Transit insurance covers goods against loss or damage while they are moved by road. Insuregroup arranges cover for businesses moving their own stock and equipment, and for transport operators carrying goods for others.
Transit insurance covers goods against loss or damage while they are being moved from one place to another. Insuregroup arranges road transit cover for Australian businesses that move their own stock, materials and equipment, and for transport operators who carry other people’s goods for hire.
The right policy depends on whose goods they are, what they are worth, how they travel and what your contracts say. A broker can help you work out which type of cover fits, and compare options across our network of insurers. For the trucks themselves, see our main truck insurance Australia page.
Transit cover suits any business whose goods spend time on the road, whether on its own vehicles or with a carrier:
Covers every eligible transit during the policy year, up to a limit for any one vehicle or any one consignment. Suits businesses that move goods regularly. The insurer will usually ask for your estimated annual value of goods carried.
Covers one nominated journey or consignment, such as a one-off move of machinery or a high-value delivery. Useful when the move falls outside your regular cover or exceeds its limit.
Covers your own goods while they are carried, either in your own vehicles or by a carrier you engage. The goods owner is the insured.
Covers a transport operator’s legal liability for loss of or damage to goods it carries for others. What is covered depends on your contract terms and the policy wording, so the two need to line up.
Covers loss or damage caused by named events, typically fire, collision, overturning and theft of the whole load. Usually less expensive, with narrower protection.
Covers loss or damage from a wider range of accidental causes, subject to the exclusions in the policy. Worth considering for fragile, high-value or easily damaged goods.
This is the question that matters most, because the two covers protect different people.
Our article goods in transit insurance explained goes through the basics in more detail.
Cover varies between policies and insurers. Depending on the wording you choose, a road transit policy may include:
Every policy has exclusions, and transit policies have a few that catch businesses out. Typical ones include:
The policy wording and Product Disclosure Statement set out the full list. Ask us to walk you through the exclusions that apply to your goods.
There is no set price for transit insurance. Insurers look at:
For trucks, the vehicle policy and the transit policy are priced separately. Our guide on what drives truck insurance cost covers the vehicle side.
Transit insurance works best as part of a wider program. Transport businesses commonly pair it with:
If you are looking at a full package, see our transport insurance broker page.
Tell us what you move, how it travels and the most you carry at one time. A broker will compare options across our network of insurers and explain the differences in cover, so you can decide. You can also use our truck insurance quote form if you need the vehicles covered as well.
Stirling set up Insuregroup in 2014 after many years as an insurance underwriter and broker. He oversees the day-to-day broking, negotiates with insurers for clients and helps with claims, for everyone from single-truck owner-drivers to large fleets of trucks and heavy plant.
Insuregroup have been very professional and prompt in dealing with the management of our insurances for the last 3 years.
Transit insurance covers goods against loss or damage while they are being moved from one place to another, for example by truck, van or with a carrier. Cover can be arranged for a single journey or for all transits over a year.
Yes, the two terms are generally used for the same type of cover. What matters more is whether the policy covers your own goods or your liability for goods you carry for others.
An owner's goods transit policy pays the owner of the goods for loss or damage. Carrier's liability cover protects a transport operator against claims from the owners of goods it carries, and generally depends on the operator's legal liability and terms of carriage.
Usually not. A motor policy covers the truck and your liability for damage to other people's property, but the load is normally covered by a separate transit or carrier's liability policy or section.
It is worth considering. Many carriers' terms of carriage limit or exclude their liability for loss or damage, so a claim against the carrier may not cover the full value of your goods.
Some policies include loading and unloading, others do not, and some limit it. Check the policy wording, especially if you load heavy or fragile items.
Common exclusions include inadequate packing or securing, gradual deterioration, loss caused by delay, theft from unattended vehicles where security conditions apply, and certain goods unless declared. The Product Disclosure Statement sets out the full list.
Tell us what you run and how you run it. We review the options across our insurer panel and come back with cover that fits — usually inside one business day.
