Distribution · proof of delivery · logistics services
Carriers' liability insurance through Nationale-Nederlanden
In domestic distribution, the problem is not the large claim but the number of small ones. Hundreds of stops a day produce a claims pattern that loads a policy differently from long-distance work.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Vervoerdersaansprakelijkheidsverzekering via Nationale-Nederlanden.
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.
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- 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 Nationale-Nederlanden and is not tied to this company. We compare several insurers objectively and the choice follows from what you need to cover. This company comes into the picture for us with businesses engaged in domestic distribution: urban logistics, parcel and delivery services, daily runs to shops and building sites. The applicable regime is then usually that of the AVC conditions (the Dutch general carriage conditions) and Book 8 of the Dutch Civil Code, rather than that of the CMR Convention.
That regime limits your duty to compensate by the weight of the damaged consignment. In distribution that means low amounts per claim and many claims a year: a damaged box, a parcel delivered to the wrong address, a roll cage that falls over. The claims frequency determines the premium here, and the excess per event determines what is actually paid. Work out from what amount it is still worth reporting a claim.
The third point is that distribution businesses rarely just drive. Repacking, labelling, handling returns, holding a day's stock: those are logistics services and they fall outside the contract of carriage. They are governed by their own conditions and need separate cover, for example for warehousing and storage. If you also drive your own trading stock around, that belongs on a own goods in transit insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on a.s.r. – Carriers' liability insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that make the difference in delivery work and domestic distribution.
Delivering without a signature
A parcel left with the neighbours, behind the fence or in an agreed safe place is attractive for delivery speed and risky for your liability. Handing over to someone who is not entitled to accept the consignment counts as loss. Establish that the customer permits this method of delivery and make sure you have watertight proof with the time, location and a photograph.
Hired couriers and self-employed drivers
If you work with self-employed couriers, you remain liable to your customer for what they cause. Check whether they have cover of their own and whether your policy includes carriage with third-party equipment. If it does not, there is no insurer to carry the loss and it lands on your own result.
Ancillary services fall outside the contract of carriage
Assembling, installing, taking away old appliances or carrying a delivery into the house are not carriage. If your courier damages a floor, a door frame or a stair rail while doing so, that is ordinary damage to property under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and belongs on the public and employers' liability insurance, not here.
The van and the roll cages are not insured
Damage to your own vehicle is own-damage and runs through the fleet insurance. Roll cages, crates and pallets you hold from a customer are goods you have in your care: they fall under the care, custody and control exclusion and call for a separate arrangement covering loss of and damage to load carriers.
What does your premium depend on?
- Turnover of goods carried: the basis, adjusted afterwards on the actual figures
- Number of stops per day: distribution has far more moments at which damage occurs than line haul
- Type of consignments: white goods and electronics produce different claims from building materials
- Excess per event: the most important lever where frequency is high
- Use of third parties: the extent of subcontracted delivery work and the supervision of it
- Ancillary services: storage, repacking and returns handling call for additional arrangements
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A roll cage falls over during the journey and damages the consignment inside it | Yes | Yes |
| During a delivery stop, a parcel is stolen from the unattended van | Provided that | Provided that |
| Fire in the transhipment depot where the consignments stand overnight | Provided that | Yes |
| A refrigerated consignment spoils because the cooling in the van fails | No | Provided that |
| The customer imposes a penalty because the delivery arrived a day late | No | Provided that |
| A fraudster collects a complete consignment under false pretences | No | Provided that |
Even with extended cover, your duty to compensate remains capped by the per-kilogram limit of the AVC or CMR conditions.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
A parcel was left with the neighbours and has disappeared. Is that covered?
That depends on the arrangement with your customer. If delivery to neighbours or to an agreed place is permitted, you have delivered correctly and your liability ends there. Without that permission, there has been delivery to an unauthorised person and therefore loss of the consignment. Record the delivery instruction in writing and keep the evidence for each stop.
Are my self-employed couriers insured as well?
Not automatically. Many conditions assume carriage with your own staff and your own vehicles. So state in the agreement with the courier that they hold their own carriers' cover and ask for the evidence each year. Also state on your application what proportion of your journeys is subcontracted. That is a fact covered by the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code.
I also hold stock for a customer. Is that included?
No. As soon as goods are held by you outside a current transport order, you are no longer a carrier but a bailee. Different conditions apply and separate cover is needed. If you fail to arrange it, you face your customer without insurance in the event of fire, theft or water damage in the warehouse.
Is it worth reporting every small claim?
Not always, but reporting and claiming are two different things. Article 7:941 DCC obliges you to report an event as soon as you are reasonably aware of it, even where the excess means you receive nothing. In distribution it is usual to handle small claims administratively and to claim only above the excess; agree that approach with the insurer in advance.
Read more
Within Compare goods in transit insurance
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