Own transport
- Damage and loss on the way
- Loading and unloading usually included
- Theft subject to security requirements
- Often short-term storage as well
Insurance for the transport of goods
In transport there are two very different policies: one that covers your liability as a carrier and one that insures the goods themselves. Anyone who chooses the wrong one is left empty-handed after a loss.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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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.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
The first question is who owns the goods. If you carry your own property: tools, materials, stock, samples. You insure them with goods in transit insurance for own transport. That covers the goods themselves against damage and loss on the way, regardless of who is at fault.
Do you carry other people's goods for payment, you are a carrier and your liability is the starting point. For domestic road carriage the AVC conditions apply, for cross-border road carriage the CMR Convention. Both provide for limited liability per kilogram of weight damaged or lost. If the cargo is worth more than that limit, the difference stays with the owner, unless the owner has goods insurance of their own.
That makes the third choice relevant: who arranges the cover? A client who wants his cargo paid in full takes out goods in transit insurancehimself. A carrier insures his liability. Both policies are often needed alongside each other.
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We compare your goods-in-transit insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
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Three policies around one consignment
Which you need depends on your role in the chain and on who owns the cargo.
Carriers' liability
Your liability as a carrier under the AVC or CMR conditions.
- Limited per kilogram
- Domestic under the AVC
- International under the CMR Convention
- Loss above the limit remains uncovered
Goods insurance
The full value of the consignment, regardless of who is liable.
- From door to door
- Also where the carrier is not liable
- A single consignment or an open contract
- Inherent defect remains excluded
What is covered
| Situation | Liability | Goods insurance |
|---|---|---|
| A collision in which the cargo is damaged | Provided that | Yes |
| Theft of the cargo from the vehicle | Provided that | Provided that |
| Loss above the statutory limit per kilo | No | Yes |
| Damage caused by poor packing by the sender | No | No |
| Spoilage due to an inherent defect of the goods | No | No |
| Delay losses and lost turnover | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of goods: value, fragility and how prone it is to theft
- Annual turnover or value carried: the usual basis for calculation
- Area of cover: domestic, Europe or worldwide
- Mode of carriage: road, sea, air or combined
- Maximum value per consignment: determines the limit required
- Security and claims history: locks, alarms and previous claims
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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
Four points that determine whether transit loss is actually paid for.
The limit per kilo is the heart of the problem
Under the AVC and CMR conditions the carrier's liability is limited to an amount per kilogram of weight damaged or lost. With light, valuable cargo — electronics, instruments, pharmaceutical products — the actual value is far above that. The carrier is then fully insured for his liability, while the owner bears the greater part of the loss. Only cargo insurance on the full value solves that.
From where to where the cover runs
Transit cover is a travel cover: it begins and ends at a defined moment. Often from the moment the consignment is taken up for carriage until delivery at the stated address. Interim storage and transhipment, waiting at a terminal or a night on an unguarded yard are not automatically included. Set out which links occur in your chain and whether separate storage cover is needed for them.
What is not included
Outside the cover are, among other things: damage caused by defective packaging or stowage, damage caused by a inherent defect or the nature of the goods such as spoilage, rust or leakage without an external cause, normal wear and tear and loss of weight, loss due to delay and lost turnover, and damage caused by intent or recklessness of the insured under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Cargo that has not been refrigerated or secured in accordance with the instructions, and consignments left unattended without permission, almost always lead to rejection as well.
Report the loss and note it on the consignment note
If the consignee finds damage, note it at once on the consignment note; without a note it is assumed the consignment was delivered in good order. Also report the loss to your insurer as soon as reasonably possible; Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code obliges you to do so. Keep photographs, the packing list and the temperature record. Those documents determine afterwards whether it is transit damage or an inherent defect.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
What is the difference between CMR and goods insurance?
CMR insurance covers your liability as a carrier and is limited to the amount per kilogram the CMR Convention allows. Goods insurance covers the consignment itself, at its actual value and regardless of who is liable. With valuable, light cargo the difference between the two amounts is large. Both policies are often needed alongside each other.
Do I need transit insurance if I only carry my own things?
Only if you want those things insured while they are on the road. Your business contents or stock insurance generally stops at the door of the premises. What is in the van or trailer falls outside it. Own goods in transit cover fills that gap and covers tools, materials and stock during carriage and often during short-term storage as well.
Is theft from a van covered?
Generally only subject to conditions. Insurers require sound locks, a working alarm and overnight parking at a guarded or locked location. Theft from an unattended vehicle on the public road is often limited or excluded, certainly at night. Check the exact requirement before you leave a consignment in the vehicle.
Does the policy cover delay?
Almost never. Transit policies cover damage to and loss of the goods themselves, not the consequences of late delivery: lost turnover, contractual penalties or downtime at the consignee. Under the CMR Convention there is a limited right to compensation for delay up to the carriage charge, but that is a liability matter and not goods insurance.
What does door-to-door cover mean?
That the consignment is insured from the moment it is taken up for carriage until delivery at the stated address, including the transhipment in between. Do note the definition in your policy: long-term storage on the way or a planned stay at a terminal often falls outside that description and calls for separate storage cover.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare goods in transit insuranceThe main page
- Transport insurance for a removals companyLiability, contents in transit, storage
- Transit insurance for self-employed professionalsYour own property or freight, the van as storage, capacity
- Transport insurance for self-employed professionalsConsignments, passing of risk, packing
- Goods in transit insuranceActual value, route, who insures
- International goods in transitCMR, multimodal, countries
Read more
Within Compare goods in transit insurance
Similar pages
Which transit cover do you need?
Request a quote without obligation. We determine whether you need to insure liability, the goods themselves or both.
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.