Own goods in transit insurance through De Goudse
This cover concerns the items you take to work yourself. Most losses occur not while driving, but overnight in the street and at the moment of unloading.
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In brief
Transport insurance for own goods covers the items belonging to you that you move in your own vehicles: tools, machinery, materials, samples and equipment. You do not carry goods for others for payment, so carrier's liability plays no part here. What does count is when cover starts and ends: usually from the moment the items are taken up for carriage until they are delivered at their destination. Finass brokers with De Goudse and also compares the offerings of several insurers objectively; which insurer it becomes follows from the cover you need.
For installers, service engineers, landscapers and finishing contractors the emphasis is on theft from the vehicle. Virtually every policy has a clause for this with firm requirements: signs of forced entry, a sound lock, and, between certain night-time hours, the van kept in a locked space or on a guarded site. If the van is emptied in the street overnight, the question is not whether there was a break-in but whether you met the storage requirement. Record the list of tools with makes and serial numbers in advance; without it, the size of the loss becomes an estimate.
The second place where things go wrong is loading and unloading. A window frame falling off the tail lift, a boiler tipping over on the pavement, a sheet of glass breaking as it is lifted out. That falls under this policy as long as the items are still yours. As soon as the material is incorporated into a structure, the risk shifts to a Construction all risks (CAR) insurance. Damage you cause with or to the vehicle itself belongs with the van insurance, and what is kept at your own address with the business contents and goods insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare goods in transit insurance.
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What to look out for
Four provisions that are more often decisive when transporting your own tools and materials than the sum insured.
The overnight clause determines the theft cover
Outside the permitted hours, theft from an unattended vehicle is often only covered if the van is kept in a a locked space and there are signs of forced entry. If tools disappear without a break-in, that counts as unexplained loss and is excluded. Take valuable equipment inside after work. That is cheaper than the argument afterwards.
Securing and packing the load is your job
Damage caused by insufficient securing, stowage or packing by or on behalf of the insured is a standard exclusion. A machine that is not secured and hits the side panel under braking is therefore your own failing and not transport damage. Ratchet straps, racking and anti-slip matting are not a detail but a condition of cover.
Inherent defect, wear and gradual effects
A drill that fails, rust on materials left in the van for weeks or damp damage to boards from condensation falls under inherent defect and gradually acting influences. The insurance covers a sudden, unforeseen external event. Normal depreciation and maintenance costs also stay outside the cover.
Hired and borrowed equipment is treated differently
A hired aerial work platform or a machine borrowed from a colleague is not your own property. Declare it in advance and have it expressly included, otherwise you face the hire company alone. If you do not disclose what you regularly carry, that engages the duty of disclosure of Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and the consequences of this in Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Sum insured per vehicle: the highest value in the van at any one time
- Number of vehicles: annual cover per vehicle or based on turnover
- Nature of the goods carried: hand tools are weighted differently from measuring equipment
- Storage outside working hours: a warehouse, a drive or the public road
- Security of the vehicle: extra locks, an alarm and a tracking system
- Excess per event: often higher for theft than for a collision
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| The van is hit from the side and your measuring equipment in the load space is destroyed | Yes | Yes |
| A window frame slides off the tail lift while unloading and breaks on the pavement | No | Yes |
| During the day at a customer's premises the side window is smashed and tools are taken from the van | Yes | Yes |
| The van is parked in the street outside overnight and is broken into | No | Provided that |
| The material has already been incorporated into the structure when a fire breaks out there | No | No |
| The trailer overturns on the verge and the bags of cement split open | Yes | Yes |
Timing is decisive: as long as the items are yours and in transit, this policy responds.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Are tools not simply covered by my van insurance?
No. The own-damage cover on the vehicle concerns the van itself: bodywork, glass, engine. What is inside it is cargo and falls under separate transport cover. Some packages include a limited tools section, but with a low limit and strict theft conditions. Work out what is in the van on an average working day and test that against the limit.
Are materials I buy in for a customer covered?
As long as the goods are still your property and you carry them yourself, they fall under the cover. If the delivery has already passed to the customer and you are merely driving, you are carrying someone else's goods and different rules apply. Record in the order confirmation at what point the risk transfers, because the cover hangs on that.
What if tools are stolen from the van overnight?
The insurer first tests the clause: was the van kept in a locked space during the agreed hours, were there signs of forced entry and has it been reported to the police? If you meet those requirements, the loss is assessed at market value or replacement value in accordance with the policy. Report the incident straight away; Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the loss as soon as you are reasonably aware of it.
Does the cover also apply abroad?
Only within the geographical area stated on the policy schedule. Many own goods policies are limited to the Netherlands or the Benelux. If you occasionally work across the border, have the area extended before you leave. Bear in mind that theft and storage requirements are often applied more strictly abroad than here.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.