Courier? You May Need Special Insurance

If you’re working as a man (or woman, obviously) with van as a courier, we hope you’ve got the right insurance.

Some, pushed into a new courier career, thanks to Covid, may not be aware that it’s more than standard van insurance that is required.

Couriers can’t just make do with van insurance and hope for the best.

If your van gets broken into or stolen, you need to be pretty certain that the cost of whatever you have inside is covered,

or you could find yourself in a sticky situation.

Not only that, as couriers are also in contact with member of the public for work,

anyone working as a delivery driver needs to have public liability insurance to make sure that they are fully protected.

Most van insurance companies offer specialist courier insurance policies, regardless of what type of vehicle you are using.

These are often more expensive than regular car or van insurance.

The high cost of the goods you transport is one factor.

Plus, spending more time on the road than other drivers increases your accident risk and expenses.

Similar to regular car or van insurance, you can choose third-party cover, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive.

Comprehensive is always the best option for full coverage.

Additionally, goods in transit insurance protects the value of any items lost or damaged during transit.

This also covers your van and contents in case of theft, whether parked at home or out on deliveries.

A longer driving history, strong van security, and fewer motoring convictions all help.

These factors keep your courier insurance costs down.

Use our free quote tool to ensure you are getting the best deal on your van insurance.

We may be over the snow, but accidents and thefts can happen any time, so it’s always best to stay safe. 

Delivering The Gift Of Christmas

Christmas!

So, for those of you who are delivery drivers, this year should, in theory, have been ‘it.

The run-up to Christmas, the busting your chops to squeeze in endless deliveries of Christmas goods for the people who shop online.

But this year has been different in so many ways, and the Christmas rush may not be over come December 24th

While last year saw a run of online ordering putting unprecedented demand on van drivers over the festive period, nothing could have prepared us for what happened in March.

COVID struck. 

The poor delivery drivers of the UK didn’t know what had hit them.

The country locked down, and online ordering exploded into a full-blown national pastime—it felt like Christmas all over again.

Delivery drivers didn’t know what had hit them, as they worked around the clock, busting a gut to get things to people –

From food to fancy fripperies, and everything in between. 

And this Christmas, the heat is on again.

Brexit-related stockpiling is seeing delays at UK ports and a huge backlog of goods to get to people, from building supplies to Christmas presents.

With most of the country in tier 3, that is all in addition to those who are reliant on online ordering to deliver everything from clothes to groceries. 

And now, as of yesterday, ports into the UK are closed.

Who knows what that will mean.

More deliveries, fewer deliveries… many businesses will be scratching their heads and trying to figure out if they actually have anything to send at all.

Many experts are predicting that this seasonal rush will carry on right into January.

And even beyond, depending on what happens with Brexit and how quickly the COVID vaccine can be rolled out.

But of course, with this new raft of port closures, the truth is nobody knows what is coming next.

So, while it doesn’t really help ease those tired limbs or the sheer exhaustion, we just want you to know that this Christmas, we here at Cheap Van Insurance doff our caps to you all.

From the delivery drivers, to the man and vans, to the builders and brickies and everything in between.

Here’s hoping next year gets back to something approaching normal.

And life can return to the heady days when people went out and actually got things for themselves. 

Van Drivers Could Be Crushed By 2030’s Electric Shift

Van drivers read on.

As if the current lockdown wasn’t enough to have us all hunkering down for the winter, news this week is that van insurance is set to go up in cost.

In fact, since the end of the last lockdown, they have, reports suggest, already increased by 1.6% in the last 3 months, compared to a drop of 2.4% during lockdown.

If you get all whizzy with the maths, that is still a net decrease of 0.8%.

But given that many van insurance commentators (yes, they actually exist) had predicted a much greater fall, it doesn’t make for happy reading.

Especially considering that van drivers were one of the most affected jobs as a result of the lockdown, either by being unseasonably busy or simply unable to work.

There is some good news if you use your van as your main form of domestic transport too, with a social, domestic, and pleasure policy.

There has been a drop in the cost to renew your van insurance.

But given that most of us use our vans for work, this doesn’t really help the drivers who use their vans to earn a living.

With more people looking to switch careers and get into van delivery driving due to the cut of jobs in other industries such as hospitality and leisure, bad news for the younger van drivers out there.

Unless you are prepared to install a telematics device to reduce the cost of van insurance, the average cost of annual van insurance for the under-25s is a whopping £3,091. 

What happens next?

Well, if this year has taught us anything, it’s that none of us really know.

But if you do want the best deals, our advice remains the same:

Complete our simple quote tool, and let the very best van insurance deals come directly to you. After all, life is hard enough. 

The 4 Hour Delivery Van That Drives Itself

In the time it takes an average delivery driver to do half a shift, a complete self driving van could be built by one person according to the manufacturer.

This is certainly bad news for delivery drivers around the country, who may have took comfort from my prediction that self driving vans will be here, but not for years.

It seems like I might be wrong because this particular self driving electric delivery van that was unveiled at a top secret conference in London, well, it is scheduled to be on UK roads next year.

The claim is that the van can be assembled in only 4 hours by one person at a factory, which means we could see an army of these self driving vehicles ruling the roads and delivering packages.

People in the government want to see self driving vans out and about by 2020 of course, but if everything goes to plan then it could be sooner. Van drivers watch out is my memo to anyone reading this.

Maybe a change of career is in order for delivery drivers, or should you just stick with what you know? It really is your choice, but if you ask me, the local job centre might be a good starting point.

Not everyone is going to embrace self driving vans though, and even if they do, they won’t be out of a job.

Take your average builder, roofer, electrician, plumber or carpenter as an example. Sure, they might enjoy buying a driverless van and then putting their feet up on the way to a job, but once they arrive the van can’t do the work now, can it? They will still need to put in the hours.

It’s delivery drivers I fear for, especially once they work out a way for the van to actually deliver the packages…maybe with some kind of robot? Who knows exactly what is going to happen, but what I do know is that during all of this van insurance will still be very much required.

No matter if you own a company that has a fleet of delivery vans or you are a builder working for yourself…you must have van insurance by law, so make sure you start comparing quotes to get the best deals.

Many van drivers start right here, at the Nations favourite van insurance comparison website, where all you need is 3 minutes and the click of a button.

So forget about self driving vans and all of that right now, and instead, just focus on getting very cheap van insurance to save yourself a packet.

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Complete your quick and easy quote

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