888-900-0205Delivery Van Insurance
Using a delivery van in your business enables you to offer services to your customers that competitors may not offer. You can deliver packages and goods to or from consumers for example, run a courier service for small businesses in your area, or pickup and deliver goods that people bought from another company.
Owning a delivery van puts you in the position to make much more money for your business over the long term. It also puts you at greater risk for accidents, perils and events you may not previously expect. You can protect the investment you’ve made in your delivery van by making sure you have it covered properly with commercial auto insurance. Here are the primary types of insurance your company should carry on a delivery van:
- Liability Insurance – Liability insurance pays for expenses that arise when your van causes an accident. If you or your employee is driving the delivery van and is involved in an auto accident that you are at fault for, your company is legally obligated to pay for injuries and damages. The other vehicles and people involved in the accident may suffer physical harm or property damages, and your liability insurance coverage will pay the bills that result from those. Liability insurance is required by law, and at a minimum it provides the following types of coverage:
- Bodily Injury – When other people are hurt in an accident that you or your employee caused, your liability insurance bodily injury coverage will pay the medical bills that result. Bodily injury coverage pays for hospital and emergency care to the victims in the accident. It pays for physical therapy and other types of medical recovery needs. It pays the funeral expenses if anyone is fatally injured in the accident. It pays for victim’s pain and suffering, time off work, and other bills that their doctor deems medically necessary.
- Property Damage – The property damage portion of your liability insurance pays to fix property involved in the auto accident. If your delivery van broadsides another vehicle in a traffic intersection, your property damage coverage will pay to have that vehicle repaired back to its previous state.
Liability insurance can be set up as a combined single limit policy. This means that your insurance will pay for damages up to a maximum specified amount. This type of policy does not designate how the benefits are applied.
Liability can also be set up as a split limit policy. This means that there are maximum benefit limits for three separate areas: individual bodily injury, combined bodily injury, and property damages. For example, if your delivery van is covered with a split limit liability policy of $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 then for each accident your policy will pay no more than $100,000 for any single person’s bodily injuries. It will pay a maximum of $300,000 for the total combined bodily injuries, and a total maximum of $50,000 for any property damages.
Your liability insurance policy also has a deductible, which you choose when you set up the coverage. A deductible is the amount of money your company will pay out of pocket for an accident before your insurance benefits take over. If, for instance, you have a $500 deductible and your delivery van causes an accident that results in $1,500 worth of damages, you would pay $500 and your insurance policy will pay the remaining $1,000.
Medical Payments – Medical payments insurance protects your delivery van driver and all passengers. Each person in the van at the time of the accident is covered by this insurance, so that their resulting medical bills are paid. This coverage applies regardless of who causes an auto accident. It is not available in all areas however, so be sure to contact one of our licensed specialists so that we can help you determine if it is an option for you.
Physical Damage Insurance – Physical damages insurance protects your delivery van from harm. Depending upon the level of coverage you choose, this insurance can protect you from theft, vandalism, damages caused by natural events, and more. This insurance is important for providing the maximum level of protection for your van. It’s particularly critical for companies who lease their delivery van and those who still have an outstanding auto loan or lien.
- Comprehensive Physical Damage Protection – Comprehensive protection helps cushion you against the most potential loss. It pays for damages and repairs when your vehicle is caught in a dust storm and scoured clean for example. It can pay for repairs if a tree or power line falls on the van. It provides coverage for theft and a number of other perils as long as they are not caused by a roll over or a collision.
- Collision Damage Protection – Collision protection is specifically designed to protect you against damages that arise when your delivery van is overturned or when it collides with another object. If your delivery van accidently hits a customer’s mailbox when making a delivery for example, your collision damage protection will pay for the necessary repairs or replacements.
- Specified Peril (CAC) – Fire and Theft with Combined Additional Coverage, or CAC, is also known as Specified Peril insurance. This coverage applies to a more limited set of non-collision, non-roll over hazards that are listed on your insurance policy.
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist – This commercial insurance coverage is important to carry for your delivery van, because it pays for the repairs or replacements your van needs if there is an accident where another driver is at fault. If that other driver does not carry insurance, or if they do not carry enough to pay for all of the damages caused, your uninsured and underinsured policy will pay for them instead. This keeps your company from having to pay those repair bills or suffer those losses.
- Bodily Injury – As covered with Liability Insurance.
- Property Damage – As covered with Liability Insurance.
- Collision Deductible Waiver (CDW) – When an uninsured or underinsured motorist causes an accident with your delivery van, the collision deductible waiver (CDW) makes it so that you do not have to pay your standard insurance deductible. This option is available if you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage.
Other Important Commercial Auto Insurance For DELIVERY VAN Includes:
Rental – If your van is not usable after an auto accident, rental insurance can pay for the cost of renting a temporary replacement.
Towing – When your delivery van is incapacitated due to an auto accident, towing insurance pays for the cost of towing it to your desired repair location.
Cargo – Cargo insurance protects you from the potentially expensive loss of the cargo your van is carrying at the time of an accident.
Accessories (Ex: mileage meters, navigation units, radios) – If your delivery van uses specialized equipment such as a GPS navigation unit, or a communications radio to stay in contact with your company’s dispatcher, accessories insurance can pay for the cost of repairs and replacement when these are damaged in an accident.