Third-party liability
- Damage to property and injury to third parties
- No cover for your own vehicle
- Compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)
- Applies as long as the registration has not been suspended
Vehicle cover · load cover · liability
Types of lorry insurance: which categories are there?
Insuring a truck is rarely a single policy. There are three forms of cover on the vehicle and, alongside them, a range of covers for the load, the semi-trailer, the driver and liability.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Soorten vrachtautoverzekeringen: welke categorieën zijn er?.
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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 situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Anyone looking for truck insurance soon comes across a series of terms: third-party liability, third-party fire and theft, comprehensive, own-account transport, goods in transit, carrier's liability, plant and machinery and driver covers. Those terms belong to three different types of risk: damage to others, damage to the vehicle itself, and damage to or caused by the load. They rarely fall under one policy.
The basis is always the same. Third-party liability cover is compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) and covers only damage you cause to someone else with the vehicle. Damage to your own truck falls under own-damage cover, in the form of third-party, fire and theft or comprehensive cover. Around that you build the covers that suit your use: a hobby driver needs different additions from a transport business or a self-employed driver.
The most common misunderstanding concerns the load. The load almost never falls under the own-damage cover on the vehicle. If you carry your own goods, own-goods transit insurance goes with that. If you carry third-party goods for payment, it is a matter of carrier's liability, with the AVC conditions as the framework domestically and the CMR Convention internationally.
The three categories of cover on the vehicle
These three forms determine what happens to the truck itself. The additions follow after that.
Third-party liability + fire and theft
Alongside third-party liability, a fixed list of events named in the policy.
- Fire, explosion and lightning strike
- Theft and burglary damage
- Storm, hail and glass damage
- Damage you cause yourself while driving is not covered
Comprehensive
Also damage to your own vehicle through your own doing or with no other party involved.
- Collisions and manoeuvring damage
- Damage with no known other party
- Possible on a market value or valued amount basis
- An excess to be agreed with you
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Damage you cause to someone else with the lorry | Yes | Yes |
| Fire or theft of the lorry | No | Yes |
| Damage to your own vehicle after a single-vehicle collision | No | Yes |
| Loss of or damage to the load carried | No | No |
| Damage to a coupled trailer or semi-trailer | Provided that | Provided that |
| Injury to the employed driver | 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.
The categories alongside the vehicle cover
Four groups of cover that come into play with a truck as soon as you look beyond the vehicle.
Load: own-account transport or carriage for third parties
This is where the main dividing line runs. If you carry your own property — materials, machinery, stock belonging to your own business — you insure it with own-goods transit insurance. Do you carry third-party goods carried for payment, you are a carrier and it is a matter of your liability as a carrier. Domestically, reference is usually made to the AVC conditions; internationally the CMR Convention applies, which limits liability per kilogram. Goods-in-transit insurance covers the goods themselves; carrier's liability insurance covers what you owe by law or under contract.
Trailer, semi-trailer and body
For third-party liability cover, a coupled trailer or semi-trailer usually falls under the towing vehicle as long as it is attached. For own damage to the semi-trailer itself that is not the case: it needs its own cover, with its own value on the policy. The same applies to a demountable body, a refrigeration unit, a tail lift or a crane. State them separately in the application, because an insurer only covers what is described on the policy.
Driver and passengers
The WAM cover protects third parties, not the driver. There are separate solutions for injury to the driver: a occupants' accident insurance or a personal accident insurance. If you work with employed drivers, employer's liability also comes into play: under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code and the duty of care of Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code, an employer is expected to arrange proper insurance for employees who take part in traffic in the course of their work. WEGAS and WEGAM covers exist for that.
What falls into none of the categories
Some risks remain outside all the covers mentioned. Wear, corrosion and mechanical defects are not an external event and are not covered; at most a separate warranty or machinery breakdown cover exists for those. Damage caused by incorrect loading, stowing or securing of the load is regularly excluded or limited. Overloading, driving without the required licence and driving under the influence lead to loss of own-damage cover and to recovery in the event of a third-party liability claim. Intent and recklessness are excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Purpose of use: hobby, carrying your own goods or professional transport
- Value and age of the vehicle: determines the own-damage premium
- Maximum permitted mass: weight class and loss potential
- Mileage and territorial limits: domestic or international
- Claims history and number of drivers: changes of driver are taken into account
- Type of cover and excess: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
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.
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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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Which insurance is compulsory for a truck?
Only the third-party liability cover. Article 2 of the WAM requires the registered keeper of every motor vehicle to have liability insurance, including for a truck that is rarely driven. The requirement is linked to the registration and not to the use. It only lapses once the registration is suspended. Own-damage cover, load cover and driver covers are voluntary, but are often required by clients under contract.
Is my load covered by the truck insurance?
No. The own-damage cover concerns the vehicle and not what is in or on it. For your own goods you choose own-goods transit insurance. If you carry third-party goods for payment, it is a matter of your liability as a carrier, for which the AVC conditions form the framework domestically and the CMR Convention internationally. Without that separate cover you bear the load risk yourself.
What is the difference between own-account transport and carriage for hire and reward?
With own-account transport you move goods belonging to your own business, for instance materials to a building site. With carriage for hire and reward you carry other people's goods for payment. That distinction determines not only which insurance is appropriate, but also whether you need a licence and which liability rules apply. Insurers always ask the question. An incorrect answer affects the cover.
Does a semi-trailer fall under the tractor unit's insurance?
For statutory liability it usually does, as long as the semi-trailer is coupled. For own damage to the semi-trailer itself it does not: that needs its own cover and its own sum insured. An uncoupled semi-trailer that causes damage also often falls outside the tractor unit's cover. Have it recorded in the policy which semi-trailers and trailers are covered.
Do I need different covers as a private owner than a transport business?
Yes. A private or hobby owner usually needs no more than third-party liability with own-damage cover on a valued amount, and pays particular attention to storage and mileage. A transport business also needs load cover, carrier's liability, covers for drivers and often business interruption cover. The basis for the premium differs too: hobby use involves limited mileage, carriage for hire and reward does not.
Read more
Within Vrachtautoverzekering
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Which category suits your truck?
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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.
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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.