Actual value
- Not capped per kilogram
- Regardless of who is liable
- Including freight and costs
Transport insurance for refrigerated transport
In refrigerated transport it is not a collision but the temperature curve that decides whether there is still a load at the end of the journey.
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- 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
Ordinary transit cover is built around events: a collision, an overturning, fire, theft. In refrigerated transport such an event is usually absent. The unit cuts out, the temperature rises slowly and at the end of the journey the load is unusable without anything external having happened. A separate section is needed for that loss; without it, a refrigeration unit that fails is not a covered event.
That section also involves two different causes that have to be arranged separately. The first is machinery breakdown: the refrigeration unit itself breaks down. The second is an operating error or a wrong setting. Insurers do not treat those the same, and on some policies only the first is included.
The third point is evidence. With spoilage the question is always whether the temperature stayed within the agreed limits, and you can only answer that with a continuously recording logger. If it concerns foodstuffs, also look at goods in transit insurance for food products, where the rules on hygiene and rejection are dealt with.
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What does transport insurance for refrigerated transport cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
What a carrier bears at most.
- CMR: 8.33 SDR per kilo
- AVC: € 3.40 per kilo
- Rarely the actual value
Type of cover
From limited to all risks.
- All external perils
- Limited perils
- Storage in transit
What is covered
| Situation | Carriers' liability | Goods in transit |
|---|---|---|
| Damage from an accident, up to the weight limit | Yes | Yes |
| Damage above the weight limit | No | Yes |
| Theft of the cargo | Sometimes | Yes |
| Damage with no identifiable fault | No | Yes |
| Storage during the journey | No | Sometimes |
| Inherent defect or inadequate packaging | 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.
What does your premium depend on?
- Temperature regime. Fresh, frozen or a narrow band for pharmaceutical products each carry a different risk.
- Type and age of the refrigeration unit. The condition of the unit and the presence of a second compressor count in the underwriting.
- Number of delivery points per journey. Distribution runs with many door openings put more strain on the refrigeration than one direct journey.
- Journey time and routes. Long journeys and warm destinations increase the chance that a failure leads to spoilage.
- Machinery breakdown section. Including failure of the refrigeration unit itself is a separate choice that drives the price.
- Excess per consignment. For spoilage losses a percentage or a fixed amount per consignment often applies as the excess.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your 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 make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Without a separate section, spoilage is not a loss
Check whether your policy has a section for refrigeration damage, temperature deviation or spoilage and which causes it covers. If it is missing, a failed unit falls outside the cover because no external peril can be identified. The section usually sets a minimum duration of deviation and a minimum excess temperature before there is any loss; read those thresholds, because below them you are paid nothing.
Machinery breakdown depends on your maintenance file
Cover for failure of the refrigeration unit is almost always tied to a condition about maintenance: periodic servicing by an approved company, with demonstrable records per unit. Wear and tear, corrosion and deferred maintenance are themselves excluded. Only sudden failure is insured. Keep the service reports with the vehicle file, because that is the first thing the surveyor asks for after a claim for spoilage.
Cargo presented too warm is an inherent defect
A refrigeration unit holds a temperature but does not bring a load back down. If the consignment is presented too warm or the shipper's storage is not in order, the damage arose before the doors closed. Measure the core temperature at loading, note it on the consignment note and have the shipper sign it. Without that measurement you carry a risk that in fact belongs to the other party.
Recording, calibration and door openings
A logger that only shows the set temperature is not evidence. What is needed is a continuously recording device with a valid calibration certificate. Keep the printout for each journey. On distribution runs with many delivery points, every door opening means a rise in temperature: record the order of the stops and how long the doors were open. If the recording is missing, your position in the discussion is weak, even where there was in fact nothing wrong with your refrigeration.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is spoilage from failure of the refrigeration unit covered?
Only with a section for refrigeration damage or machinery breakdown. Standard transit cover asks for an external event, and a unit that stops is not one. The section sets its own conditions: demonstrable maintenance, a valid temperature record and often a minimum duration of deviation before there is said to be a loss.
What if the data logger has no data?
Then you are missing the evidence the whole claim rests on. Without a record nobody can establish whether the temperature stayed within the limits, and the insurer does not have to assume the opposite. So check before departure that the logger works and is calibrated, and keep the printout for each journey together with the consignment note.
Who is responsible if the cargo was presented too warm?
The shipper. A refrigeration unit holds the temperature but does not bring a load that is too warm back to the right level. If the consignment is delivered outside specification, it is a defect in the goods themselves and that is excluded. So measure the core temperature at loading and have it signed off on the transport document.
Is a power failure at the depot covered?
That depends on the policy. If a trailer is plugged into the mains on your site or at a customer and that power fails, strictly speaking that is not a moment of carriage but a storage situation. Some policies cover it within the refrigeration damage section, others refer to the buildings or business contents cover for the location. Ask about this expressly.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare goods in transit insuranceThe main page
- Transport insurance for foodstuffsSpoilage, hygiene, rejection
- Transport insurance for building materialsBulk, unloading, weather
- Goods in transit insuranceActual value, route, who insures
- Transport insurance for electronicsHigh value, low weight, theft
- Transport insurance for works of artIrreplaceable, valuation, condition report
- Transport insurance for courier servicesMany consignments, high value, speed
- Transport insurance for SMEsOwn transport, subcontracted, the trade-off
- Goods in transit insurance for hazardous substancesADR, environment, certification
Read more
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
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.