The complexities of running a courier service or similar sort of business cannot be understated, experts say, but don’t forget amidst purchasing a van, finding clients, and making your profit, that you’ve got other obligations – such as taking out van insurance.
You simply can’t run your business legally (or safely) unless you buy van insurance with an eye towards cover for courier service firms. Any business that carries goods for hire needs advanced cover, especially as you’re not simply carrying your own goods or transporting things to be sold at a remote location, but you have the responsibility to safely deliver items owned by others, and necessitates much more nuanced insurance cover than a standard policy.
Much like any type of commercial vehicle insurance, the number of options to choose from when it comes to courier insurance are high. You’ll have to make the decision concerning whether you’ll take out comprehensive cover or simply go with third party cover, and you will also need to decide whether you will have an ‘any driver’ policy or if you wish to simply add named drivers to your cover, and you’ll need to make myriad decisions such as whether to protect a no claims discount, what level of voluntary excess you will select, whether you’re going to select glass cover, and if you’ll pay extra for a replacement vehicle in the event of a road traffic accident or a breakdown.
One way to save may be to not select courier insurance but instead take out a light haulage policy. However, not all firms will have light haulier cover on offer, as it is often restrictive in such a way that you can only carry a set number of loads on a daily basis, with a good number of policies limiting cover to jobs booked in advance.
Another wrinkle is that there are some transport firms that have a preference to working with drivers that have courier cover rather than light haulier cover, so make sure you do your research before making a final decision.