally, no doubt there are a plethora of couriers carrying out their work without the correct insurance. Unfortunately they are unlikely to find out until they need to make a claim – which could not only prove expensive in repairs and compensation, but may also result in legal action.
Some couriers have found that when they think they are completely covered for everything they need to be, they are actually not. An interesting example on a forum comes from a courier who travels throughout Europe. Despite going to a specialist courier insurance broker, he found he was not actually covered for the whole of Europe, as he had been lead to believe – in fact he wasn’t even covered for the whole of the EU! His insurers were under the same misconception, until he raised the issue.
The moral of the story is to shop around and ask lots of questions, explain exactly what your needs are – Do you deliver outside of the UK? How often? Where exactly? Do you ever carry passengers?
As a general rule of thumb you will need class three business insurance, however it is hugely important to read the small print, as it can often have stipulations making the insurance unsuitable for your business.