What Transit Insurance Actually Covers
What goods-in-transit cover includes, what it excludes, and the questions worth asking any carrier.
Every reputable carrier holds goods-in-transit cover, and every one of them means something slightly different by it. Here is what to actually ask.
What goods-in-transit cover is
It covers loss of or damage to your vehicle while it is in the carrier’s custody: on the truck, and generally in the carrier’s depot before and after. It is the carrier’s policy, not yours, and it is the reason you are not relying on your own comprehensive insurance for the transport leg.
What it typically does not cover
| Excluded | Why |
|---|---|
| Personal belongings | Anything left inside the vehicle. This is universal across the industry. Take everything out. |
| Pre-existing damage | Which is exactly what the condition report exists to establish. |
| Mechanical or electrical failure | A battery that goes flat over two weeks, or a component that fails on its own, is not transit damage. |
| Wear from normal transit | Road film and dust on an open carrier. Same as sitting in a driveway. |
| Inherent defect | Rust, perished rubber, failing clearcoat: conditions the vehicle arrived with. |
| Undeclared modifications | If we were not told about the lift kit or the low clearance, damage caused by it is on you. |
The five questions worth asking any carrier
- What is the sum insured per vehicle? If your car is worth more than their limit, you need to know before it is on a truck.
- What is the excess, and who pays it?
- Does cover continue while the vehicle is in the depot? Gaps between transit and storage are a real thing.
- Can I see the certificate of currency? A carrier who will not show you one is telling you something.
- Who holds the policy. You, or the carrier you subcontract to? This is the broker question in disguise, and it is the most useful one on the list.
Your own comprehensive policy may not help here. Many policies exclude or limit cover while a vehicle is being transported commercially, on the basis that the carrier’s insurance is the one in play. Do not assume you are doubly covered: ring your insurer and ask specifically about transit by a commercial carrier.
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