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 wheel loader stands out among plant and machinery for its mass and its restricted visibility. An articulated wheel loader swings its rear end the other way when steering, and the filled bucket blocks the view straight ahead. The most serious loss is therefore not a defect in the machine but a collision with, or the crushing of, a driver who has just stepped out of his cab.
The second type of loss is less visible: everything you scoop up and everything you scoop into belongs to someone else. A damaged tipper body, a container wall that is struck or a load of sand contaminated because there was still residual product in the bucket falls under care, custody and control. That loss is not covered by the own-damage cover on your own machine, nor by the basic form of liability cover.
If you drive the wheel loader between two sites over the public road, the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) applies, as do the registration requirements for the vehicle. If you stay inside the gate, that obligation lapses, but your liability under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code remains in full. See also the general explanation of the plant and machinery insurance.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Third-party liability for plant and machinery
Damage you cause to others with the machine.
Compulsory on public roads
Also during work
Cables and pipes separately
The machine itself
Own-damage cover
Damage to the machine, the body and the attachments.
Fire and storm
Theft from the site
Overturning and collision
Extensions
Extensions
What you add separately.
Inherent defect and machinery breakdown
Transport to the site
Hired plant
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability for plant and machinery
Own-damage cover
Damage to a building or a parked car next to the site
Yes
No
Theft of the machine from the building site
No
Provided that
Fire and storm damage
No
Yes
Inherent defect in the hydraulics or the engine
No
Provided that
Damage to the item you are working on with the machine
No
No
Wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
Mobile plant is a motor vehicle within the meaning of the WAM and needs third-party liability insurance on public roads; non-mobile plant does not. Damage to cables and pipes is generally only covered if the excavation notification has been made and the trial trenches have been dug. The item you work on with the machine falls under the care, custody and control exclusion.
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.
A rear end that swings out and a bucket that blocks the view
On an articulated wheel loader the rear end moves in the opposite direction to the steering, and a raised bucket creates a blind spot straight ahead. So separate driving routes from walking routes, designate a waiting area for drivers and record that instruction. If your own operator or a third party is injured, the first questions will be about those measures: Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code for your staff, Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code for the mistakes of your subordinates towards others.
What is in the bucket and what you tip into is not yours
You damage the body of the lorry you are filling, you push in a silo wall, or you contaminate a consignment of grain because the bucket still held residual product. Those are things in your care or being worked on, and they fall under the care, custody and control exclusion. Own-damage cover applies only to your own machine. If you want this covered, an extension for care, custody and control or for clients' goods is needed.
On a demolition or recycling site, tyres are the biggest cost
Cuts to tyres from reinforcing bar, glass or rubble are a recurring cost on a wheel loader, but tyres count as wear parts. Many policies pay for tyre damage only if other parts of the machine are damaged in the same incident. The same applies to cutting edges, teeth and the wear plates on the bucket. So ask in advance how your insurer treats tyre damage and attachments; that varies considerably from one set of conditions to another.
Use outside the specification costs you the cover
Filling a bucket above the permitted weight, fitting pallet forks without the matching load chart, or driving with a raised full bucket takes the machine beyond its tipping moment. Use contrary to the manufacturer's instructions is a ground for exclusion in almost every policy, including for own damage. The same applies to operation by someone who has demonstrably not been instructed. So record instruction and attachment changes in writing.
What does your premium depend on?
Replacement value including attachments. Bucket, high-tip bucket, pallet forks and quick coupler only count if you declare them separately with their value.
Operating weight and lifting capacity. A heavy wheel loader causes more damage in a collision than compact equipment. The weight helps determine the liability cover.
Type of terrain. Recycling, demolition and waste processing produce more tyre, cut and fire damage than a sand merchant or a farmyard.
Movement over the public road. If you travel between sites, article 2 WAM applies and cover on the road becomes a separate part of the application.
Separation of driving and walking routes. Recorded traffic rules on site, waiting areas for drivers and camera systems reduce the risk of injury.
Storage and security outside working hours. A closed site, a tracker and arrangements for fuel storage all weigh in the theft and fire assessment.
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 automatically. The tipper body you strike with the shovel is a thing you are working with and falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. Own-damage cover applies only to your own wheel loader. If you work regularly for third parties on their sites, have an extension for care, custody and control included; that is precisely the loss that occurs most often in loading work.
Does my wheel loader have to be insured if it only travels between two sites?
Yes. As soon as the machine uses even a short stretch of public road, the insurance obligation under article 2 WAM applies, as do the registration requirements for the vehicle. If the wheel loader stays entirely inside your own gate, that statutory obligation does lapse, but your liability for injury and property damage under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code remains in full.
Will a tyre that has been destroyed be paid for?
As a rule, no. Tyres count as wear parts and that is one of the standard exclusions, even where the damage occurs suddenly through reinforcing bar or glass. Many sets of conditions make one exception: if other parts of the machine are damaged in the same incident, the tyre goes with it. Ask about this explicitly when comparing.
Who bears the loss if an employee is injured during loading?
As the employer you bear it under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code, unless you can show that you met your duty of care. That loss does not run through the plant and machinery policy but through your public and employers' liability insurance. Your instructions, the site layout and your supervision of both are then the evidence, so record them in writing in advance.
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.
