Tilt tray insurance has two halves that are easy to confuse: the truck with its tray, and whatever is on the deck. A standard motor policy insures the first. It typically excludes damage to property being carried, which on a tilt tray is the whole job. Our tilt tray insurance page sets out the core cover. This guide looks at how the load, the loading process and the type of work change what you need.
The Truck and the Tray
List the chassis and the body with values that reflect what it would cost to replace each. Tray bodies with hydraulic tilt and slide mechanisms, winches, wireless remotes and under-lifts are expensive and have their own lead times. If the policy values the whole unit as a plain truck, a claim can fall short once the body is priced.
- Confirm how the policy treats hydraulic failure. Mechanical and hydraulic breakdown on its own is typically excluded; damage resulting from an accident may be treated differently.
- Check whether the winch, remote, ramps, wheel lifts and loose equipment are included, and whether they are insured if stolen from the truck.
- Describe the use accurately. Carrying other people’s vehicles for payment is hire and reward work, and our post on hire and reward versus private use explains why the declared use matters.
Vehicles and Goods in Your Care
The car, ute, machine or container on your deck belongs to someone else. When it is damaged while in your care, the owner or their insurer will look to you. That exposure is handled by carriers liability or goods in custody cover, not by the motor policy. Our guide to goods in transit insurance explains the difference between insuring goods and insuring your liability for them.
- The limit per vehicle. A limit set for everyday sedans will not stretch to a prestige car, a new four-wheel drive or a machine on a plant trailer. Know what you carry at the top end, and ask what happens when a load exceeds the limit.
- Loading and unloading. Confirm the cover responds while the vehicle is being winched on and off, not just while it is travelling.
- Vehicles held in your yard. Cars stored overnight or awaiting collection are in your custody at the premises. Transit cover may not extend there.
- Your trading terms. Terms that limit your liability can reduce your exposure, but only if they were agreed before the job and can be shown later.
Loading and Winching Damage
Loading is where tilt tray work differs from ordinary freight. The vehicle is moving under your control, at awkward angles, often without the owner watching. Typical sources of damage include:
- Low vehicles scraping sumps, bumpers and side skirts on the transition from road to tray.
- Winch cables or hooks failing under load, or attached to the wrong point.
- Vehicles with seized brakes or locked wheels dragged onto the deck.
- A vehicle rolling back when the winch is released before restraints are in place.
- Damage to a customer’s driveway, kerb or garage from the tray or the vehicle.
Photograph every vehicle before it is loaded, including existing damage, and again after unloading. For accident work, where vehicles arrive damaged, those photos are the only way to separate what happened at the scene from what happened on your truck.
Tie-Down Failures
A strap that frays, a wheel net that slips or a chain that is not tensioned can let a vehicle shift under braking. The result may be damage to the load, the headboard and the tray, or a vehicle leaving the deck and landing on the road. The first is a claim between you and your insurers. The second becomes a public liability and motor question involving other road users.
Underwriters and customers want to see a restraint procedure: rated equipment, inspection and replacement records, and drivers trained to use it. Load restraint is also a compliance matter for heavy vehicles, so check the current requirements that apply to your trucks.
Machinery needs extra care. Tracked machines can slide on a steel deck, and buckets, booms and attachments need to be secured as well as the machine itself. If you carry plant regularly, make sure your restraint procedure and equipment are written for it, not just for cars.
Trade Work Versus Accident Work
Tilt tray businesses tend to split between two kinds of work, and they carry different risks.
Trade work means moving vehicles and machinery for dealers, auction houses, mechanics, rental companies and equipment hire businesses. It is booked in advance, loads are known and contracts set the terms. Dealers and fleet customers commonly ask for evidence of carriers liability at a stated limit and a certificate of currency before they send work your way.
Accident and breakdown work means attending crash scenes and roadside breakdowns, often at night and in traffic. Vehicles arrive damaged, the scene may be unsafe and the owner may not be present. In some states accident towing is regulated and requires specific licensing or participation in an allocation scheme. Requirements vary by state, so check the current rules before taking this work. Our tow truck insurance page is written for operators who do this as a core part of the business.
Tell your broker the mix. A policy set up for trade transport can be the wrong fit for a truck spending nights at crash scenes, and the reverse is also true.
What to Check on a Tilt Tray Insurance Policy
- Chassis, body and equipment values reflect replacement cost.
- Vehicle use is described as hire and reward where you carry for others.
- Carriers liability or goods in custody limits suit the highest-value load you carry.
- Loading, unloading and yard storage are within the cover.
- Machinery and containers are included if you carry them.
- Public liability responds to damage at customers’ premises and roadside scenes.
- The towing and recovery work you do matches what the policy describes.
Common Questions
If a car falls off my tray, does my motor policy pay for it?
Usually not for the car itself. Damage to property you are carrying is typically excluded from motor policies, and sits with carriers liability or goods in custody cover, depending on the wording.
Do I need different cover for machinery?
Possibly. Check the goods described in your policy and the limit per item. Carrying excavators, forklifts or other plant can need a higher limit than cars.
Does it matter how the load was damaged?
Yes. Wordings can treat damage during winching, damage in transit and damage in storage differently.
Talk It Through
Request a quote or call 1300 983 940 and we will set up your tilt tray insurance around the vehicles, machines and customers you actually carry for.
General advice only. This article does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Consider the relevant PDS and Target Market Determination before deciding on a policy.