Third-party liability
- Damage to property and injury to third parties
- No cover for your own vehicle
- Compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)
- A coupled trailer is usually included
The requirement · the load · suspension and reporting
Frequently asked questions about lorry insurance
The same questions keep coming up about lorry insurance. They are set out below with a concrete answer, including the points on which policies come unstuck in practice.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Veelgestelde vragen over de vrachtwagenverzekering.
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In brief
Most questions about lorry insurance concern three subjects: what is compulsory, what falls under own-damage cover and what happens to the load. The first is quickly answered: under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) every motor vehicle whose registration has not been suspended must have liability insurance. That covers only damage you cause to someone else.
The second subject calls for more nuance. Own-damage cover covers the vehicle as described on the policy. Third-party, fire and theft cover works with an exhaustive list of events; comprehensive cover also covers damage you cause to your own vehicle. What is not automatically included: a lorry-mounted crane, a refrigeration unit, a tail lift or a demountable body. Those must be declared separately with their own value.
The third subject produces the most disappointment. The load does not fall under motor own-damage insurance. Whether it concerns your own machinery, household goods being moved or a client's goods: the lorry policy covers the vehicle, not the freight. There are separate insurances for that, and which you need depends on whether the goods are your own or someone else's.
A short overview of the forms of cover
Three forms, so that the answers below are in the right context.
Third-party liability + fire and theft
Alongside third-party liability, a fixed list of events set out in the policy.
- Fire, explosion and lightning strike
- Theft and burglary damage
- Storm, hail and glass damage
- Damage you cause yourself while driving is not covered
Comprehensive
Sudden and unforeseen damage to your own vehicle as well.
- Collision, overturning and going into water
- Damage with no known other party
- Vandalism and wilful damage
- Excess per event
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Damage you cause to someone else with the lorry | Yes | Yes |
| Fire or theft of the vehicle | No | Yes |
| Own damage when reversing or loading | No | Yes |
| Loss of or damage to the load | No | No |
| Damage to a separately declared lorry-mounted crane | No | Provided that |
| Damage while the registration was suspended | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Four points where things go wrong in practice
These four recur most often in claims files.
Use declared incorrectly
With your application the insurer establishes whether the vehicle is used as a hobby, for own-account transport or for carriage for hire and reward . The premium is based on that answer. If practice departs from it — a hobby truck that occasionally does paid work, a private vehicle that carries materials for the business — the insurer can rely on the use clause when you claim. If incorrect information was given when the contract was entered into, the sanction of Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code for breach of the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Reporting late or incompletely
Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report a loss as soon as reasonably possible and to give the insurer the information it needs. With lorries these are often claims involving several parties, recovery costs and sometimes a load; a prompt report is then the difference between a smooth settlement and a file that runs for months. Always notify the police of theft and vandalism and keep the police report number, because without a report many insurers refuse the claim.
Parts that are not on the policy
A lorry is often modified: a fitted crane, tipping gear, a refrigeration unit, extra lighting, a generator or an adapted body. Those parts are only insured if they were declared with the application and appear on the policy with their own value. If they are missing, damage to them remains at your expense and the total insured value may have been set too low. Go through the policy after every conversion or purchase.
What is not covered
The following, among others, are outside the cover: the load, under all own-damage variants; wear, rust and mechanical or electronic defects without an external cause; damage caused by overloading or by incorrect stowing and securing; and damage while the vehicle is hired out or used for carriage for payment under a private policy. There is also no cover for driving without the required C1 or C licence, for driving under the influence and for taking part in competitions. Intent and recklessness are excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Purpose of use — hobby, carrying your own goods or professional transport
- Maximum permitted mass — the weight class of the vehicle
- Value and basis of value — market value or valued amount
- Mileage and area of cover — domestic or international
- Claims history and drivers — experience and number of drivers
- Type of cover and excess — third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk 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.
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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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is lorry insurance compulsory?
The third-party liability cover is. Article 2 of the WAM requires the registered keeper of every motor vehicle to have liability insurance, however often the vehicle is driven. The requirement attaches to the registration and only lapses after suspension. Own-damage cover is voluntary, but given the repair costs of a lorry that choice is rarely without consequence. Clients also regularly require additional covers.
Is my load covered as well?
No. The own-damage cover applies to the vehicle and not to what you carry. For your own goods there is own-goods transit insurance; for third-party goods, goods-in-transit insurance or carrier's liability insurance. For international road transport for payment the CMR Convention applies, which limits your liability per kilogram. Arrange this separately; it is not on the lorry policy.
Can I suspend my lorry's registration temporarily?
Yes, through the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority). During the suspension the insurance requirement of Article 2 of the WAM lapses and you pay no road tax, but the vehicle may not go on the public road. Do keep the own-damage cover running or ask for storage cover, because fire, theft and storm damage remain a risk even in a shed. Report the end of the suspension before your first journey.
What if my driver causes damage?
The policy covers the damage if the driver was entitled to drive and the use falls within the description in the policy. If the required licence is missing, the own-damage cover lapses and the insurer can recover the third-party liability amount it paid. If the driver is employed by you, employer's liability under Articles 7:658 and 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code also comes into play; WEGAS and WEGAM covers exist for that.
How much excess is sensible?
That depends on what you can bear yourself. A higher excess lowers the premium, but with a lorry even small claims are expensive because of the size of the parts and the labour hours. Note too that some policies have a different, higher excess for theft, for windscreen damage or for young or changing drivers. Ask for those amounts before you sign.
Must I report every claim, even small ones?
Report every event that could lead to a claim, even if you do not yet know whether you will submit one. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires timely reporting and the provision of information. Where another party is involved, reporting is always sensible, because the other party may come forward later. In the event of theft or vandalism you should also notify the police and keep the report number.
Read more
Similar pages
- The cover provided by lorry insurance
- Types of lorry insurance: which categories are there?
- Lorry insurance for self-employed professionals
- Insuring a lorry for private use
- Insuring a lorry in driving licence category C
- Insuring a hobby lorry
- Private lorry insurance: what are your options?
- Insuring a privately owned lorry
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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.
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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.
