In machinery transport most damage arises while the vehicle is standing still: during lifting, lashing and setting the machine down at its destination.
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
A production machine, a press, a generator set or a complete line travels the shortest distance at the most dangerous moment. The road journey is usually trouble-free; lifting it off the lorry, slewing it over a foundation and setting it down on the floor are not. Even so, not every goods policy covers loading and unloading, and with this kind of carriage that is the first question to put on the table.
The second question concerns the equipment used for it. A mobile crane or a lorry-mounted crane is legally a motor vehicle, and liability policies exclude damage caused with a motor vehicle. For taking part in traffic the compulsory insurance under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies; for the lifting itself, work risk cover on the crane policy is needed. Anyone who does not check that in advance is caught between two policies after an incident.
The third point is replaceability. A bespoke machine cannot simply be bought again; repair takes months and the downtime at the buyer runs on. That consequential loss falls outside goods cover.
What does transport insurance for machinery cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basis
Actual value
What the cargo is actually worth.
Not capped per kilogram
Regardless of who is liable
Including freight and costs
The difference
Liability
What a carrier bears at most.
CMR: 8.33 SDR per kilo
AVC: € 3.40 per kilo
Rarely the actual value
Optional
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Include loading, unloading and lifting expressly
Some policies cover only the leg between the loading point and the unloading point and not the operations at each end. That is precisely where the load falls, the machine tips on the forks or a protruding part hits the bodywork. Ask for written confirmation that loading, unloading and lifting are included, that this also applies where a third party does the lifting, and up to what weight the cover runs. A verbal assurance is no help when you claim.
The crane falls under a different regime
As soon as lifting is done with a mobile crane or a lorry-mounted crane, a motor vehicle is involved. For driving, Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies; for damage during the lifting work, separate work risk cover. If you hire in a crane with an operator, ask for a certificate of insurance showing that cover. If the client is held responsible for the work of your subcontractor, that runs through Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code and the bill still ends up with you.
Lashing badly is not transit damage
Heavy objects have to be secured according to a lashing plan that takes account of the centre of gravity, lifting points and braking forces. If a machine shifts under braking because the ratchet straps were at the wrong points, that is treated as unsound stowage and that is excluded. Use the lifting and lashing points indicated by the manufacturer, photograph the securing before departure and keep those photographs with the consignment note.
Where carriage ends and installation begins
The goods policy runs until the machine is set down in the place indicated. Aligning, coupling, connecting and commissioning are installation work and come under erection or construction insurance, not under the carriage. The buyer's business interruption loss because a machine runs later also stays outside this cover. Agree who insures the erection risk before the lorry drives onto the site.
What does your premium depend on?
Weight and dimensions. Above certain dimensions, abnormal load transport with a permit and escort is needed, which changes the risk.
Replaceability and delivery time. A standard machine can be bought again; bespoke equipment means months of repair and a far greater interest.
Who carries out the lifting. Your own lorry crane, a hired mobile crane or the consignee's crane lead to different arrangements.
Number of transhipment points. Every time the machine is lifted or transferred, another separate chance of damage is added.
Sensitivity to vibration. Machine tools and measuring equipment call for shock recording and adapted support.
Erection cover or not. Whether the positioning and commissioning run under the same policy or under separate erection insurance.
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.
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.
Not always. Some policies cover only the journey between two addresses, while in machinery transport most damage arises precisely during lifting and setting down. So ask expressly and in writing whether these operations fall within the cover, including where a hired crane or the consignee's forklift is used.
Does lifting damage come under the transit policy or the crane policy?
Usually under the crane policy, provided it carries work risk cover. Liability policies exclude damage caused with a motor vehicle, and a mobile crane is one. The transit policy can cover the machine itself during lifting if that is included. Check both policies before any lifting takes place, because the overlap is rarely complete.
Is the installation at the destination covered?
No, that is a different risk. As soon as the machine is in place, transit cover stops and the territory of erection or construction insurance begins. Aligning, connecting, testing and commissioning come under that. With larger installations it is often all supplied under one contract; agree in advance who insures which part.
Is my customer's downtime loss paid for?
Not on goods in transit insurance. That pays for the machine and the cost of repair or replacement, not the turnover the buyer misses because the installation runs later. Consequential loss of this kind comes under liability, and only where you are liable for it and your terms have not limited that liability.
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.
