Tractor unit and semi-trailer · load · body
Lorry insurance through De Goudse
Truck insurance covers the vehicle. The most expensive losses in road transport are not in the vehicle but in the load and in the driver.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Vrachtautoverzekering via De Goudse.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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 activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Finass acts as an intermediary for the business range of De Goudse and of more than thirty other companies. We choose not by name but on the conditions. With heavy vehicles that makes more difference than with a car, because acceptance varies widely between insurers. The comparison of the forms of cover is set out on the page about business truck insurance.
The policy has three layers. The liability cover is compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) and applies per registration, so also for the semi-trailer or trailer separately. Own-damage cover covers damage to the vehicle itself. On top of that comes the structure: a lorry-mounted crane, a refrigeration unit, a tipper, a tanker or a loading crane are separate values that you declare separately, otherwise they fall outside the sum insured when a claim arises. Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code limits the payment to the loss actually suffered, but what has not been declared will not be paid in any event.
What the truck policy does not cover is the load. If you damage or lose a client's goods, you are a carrier and CMR or the AVC conditions apply; carrier's liability cover exists for that. If you carry only your own goods, that belongs on the own goods in transit insurance; third-party goods on the goods in transit insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare van insurance.
What to look out for
Four subjects that lead to discussion on a lorry policy more often than the premium.
The crane is no longer a motor vehicle
As soon as you lift with the lorry-mounted crane, you are using the vehicle as machine and not as a motor vehicle. Damage caused in the process to a facade, a roof or to the load being lifted falls outside the WAM cover. That situation belongs with the plant and machinery insurance or with your liability cover; have this expressly included if you lift regularly.
Overloading and load securing
A policy excludes damage resulting from overloading or from insufficiently secured loads. If a pallet slides forward and damages the cab, the cause of the loss is not the collision but the load securing. Record the instructions, have drivers sign them off and keep the weighbridge tickets.
Inherent defect and mechanical damage
A blown turbo, a failed gearbox or a defective refrigeration motor is mechanical damage and never an insured event, however high the bill. Only consequential damage, for instance a fire caused by a technical defect, may be covered. Spoiled cargo caused by failure of the refrigeration unit falls under the transport cover, not under own-damage cover.
The driver
The liability cover pays nothing to your own driver where they caused the accident. Under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code and the duty of care of Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code they can hold you liable. For staff who take to the road in the course of their work, separate traffic cover is not a luxury; see WEGAS and WEGAM.
What does your premium depend on?
- Weight class and number of axles: a tractor and semi-trailer counts differently from a rigid lorry
- Type of transport: building materials, refrigerated transport or dangerous goods each attract a different rate
- Area of cover: domestic distribution work or international transport
- Value of the body: a crane, tipper or refrigeration unit raises the sum insured
- The company's claims history: with several vehicles the claims burden of the fleet as a whole counts
- The pool of drivers: experienced regular drivers count more favourably than changing hired-in staff
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Own-damage cover |
|---|---|---|
| Your driver crumples a parked car while reversing | Yes | No |
| In the same manoeuvre your own tractor unit is damaged on the spoiler and mudguard | No | Yes |
| With the lorry-mounted crane you damage the roof edge of the building where you are unloading | No | No |
| The semi-trailer is taken from the business premises at night | No | Provided that |
| A short circuit in the dashboard causes a fire in the cab | No | Yes |
| The combination sinks into a muddy building site and has to be recovered | Provided that | Provided that |
Third-party liability looks only at the other party's loss; everything on your own combination runs through the own-damage cover.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Must the semi-trailer be insured separately?
Yes. A semi-trailer or trailer has its own registration number and therefore its own insurance requirement under Article 2 of the WAM. As long as the combination is coupled, liability runs with the towing vehicle, but an uncoupled semi-trailer that rolls away on a yard no longer falls under it. Own-damage cover for the semi-trailer is always a separate choice.
Is my client's load covered?
No. The truck insurance covers the vehicle, not what you carry. As a carrier you are liable under CMR for international road transport and under the AVC conditions for domestic transport, with their own liability limits. You take out carrier's liability cover for that. The goods themselves are insured by the interested party under a goods-in-transit insurance.
What if the lorry stands idle for weeks after a collision?
The own-damage cover pays for the repair, but not for the turnover you miss. Some policies include a limited allowance for a replacement vehicle or a daily allowance while off the road; have that expressly included. If the loss feeds through into your business results, business interruption cover is where that belongs, not the motor policy.
Are fines from the ILT or a tachograph offence insured?
No. Administrative fines and criminal sanctions are excluded on every insurance, because they are a punishment and not compensation for loss. You can, however, place the costs of legal assistance in traffic criminal proceedings with a business legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering), provided it includes the traffic module.
Read more
Within Vrachtautoverzekering
Similar pages
- Business lorry insurance through a.s.r.
- Insuring a lorry for business use
- Lorry insurance through Vereende — compare & calculate your premium
- Lorry insurance for business use
- Lorry insurance through Turien & Co — compare & calculate your premium
- Lorry insurance through Nationale-Nederlanden
- Types of lorry insurance: which categories are there?
- Insuring a lorry