Heavy Commercial Motor & Fleet

Heavy Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance

For many Australian businesses, a truck or commercial vehicle is not simply transport — it is an essential income-producing asset.

Insurance 2U arranges Commercial Motor and Fleet Insurance for businesses operating everything from individual commercial vehicles through to fleets of trucks, trailers, utes, vans and specialised vehicles.

We take the time to understand what vehicles you operate, what they are used for, who drives them, where they travel and what happens to your business if an important vehicle is damaged and taken off the road.

From a Single Truck to a Commercial Fleet

Depending on the insurer, vehicle and business activities, we can assist with insurance for:

• Rigid trucks
• Prime movers
• Semi-trailers and trailers
• Tipper trucks
• Concrete agitator trucks
• Service trucks
• Crane trucks
• Special-purpose commercial vehicles
• Light rigid and medium rigid trucks
• Commercial utes and vans
• Company cars and support vehicles
• Single-vehicle owner-operators
• Multi-vehicle commercial fleets

Rather than treating every commercial vehicle the same, we consider the vehicle type, insured value, business use, operating radius, drivers, claims history and the broader activities of the business.

Comprehensive, Third Party Fire & Theft or Third Party Property Damage

Different vehicles within a business may require different levels of insurance.

Depending on the insurer and individual risk, options can include:

• Comprehensive Cover — covering insured damage to your vehicle together with liability for damage to third-party property, subject to policy terms.
• Third Party Fire & Theft — where available, providing limited protection for the insured vehicle together with third-party property damage cover.
• Third Party Property Damage — protecting against insured liability for damage caused to another party’s property without comprehensive own-damage protection.

This can be particularly useful for larger fleets where newer and high-value vehicles may remain comprehensively insured while the insurance approach for older vehicles is reviewed individually.

Heavy Vehicles Need Specialist Consideration

A heavy commercial vehicle can present very different exposures from an ordinary passenger vehicle.

When arranging cover, we may need to consider:

• Vehicle and body type
• Gross Vehicle Mass and configuration
• Prime mover and trailer combinations
• Specialised bodies and equipment
• Operating radius
• Interstate or local operations
• Goods or materials carried
• Driver age and experience
• Claims and driving history
• Finance interests
• Contractual requirements
• Business activities and industries serviced

Trailers & Trailer in Control

Trailers can represent a significant exposure for transport and commercial vehicle operators.

The business may own its trailers or, in some circumstances, tow trailers belonging to another party.

Depending on the insurer and policy, we can consider cover for owned trailers and relevant Trailer in Control exposures where the insured vehicle is towing or responsible for a non-owned trailer.

Limits, conditions and exclusions vary between policies, so these arrangements should be reviewed rather than assumed to be automatically covered.

Accessories, Bodies & Specialist Equipment

The value of a commercial vehicle may extend well beyond the cab and chassis.

Depending on the vehicle, additional equipment can include:

• Tipper bodies
• Crane equipment
• Toolboxes
• Refrigeration equipment
• Hydraulic equipment
• Specialist bodies
• Communication and electronic equipment
• Other permanently fitted accessories

We want to understand the complete vehicle and its equipment so the insured value can be considered appropriately.

Downtime — A Truck Off the Road Can Mean Lost Revenue

Repairing a damaged truck is only part of the commercial problem.

If the vehicle cannot work, the business may lose revenue while still having finance repayments, wages and other operating expenses to meet.

Depending on the insurer and policy selected, downtime or similar loss-of-use options may be available to provide additional protection following an insured loss.

The availability, benefit amount, waiting period and maximum payment period vary between products, so we can consider these options when reviewing the insurance program.

For an income-producing truck, how the business survives the repair period can be just as important as paying for the physical repairs.

Towing, Recovery & Accident Costs

Heavy vehicle accidents can involve substantial towing, recovery and clean-up costs, particularly where a truck is damaged away from its normal operating base.

Commercial Motor policies can provide various additional benefits depending on the insurer and wording. We review relevant policy benefits, limits and exclusions when comparing available insurance options.

Driver Age, Experience & Licence History Matter

The people driving heavy commercial vehicles are an important underwriting consideration.

Insurers may require information including:

• Driver name and date of birth
• Licence class
• Years of heavy vehicle experience
• Previous claims and accidents
• Traffic infringements
• Licence suspensions or cancellations
• Experience operating the particular type of vehicle

This can be particularly important for drivers under 25 or 30 years of age and for operators of specialised or high-value vehicles.

Fleet Insurance

As a business grows, managing numerous individual motor policies can become unnecessarily complicated.

A fleet arrangement may allow multiple commercial vehicles to be managed under a common insurance program, subject to insurer eligibility and underwriting requirements.

Depending on the fleet, this can make it easier to manage:

• Vehicle additions and deletions
• Renewal dates
• Driver arrangements
• Certificates of Currency
• Claims history
• Overall fleet insurance costs

Claims Management — Getting Your Vehicle Back on the Road

This is where Insurance 2U’s service becomes particularly valuable.

When a commercial vehicle is damaged, we understand that our client generally wants two things: the claim handled properly and the vehicle back earning money as soon as reasonably possible.

For clients whose insurance we manage, our claims assistance can include:

• Helping lodge the claim correctly from the outset
• Preparing incident information and supporting documentation
• Communicating with the insurer and claims personnel
• Following up assessors and repairers
• Following up repair quotations and outstanding reports
• Assisting with towing and repairer issues where relevant
• Helping clarify insurer information requirements
• Monitoring claim progress and repair authorisation
• Considering applicable downtime or additional policy benefits where insured
• Helping with third-party information and recovery matters where appropriate
• Escalating unreasonable delays where appropriate
• Assisting with disputed claim matters where required
• Advocating for our client’s interests throughout the claim

We do not simply hand our client an insurer’s claims telephone number and disappear.

Our objective is to help manage the insurance process, keep the claim moving and get the commercial vehicle back to work as efficiently as reasonably possible.

Claims Experience Also Matters at Renewal

For commercial fleets, claims history can have a significant influence on insurer appetite, premiums and excesses.

We can review the claims experience with the client and help identify recurring loss patterns or risk-management issues that may need to be addressed when presenting the fleet to insurers.

Access to Commercial & Heavy Motor Insurance Markets

Insurance 2U can approach a range of Australian insurers and specialist underwriting agencies for Commercial Motor and Fleet Insurance depending on the vehicles, business activities and individual underwriting requirements.

Markets may include major commercial motor insurers and specialist heavy vehicle and fleet underwriting markets.

Not every insurer will be suitable for every fleet. Appetite can vary according to vehicle type, fleet size, business activities, operating radius, driver profile and claims experience.

Why Insurance 2U for Heavy Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance?

• Heavy motor experience: We understand that trucks, trailers and specialist commercial vehicles require more than ordinary car insurance.
• Single vehicles through to fleets: We can assist owner-operators and businesses managing multiple commercial vehicles.
• Downtime considerations: We consider the financial consequences of an income-producing vehicle being off the road.
• Driver and fleet management: We understand the importance of driver experience, claims history and fleet changes.
• Market access: We can approach commercial motor and specialist heavy vehicle insurance markets.
• Hands-on claims management: We help lodge, manage, follow up and escalate claims for our clients.
• Claims advocacy: We remain involved and advocate for our client’s interests throughout the claims process.

Talk to Insurance 2U About Your Commercial Vehicles

Whether you operate one truck, several specialised commercial vehicles or an established fleet, talk to Insurance 2U about your Commercial Motor Insurance requirements.

Heavy Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance — specialist advice, commercial insurance market access and experienced claims support to help keep your business moving.