Leased vans and HGV's are becoming a lot more popular with self employed courier drivers and courier companies.

The main reason for this is that the economic downturn has meant that cash-flow is king and therefore the option of buying a new vehicle and carrying this on your balance sheet is not preferable. Its more beneficial to pay a monthly cost that you can budget for, and then simply give back the vehicle at the end of the lease.

It may cost more over 3 years this way, but cash-flow and risk are minimised this way.

So - how does this affect your courier insurance policy? We at insureCOURIER get asked this a lot by couriers who are thinking of leasing their next vehicle but are worried about their courier insurance premiums.

Most of the commericial insurance companies that insure our courier clients do not charge extra if the vehciles is leased rather than being the registered owner / keeper. As we have seen the leasing trend grow dramatically in recent years, we have been careful to make sure we have a large panel of underwriters who both insure leased vehicles and don't charge extra for doing so!

insureCOURIER have also included free temporary cover on courier vans as the high mileage of most courier vehicles means that they are in for servicing & maintenence on regular occasions and therefore insurance is required on temporary courier vehicles. Most of the time, this is at no extra cost to our clients

For an online courier insurance quote, visit the insureCOURIER website or call our courier insurance brokers on 0800 142 2838

In the busy life we all need, its easy to overlook when your car or van is due for an MOT.

More than once I have tried to tax my car, only to discover that my MOT has actually expired - and I have then had a mad panic to get my car MOT'd so I can then tax my vehicle! But the consequences could be much worse - your insurance would be invalid the same day that your MOT expires as it is no longer deemed a road worthy vehicle.

For professional drivers such as couriers, checking that your van is MOT'd and making sure you renew the MOT certificate well in advance in case any work needs doing, is vital. If you were driving your van - also containing thousands of pounds worth of goods - without courier insurance or goods in transit insurance, you would be taking a huge risk. Not having a valid MOT would deem your courier insurance policy invalid and thus you would be liable for any claim!

Ignorance is not a valid excuse!!

At insureCOURIER, we are happy to take a note of your MOT expiry date and vehicle tax expiry date and send you a text reminder two weeks before and one week before it is due to expire - completely free of charge!!

Of course, we'll also save you money and give you cheap courier insurance and goods in transit cover. For an online courier insurance quote visit www.insurecourier.com or call our courier insurance broker team on 0800 142 2838

We one of the leading providers of courier insurance in the UK, with thousands of customers across the country, we get asked a number of questions from both courier drivers and courier companies.

One of the most frequently asked is "Can I drive private cars on my courier insurance policy?"

Our initial response is "Don't assume you can!"

It depends on your courier insurance policy - but it is a dangerous game to assume that your courier insurance means you can drive other private vehicles (like most "normal" car insurance policies).

Courier insurance is a specialist policy that not only covers your vehicle (typically couriers drive vans), but it also includes goods in transit insurance and often public liability insurance.

So being a specialist policy means that being able to drive a private car (e.g. your partners) may not be automatically included. Our advice is to check straight away - and if you're looking for a new courier insurance policy, make sure you specify other car use in your quote.

--------------------------------------------------------
If you'd like a cheap courier insurance quote, then please submit your details online on our courier insurance broker online quote page or call us on 0800 142 2838

If you're a van driver, you may have heard of GIT insurance. Do you need it? Well, it is completely dependent on what you are using the van for.

Here are the top 3 categories - which include an explanation of GIT insurance

1) Private use

If you are only using your van for personal use, you'll just need personal van insurance. This is calculated on the make and model of your vehicle, plus your (and other named drivers) driving history


2) Commercial use

If you are using your van(s) for commercial use, its important that you insure your vans for commercial use (rather than personal use only). If you had an accident, your insurance policy will be invalid if you have been using your van for commercial purposes.

Again, the insurance premium will be calculated on the make and model of your van, plus the driving experience of all the named drivers. To keep your costs low, try and restrict the number of named drivers on your insurance policy. Any driver policies tend to be expensive - but do increase your companies flexibility


3) GIT insurance (goods in transit insurance)

You will need a goods in transit insurance policy if you are carrying goods for other people. Typically, all couriers will have an insurance policy that includes goods in transit cover, or a separate goods in transit insurance policy. This covers any damage or loss to the goods while they are being transported from place to place.

If you are a courier, or courier company, don't skimp on your goods in transit (GIT) cover. It will cost you thousands in the event of a claim if you are not properly insured. It will also give your customers piece of mind, and may result in more business.

For a competitive courier insurance quote, including goods in transit insurance policies, visit www.insurecourier.com who are courier insurance brokers. Or call 0800 142 2838 for a telephone quote.

The world has changed. If you wanted an insurance quote in the past, the good old Yellow Pages or similar directory would be the most used method.

You'd call a number of companies, churn through your details 4 or 5 times, and then select your favourite quote based on price and policy features.

I'd be surprised if more than 20% of people now do this!

The Internet has an array of online insurance companies that are ready and waiting to get you all the quotes you'll need! So so what are the main benefits? Here are the top 5!

1) You can ask for an online insurance quote in your own time. 9am, lunchtime or at 3am - the choice is yours!

2) No hard sales! As you're not speaking to a person, you'll have no persuasion to take the policy if you want some more thinking time. The internet lets you ponder your options

3) Its faster - you can submit an online quote in minutes, especially with the address and vehicle reg finding tools that populate your address and your vehicle instantly

4) You only need to put in your details once! If you go to the right online insurance website, it will search a variety of insurers and rates for you, so you only have to input your details once!

5) You can save your quote, and retrieve the details in an email

And by using the internet, the quote is often cheaper as it saves costs!!

insureCOURIER, a leading online courier insurance broker, can give you all of the above benefits and more. insureCOURIER are totally independent and will search our panel of courier insurance companies to find you the best rate for your needs but without compromising your level of cover - this included courier goods in transit insurance.

For a courier insurance quote online, using exclusive rates not available anywhere else due to our buying power, click here to visit our 2 minute quote page

Courier insurance UK - am I insured overseas?

If you have a simple UK courier insurance policy, the simple answer is no. You won't be insured if you are working overseas under your courier insurance UK policy.

However, this is easily changed. One call to your courier insurance broker and they will be able to get you either short term overseas courier insurance or permanent overseas courier insurance, depending on how frequently you believe that you will be working in Europe (or further afield).

The channel tunnel has made it quicker and easier than ever to drive to Europe, and the expansion of EU member states means that couriers are eligible to work in more countries that ever before.

Make sure that your foreign courier insurance also includes goods in transit cover to make sure you are fully covered for both your vehicle and goods

Call insureCOURIER for a quote on 0800 142 2838 or visit the insure courier website

Courier Insurance

Whether you’re a self employed courier, or owner of a courier company, its vital that you have the right levels of courier insurance – it’s your livelihood after all!! I also cover fleet insurance at the end of this article – significant savings to be had there.

Of course, keeping costs to a minimum in a recession is very important and price is going to be a huge factor in who you choose for courier insurance – and rightly so. But it’s important you have the right levels of cover, so below are some top tips for courier insurance.

I’d also recommend that you speak with a specialist courier insurance company. They will understand your requirements much better and will also have access to the best rates for insuring single courier vehicles (such as vans) or larger courier fleets as they will have better buying power with specialist underwriters.

Courier insurance
You must have Courier insurance – it’s a legal requirement like any other type of vehicle on UK roads.

Goods in Transit insurance
Virtually every courier has goods in transit insurance – you’re usually carrying other people’s belongings and you need to be covered in the event of loss, damage, theft and unexpected delays. You may want to consider including any of your own goods you are transporting.

Don’t skimp on the level of cover. The difference in price of say, insuring £10,000 of goods versus £20,000 is marginal, but imagine if you had to make up the difference in the event of a claim yourself! It’s also a great sales tool to win new business as customers know that you are covered adequately and will trust you more

And of course it's not just about appearances - if goods are damaged on the road and you're not insured you're going to have to either pay for the damages yourself, or endure a drawn out legal battle with someone who could have become a good customer.

Public Liability Insurance
A courier could cause injury and even death on the roads, so you should also consider taking out Public Liability insurance to cover you in the event of a member of the public making a claim for damages against your business.

Continental Courier Insurance
This one is something that's either essential or pointless, depending on how you do business, but it's really easy to work out, of course: Do you spend any of your work hours delivering goods abroad on the continent? If yes, then you need continental haulage insurance, if not you can save that money and stick to a UK courier insurance policy.

Fleet insurance
Again, a specialist broker should be your best bet here. They can shop around for you to get the best deal with their specialist underwriters. Big savings can be had in both money and time if you have 3 or more vehicles. One policy is easier to manage and should save you up to 25%

Shopping around for courier insurance? First time courier insurance? Its not easy to know where to start.

We'd always recommend using a specialist courier insurance broker

Courier insurance brokers are usually the best option to get cheap courier insurance.

Why?

Here are the top 5 reasons

1) Courier insurance brokers are have access to a number of specialist schemes and rates - so they can shop around to get you the best courier insurance rates depending on your individual circumstances and the areas you will be covering

2) Getting cheap courier insurance rates is great - BUT beware that your policy gets you the appropriate levels of cover!! Its no good accepting a cheap courier insurance quote and then having an accident and being off the road for days or even weeks! This will cost you far more in lost income than the money you saved on insurance. You need to be on the road at all times. Make sure that your courier insurance includes a 24/7 accident helpline and replacement vehicle so you can keep earning money!

Goods in transit insurance for couriers is also vital

3) Some courier insurance brokers are now very internet focused and realise that you might want to get a courier insurance quote online as many courier drivers work shifts. insureCOURIER have a website where you can get an online courier insurance quote and also visit the frequently asked questions section which answers most questions about courier insurance

4) Courier insurance brokers like insureCOURIER speak to couriers about insurance for couriers and goods in transit insurance day in, day out. Who better to speak to when you are obtaining a courier insurance quote. They can also save you money on courier breakdown cover

5) A courier insurance broker can help you get courier fleet insurance. If you have 3 or more vehicles, a courier fleet insurance quote will probably be cheaper than individual courier insurance quotes. So by having fleet insurance for couriers you would both save money and time as you only have to manage one policy.

You might want to consider courier office insurance as well if you own a courier company

So insureCOURIER can help you with individual courier insurance, goods in transit insurance, courier fleet insurance and courier office insurance if you are the business owner. Public liability insurance is also recommended.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
To get an online courier insurance quote, and read FAQ's, please visit www.insurecourier.com or feel free to call our courier insurance experts on 0800 142 2838