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An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A market van, food truck or fish stall on wheels is a vehicle for only a small part of the time. The rest of the time it is a workplace with gas cylinders, a fryer, refrigeration and a generator, set up among the public. That combination means motor insurance alone will not do: the biggest risk arises precisely when the van is stationary and the equipment is switched on.
The fitting out is not automatically included. Cooking equipment, refrigeration, worktops, the gas installation and the till were built in after delivery and are not part of the list price. They must be declared separately as business contents , and the trading stock in addition. Many insurers impose requirements: a valid inspection certificate for the gas installation, an approved extinguisher within reach and a fire blanket by the fryer.
On the liability side you sell a product that people eat. If someone becomes ill from a product from your van, Article 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code on product liability comes into play, alongside your ordinary liability under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code for, say, a parasol blowing over or a burn on the outside of the van. A liability insurance for businesses is no luxury here.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The object itself
Own-damage cover
Damage, theft, fire and storm, on the road and in storage.
Theft with a coupling lock fitted
Collision and overturning
Storm and fire
Declare separately
Body
What is fitted on or to it and is not in the list price.
Tarpaulin, box body and tail lift
Refrigeration unit
Loading ramps and winch
Not included
Load
What you carry falls outside every vehicle policy.
Own goods in transit insurance
Goods in transit
Storage requirements
What is covered
Situation
Car insurance
Your own policy
Liability while driving, coupled
Yes
No
Damage to the object itself
No
Yes
Theft while uncoupled on the site
No
Sometimes
Overturning while driving
No
Yes
The load you carry
No
No
Overloading or inadequate securing
No
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The gas installation is the strictest condition
Propane or butane in a van with a fryer makes fire the dominant cause of loss. Insurers therefore include an inspection requirement for the gas installation, with a fixed interval and a certificate from an approved fitter. They often also require thermal protection on the fryer, a fire blanket and an approved fire extinguisher. If the valid inspection is missing at the time of the fire, that is a warranty not complied with and not a question of contributory fault.
Stock and spoilage are two different things
You insure the trading stock in the refrigeration as goods, but the usual cover concerns fire, theft and collision damage. Spoilage through failure of the refrigeration is a separate extension and is not included as standard. If the generator fails or an organiser cuts the power, the batch you throw away is your own loss without that extension. Also ask whether spoilage through a breakdown of the refrigeration unit itself is covered or in fact excluded.
On the pitch you are a guest, not the owner
At a market, festival or event site you stand on someone else's ground. Damage you cause there, to the paving, to a building or to the neighbour's stall, does not fall under the third-party liability cover of the vehicle once the van is not taking part in traffic. That is business liability. Also check what the pitch conditions of the municipality or the organiser require of you in terms of insurance, and whether they contain an indemnity.
What is structurally not included
Three items almost always remain outside cover. Cash and the day's takings, unless you take out separate money insurance with requirements for the safe. Spoilage and loss of turnover after a power failure, without a specific extension. And fire damage where the inspection has expired on the gas installation, or where an extinguisher is missing. Wear and tear to cooking and refrigeration equipment, and an inherent defect in that equipment without fire or collision, also fall outside cover.
From 750 kilos a registration number is required
A heavier trailer has its own registration number; also check that the driving licence is adequate for the combination.
Uncoupled is the moment of risk
As long as the item is coupled, liability runs through the towing vehicle. Once uncoupled that no longer applies, and damage to the item itself was never covered in any case. Insurers therefore require an approved coupling lock and a declared storage location; for higher values, a tracker as well.
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.
Is the fitting out of my food truck included in the motor policy?
No. The insurer works from the vehicle details of the chassis. The fryer, griddle, refrigeration, worktops, gas installation and till were built in later and must be declared separately as business contents, at their purchase value. Without that declaration, only the vehicle is paid for in a total loss or a fire, while the fitting out is usually the most expensive part of the van.
What happens if the gas inspection has expired when there is a fire?
The insurer will probably refuse to pay. In policies of this kind the inspection requirement is not advice but a condition, comparable to a security requirement for theft. Keep the certificate from the approved fitter and put the interval in your diary; the same goes for the service record of your fire extinguisher and the presence of a fire blanket.
Am I insured if a customer becomes ill from my product?
Not through the vehicle policy. That is product liability under Article 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code, which belongs in a public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) policy with express cover for goods supplied. Watch the basis of cover, because food safety claims sometimes only come in months later. Your HACCP records and temperature log are the evidence in a file like that.
Is spoiled stock after a power failure covered?
Only with separate spoilage cover. The standard goods or business contents cover concerns fire, theft and collision damage, not the failure of refrigeration. If the generator fails or the power is switched off at an event site, the batch written off is at your own expense without that extension. Ask whether an inherent defect in the refrigeration unit is covered or not.
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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