Truck insurance quotes from licensed Australian brokers

What heavy motor cover usually includes

The core is damage to the vehicle and legal liability for damage you cause to others. Heavy motor wordings then add a set of covers that reflect what happens when a large vehicle has an incident, because the consequences extend well beyond the truck itself.

• Damage to prime movers, rigids, trailers and attached equipment
• Legal liability for damage to other people's property
• Removal of debris and recovery of the vehicle, which can be substantial after a rollover
• Downtime or loss of income while the vehicle is being repaired, on some policies
• Cover for substitute and newly acquired vehicles
• Options for goods carried, which is usually a separate section or policy

The freight is a separate risk

Damage to the truck and damage to what it is carrying are two different problems. Carriers liability responds where you are legally liable for loss or damage to a customer's goods while they are in your care. Marine cargo or goods in transit cover responds to the goods themselves. Which one you need depends on your contracts and whose goods they are. Get your broker to read the carriage terms you sign, because many contracts push more liability onto the carrier than the default position would.

Downtime is the cover people forget

Heavy vehicle repairs can run for weeks, and parts for some prime movers come from overseas. If the truck is the business, a claim that pays for the repair but nothing for the eight weeks it sits in a workshop is only half a solution. Some policies include a downtime benefit, others offer it as an option, and the daily amounts and waiting periods vary widely. This is worth comparing carefully between quotes rather than assuming it is standard.

What underwriters look at

The fleet schedule and values come first, then the work. Local distribution and long haul interstate are priced differently, as is the type of freight. Dangerous goods, livestock and refrigerated loads each raise their own questions. Underwriters will ask about driver experience and turnover, fatigue management, maintenance records and whether vehicles are fitted with telematics. Your claims record over the past few years carries real weight, particularly the frequency of small incidents.