Liability
- Compulsory third-party liability cover for road use
- Operational risk for damage when digging and lifting
- Cable and pipe damage often with a separate limit
Insuring an Atlas
Atlas builds mobile excavators and lorry-mounted cranes that drive on the road and also lift; the insurance must cover both roles, including the load and the ground beneath.
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- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
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Personal quote request. A no-obligation request: nothing is taken out automatically. After sending you receive a reference number and a confirmation by e-mail.
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In brief
Atlas is a German manufacturer of wheeled mobile excavators, material handlers and loader cranes mounted on lorries. In the Netherlands you come across the wheeled excavators from the 140W to 220W series in earthmoving, road building and sewerage, and the loader cranes at haulage companies and builders' merchants. Both machines have one characteristic in common: they travel on the public road and also work as lifting or digging equipment.
That dual role calls for contractors' plant insurance (werkmaterieelverzekering) with a third-party liability (WA) section for the traffic risk and an operational risk section for damage during work. An Atlas excavator that hits a gas pipe while digging, or a loader crane that swings a load against a façade while unloading, falls under the operational risk, not under the traffic cover. Business liability insurance (AVB) also excludes damage involving motor vehicles.
Own-damage (casco) cover for Atlas equipment is a trade-off between value and use. A new 160W costs well over € 200,000, a ten-year-old used machine a fraction of that. Theft of mobile machines does occur, especially of machines left on the construction site overnight, and the insurer therefore asks about security, a tracking system and where the machine is kept outside working hours.
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Atlas: what is covered?
With an Atlas, the choice of cover depends on the value of the machine, whether it lifts for third parties with a loader crane and where it is kept outside working hours.
Own-damage cover
Pays for damage to the Atlas itself: overturning, collision, fire, theft and vandalism on site.
- Overturning while lifting is the main own-damage risk
- Theft often requires a tracking system or secure storage
- New value or current value depending on year of manufacture
Downtime and transport
Covers transport of the machine on a low-loader and the costs if the Atlas is out of action after damage.
- Damage during loading, unloading and transport on a trailer
- Hire of replacement equipment during repairs
- Recovery costs after overturning into an excavation
What is covered
| Situation | Covered |
|---|---|
| Theft from the building site | Sometimes |
| Fire and storm damage | Yes |
| Inherent defect in the hydraulics | Sometimes |
| Damage to cables and pipes | Sometimes |
| Normal wear and tracks | No |
| Damage due to deferred maintenance | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
What does your premium depend on?
- Lifting capacity and crane moment. Heavier lifting means greater consequential damage if a load falls.
- Registration and road use. If the machine travels on the public road, the WAM obligation comes into play.
- Type of work. Road construction next to moving traffic weighs differently from work on a closed site.
- Cover for the load in your care. The sub-limit chosen for items you lift or move.
- Inspection regime and operators. Up-to-date inspections and demonstrably certified operators reduce the risk.
- Claims history involving lifting losses. Earlier claims from lifting work weigh more heavily than bodywork damage or broken glass.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Where things go wrong in practice
These are the points that matter in practice when insuring an Atlas.
Wheeled excavator on the public road
An Atlas wheeled excavator drives under its own power from one work site to the next. That makes it a motor vehicle subject to compulsory insurance, and since registration became compulsory for mobile machinery, a newer machine capable of more than 25 km/h must also have a registration and inspection. The third-party liability section of the plant policy covers the traffic risk, including damage from a protruding boom or a bucket that falls off. Check whether the policy covers road use without a distance restriction; some terms limit driving on the public road to short moves.
Lifting with the loader crane
An Atlas loader crane on a lorry lifts loads every day that belong to someone else: building materials, containers, pallets of bricks. If a load falls because of incorrect slinging or a broken lifting strap, the damage to that load is damage to property in your care, which most liability policies exclude. Ask for a section covering lifting liability or damage to the load, with an appropriate limit. The lifting gear itself, such as chains, straps and clamps, must also be inspected periodically; the insurer will ask about this after a claim.
Ground conditions and overturning
The biggest own damage to Atlas equipment is overturning: an excavator on an embankment that slips, a loader crane whose outrigger sinks into soft ground. Own-damage cover pays for the damage to the machine, but the insurer looks at the circumstances. Working outside the load charts, setting outriggers without outrigger pads or ignoring the overload protection can lead to a reduced payout. Make sure operators are certified and that the crane has been recently inspected; that prevents disputes after an incident.
Cables and pipes
Digging with an Atlas regularly hits a cable or pipe. A gas pipe or fibre-optic bundle can cause damage of tens of thousands of euros, plus consequential loss for businesses left without a connection. The operational risk section usually covers this, but often with a separate limit and a higher excess. The insurer requires you to file an excavation notification (KLIC) via the Kadaster in advance and to have the maps on the machine. Without a notification, the insurer can recover the damage from your company.
Theft and security
Mobile excavators and loader cranes are popular with thieves, especially when they are left on an open building site outside working hours. For higher current values, insurers set requirements: a certified tracking system, an immobiliser and, where possible, storage on a locked site. If a machine is stolen while the required security is missing, the payout may be lower. Register the chassis number and the attachments, such as buckets and demolition hammers, which often have to be insured separately because they are not covered with the machine.
Hire and use by third parties
Many Atlas owners hire out the machine, with or without an operator, to other companies. The policy assumes use by your own business; hire must be reported separately and changes the premium and the terms. For hire without an operator, the insurer often wants a hire agreement with liability arrangements and a check that the hirer is qualified. If the machine is deployed via an agency arrangement or a subcontractor, it must be clear who bears the custody risks. We record this before the machine leaves the yard.
Frequently asked questions
Questions owners of Atlas equipment ask us.
Does my Atlas excavator need a registration?
Mobile machines that can go faster than 25 km/h and were first put into use after 1 January 2021 are subject to compulsory registration and periodic inspection. Older machines had to be registered by the end of 2021. An Atlas wheeled excavator almost always falls under this. Apart from the registration, compulsory insurance applies to every machine that drives on the public road. We check the registration with the application.
Is damage to the lifted load insured?
Not automatically. The load usually belongs to a customer and counts as property in your care, which most liability covers exclude. Contractors' plant insurance with a section for lifting liability or damage to the load does cover this, up to an agreed amount. For a loader crane that unloads for third parties every day, that section is essential. We set the limit to match the heaviest loads you lift in practice.
What happens if the machine overturns?
Own-damage cover pays for the damage to the Atlas and the recovery costs, provided the machine was used within the regulations. The insurer looks at the outrigger set-up, the load chart, the crane inspection and the operator's qualifications. Damage to third parties, for example a façade or a vehicle, falls under the liability section. Keep inspection reports and certificates, because the loss adjuster will ask for them straight away.
Do I need to insure the attachments separately?
Often, yes. Buckets, demolition hammers, sorting grabs and quick couplers are not automatically covered with the machine by many insurers, especially not when they are lying loose on site. You can specify them on the policy with their own sum insured. A modern sorting grab is quickly worth several tens of thousands of euros. We include the attachments in the application so that their theft or damage does not fall outside the cover.
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Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.