Truck insurance

Commercial Truck Insurance

A truck policy is not one product, it is a set of sections, and most disappointment at claim time comes from assuming a section was included when it was elected. This page walks through what a commercial truck policy actually contains.

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Cover

What commercial trucks insurance covers

Section One: The Vehicle

Comprehensive cover on the truck, its body and its permanently fitted equipment, at either agreed or market value. This is the part everyone buys and the part that is usually correct. It also covers fire and theft of the vehicle itself.

Section Two: Third-Party Liability

Damage you cause to other people's property and injury you cause, plus the legal costs of defending it. Included within motor for road incidents, but public liability is a separate policy for what happens away from the driving.

Section Three: The Freight

Carriers liability or goods in transit, covering what you carry. Elected, not automatic, with its own limit per event. This is the section most often missing or set too low, and the one contracts most often specify.

Section Four: Downtime and Recovery

Hire vehicle, towing, recovery and loss of income while the truck is off the road. Almost always optional, and almost always the difference between an inconvenient claim and a business-threatening one for a small operator.

Section Five: Machinery and Fit-Out

Cranes, tail-lifts, hoists, refrigeration and hydraulics, both as scheduled property and as machinery breakdown when they fail on their own. On a specialised truck this can be the most valuable section of the lot.

What Is Never In There

Wear and tear, mechanical failure without a breakdown section, unroadworthy condition, unlicensed drivers and undeclared use. None of these are unusual exclusions, but each is a regular cause of a declined truck claim.

Cover, limits and examples shown are general in nature and subject to eligibility, underwriting and the terms of the issued policy.

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Reviews are for Stonewell Insurance, the business behind Truckie Cover. Authorised Representative of McLardy McShane Partners Pty Ltd (AFSL 232987).

FAQ

Commercial trucks insurance questions.

Speak with our team on 1300 080 323.

What does commercial truck insurance actually cover?
At minimum the truck and your liability to third parties. Beyond that it is modular: freight, downtime, machinery breakdown, hire vehicle and fit-out are elected sections. Assuming they are included is the most common and most expensive mistake.
Which sections are optional?
Typically carriers or goods in transit, downtime and hire vehicle, machinery breakdown, and scheduled fit-out. They are the sections that make the difference for an owner-driver, which is why leaving them off to reduce a premium is usually false economy.
Is mechanical breakdown covered?
Not by standard motor perils, which respond to damage from an event rather than a component failing on its own. Machinery breakdown is a separate election, and on a truck with hydraulics, refrigeration or a crane it is well worth costing.
What is not covered under any section?
Wear and tear, gradual deterioration, driving unlicensed or outside your licence class, operating an unroadworthy vehicle, and any use you did not declare. Those are consistent across insurers and each is a regular cause of declined claims.

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Truckie Cover is a trading name of Stonewell Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 23 645 965 699), Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1285612 of McLardy McShane Partners Pty Ltd (ABN 14 064 465 309, AFSL 232987).