It’s hard to find a business that doesn’t do door-to-door delivery in this day and age. Convenience has become king and there’s an app for nearly everything.
Additionally, consumer patterns have changed dramatically since stay-at-home and social distancing measures were put in place. There’s a significant increase in home deliveries, giving truck drivers the heroic task of keeping our lives and the economy moving. These risks might have drivers wondering, what’s the best truck insurance in Perth?
Types of Insurance
Not many businesses have insurance policies that include coverage for their drivers. Food and goods delivery has always been risky but now a multitude of factors have amplified the existing risks.
There is the issue of fake or cancelled orders taken off the driver’s paycheck, the high risk of vehicular accidents, and now the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
The most common type of truck insurance is personal. However, it’s just that. Your insurance company will be aware that as a commercial truck driver, you spend a lot of time on the road.
Commercial Auto Insurance
The most common insurance type is commercial auto insurance. This provides coverage for liability and physical damage protection for vehicles used for business purposes.
However, this only covers company-owned vehicles. Most delivery services have drivers using their own vehicles for work and in case of damage, they can still be held liable.
Hired and Non-Owned Coverage
Some employers provide a type of insurance called hired and non-owned vehicle liability insurance. This means you as a driver personally own the vehicle you use for delivery services, which is common among UberEats drivers for example. This is the highly recommended truck insurance for delivery drivers.
Whether you are a full-time employee or an individual contractor (as is the case for most delivery services these days), your employer will be liable for any damage or accidents that occur in line with your work. Find truck insurance that covers both types of workers!
Costs of Insurance Upgrade
When you’re upgrading your insurance policy from Personal to Business, you can expect to pay more than you would with standard coverage.
Your premiums will also be higher as it is generally expected that business-related policyholders are more likely to file a claim.
This coverage protects you and your vehicle in the event of accidents, natural disasters, intentional damage, theft, damaged goods, and more.
Updates to Truck Insurance Due To Coronavirus
In the time of a global pandemic, truck drivers play a bigger role than ever. Many drivers will not be allowed to operate without a fitting insurance policy.
For the most part, there will be no changes to your truck insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, major insurance companies are offering discounts and paybacks to drivers.
Australian truck drivers are also implementing stringent cleaning measures to stay safe.
One point is cleaning the interior surfaces which they interact with the most such as the steering wheel, gear stick, door handles, seatbelts, window switches, the console, and more.
For extra peace of mind, you can also sanitize your vehicle’s air conditioning system using a sanitizer pressure pack. There are also drivers who have invested in protective plastic seat covers and disposable floor mats.
Another point to reduce the risk of contracting the virus is to do contactless deliveries. You can drop off the item at the curb or outside the door, minimizing direct contact with other individuals.
These measures would be most effective when practised alongside personal hygiene:
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
- Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your centre console
- As soon as you get home, take a shower and wash your clothes.
Contact your insurance provider to learn more about their plans for policyholders!
