Insuring a trailer for a self-employed professional
A trailer that works in your business stands at a different address every week, is coupled by changing hands and is a business asset that costs you money when it stands still.
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.
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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Business use changes three things at once. The trailer does not stand on a fixed driveway but on changing building sites and industrial estates, it is not always coupled by you, and it is a business asset: if it stands still, the work stands still. Insurers tie theft cover as standard to a single storage address; have changing locations expressly included.
Liability also shifts from you to the business. You are liable for damage an employee causes to third parties with the trailer under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code. If that employee is injured while loading, unloading or when a load tips, the duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code is central and the matter belongs on the public and employers' liability insurance (AVB), not on the trailer policy.
Excluded: your tools and materials, overloading and improper securing, damage caused by a driver without the correct entitlement, and wear to tyres, brakes and the drawbar. If you use the trailer purely privately, look at the private trailer insurance.
Trailer for self-employed professionals: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Through the towing vehicle
Liability
Damage you cause to others with the trailer.
Covered while coupled
Under the car's third-party liability cover
Uncoupled: no longer covered
The object itself
Third-party, fire and theft
External causes beyond your control.
Fire and storm
Theft after forced entry
Hail, depending on the policy
Full
Comprehensive
Including damage you cause yourself.
Collision and manoeuvring
Vandalism
Contents as a separate section
What is covered
Situation
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Theft after forced entry, with the prescribed lock
Yes
Yes
Fire and storm damage on the pitch
Yes
Yes
Hail damage to roof and walls
Provided that
Yes
Collision damage while manoeuvring
No
Yes
Contents in the caravan or trailer
Provided that
Provided that
Damp, wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
A trailer or caravan is not an independent motor vehicle and therefore has no insurance requirement of its own. Damage you cause to others with it falls under the third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle, as long as the combination is coupled (Article 2 WAM). Once the trailer is uncoupled and has come to a standstill, that cover no longer applies.
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 building site is where theft happens, not your driveway
A work trailer stays on site overnight in the middle of a job, behind site fencing that is not yours. The standard policy ties theft cover to a fixed storage address, and in your case that is only correct for part of the week. Have it put in writing that changing work locations are covered and what security then applies: a coupling lock, a wheel clamp, and a tracker for higher values.
An employee at the towing eye: Articles 6:170 and 7:658 DCC
If your employee couples the trailer incorrectly and it hits a parked car, the business is liable under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code. Recovering from the employee is almost impossible, because Article 7:661 DCC requires intent or deliberate recklessness. If he is injured himself when a load tips, it is Article 7:658 DCC that counts and the public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) pays, not the trailer policy.
Tools and materials: own-transport cover or nothing
What is on or in the trailer is never covered by the vehicle policy, not even under a cover or in a locked body. For that there is own goods in transit insurance, with a night clause requiring you to empty the trailer after working hours. If you carry a client's machines or materials, the care, custody and control exclusion on your public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) comes into play; it specifically excludes goods in your care.
Business asset: VAT, downtime and hired equipment
If you are registered for VAT, the value is usually insured excluding VAT. If you declare the amount including VAT, you pay premium on money you will not receive. Replacement equipment is not included as standard, while downtime costs you turnover immediately. And a hired or borrowed trailer is not on your policy; arrange separate cover for it before you take it away.
The load is never covered
What you carry (tools, materials, a machine) is not covered on the trailer policy, not even under a cover. For that you need separate own-transport insurance, with requirements of its own for overnight storage.
From 750 kilos maximum permitted mass the trailer must be registered, and the combination of vehicle and trailer may exceed the limit of a category B licence. Driving without the correct entitlement is grounds for exclusion, including for the third-party damage the insurer pays to the other party and then recovers from you.
What does your premium depend on?
List price including the fixed body. Chassis plus cover, tool box, winch and loading ramps, provided they are declared with a value.
Type of trailer. Flatbed, machine transporter, closed body or tipper. The use differs substantially by type.
Maximum permitted mass. Under or over 750 kilos, and whether the combination with your van stays within a category B licence.
Number of drivers within the business. An open driver clause counts more heavily than a policy with named employees.
Changing work locations and security. Whether the trailer stands at project sites overnight and with what lock or tracker.
The company's claims history. With a business policy, the claims record of the business counts, not your private history.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover 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.
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.
No, not even under a cover or in a locked tool box. The trailer policy covers the chassis and the declared fixed bodywork. What you carry falls outside it. For that you need separate own-transport insurance, usually with a night-time clause requiring you to empty the trailer after working hours or put it inside. Without that emptying, the cover falls away.
Who is answerable for damage my employee causes?
The business, under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code for damage caused by subordinates. The third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle deals with the damage to third parties as long as the trailer was coupled. Recovery from the employee is virtually excluded: Article 7:661 DCC only allows it in cases of intent or deliberate recklessness, and that threshold is rarely met.
What if the trailer stands on changing building sites?
Declare that when you apply. As standard, theft cover is tied to a single declared storage address, and that does not fit project work. Have it included that changing work locations are covered and what security then applies. Without that arrangement, the insurer can point to the different storage address after a theft from a building site and limit the payment.
Do I insure the amount with or without VAT?
If you are registered for VAT, you normally insure excluding VAT, because you reclaim the VAT on a replacement trailer anyway. If you declare the amount including VAT, you pay premium on an amount that will not be paid out. If you are not registered for VAT, or fall under an exemption, the value belongs on the policy including VAT.
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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