What is a policy for transport companies?

Czym jest polisa dla firm transportowych?

Aktualizacja odbyła się 20 stycznia 2023

Every year, the owners of transport companies decide to purchase the OCP of the carrier. What it comes from? This is conditioned primarily by the fact that thanks to such insurance, the transport company gains a guarantee that in the event of any accident resulting in a significant loss of value of the transported goods, it will receive appropriate compensation from the insurance company. Despite the fact that the carrier’s OCP is not included in the group of mandatory insurance, all serious transport companies decide to purchase it. 

Carrier’s OCP – what is this insurance and who is it for? 

Goods transported by trucks are often much more valuable than the car itself. Although the goods do not belong to the carrier, they are fully responsible for them during the performance of the transport service. If the goods were stolen or damaged, the owner of the transport company would have to pay very high compensation to the customer out of his own pocket. However, there is a way to avoid this necessity. How? Reaching for the carrier’s OCP insurance. The carrier’s OCP policy can be used by all entrepreneurs who transport goods for commercial purposes. It is worth knowing that it does not matter whether a person has a small business run as an individual or is the owner of a huge company. The scope of protection offered by the company should always be similar. The protection applies from the moment the goods are accepted for transport until they are delivered to the final recipient. Even when the transport company transfers the order to deliver the goods to a subcontractor, the carrier’s OCP policy still applies. Is the carrier’s liability insurance mandatory? It turns out not. The decision to purchase such a policy can be made by the entrepreneur himself after taking into account all the pros and cons. There is no information in Polish regulations that insurance of transported goods is mandatory. However, practice shows something completely different. Why? It’s really obvious. After all, customers prefer to use the services of such a transport company that will guarantee them that in the event of any breakdown or accident on the road, they have the carrier’s OCP.

What will be the cost of purchasing the carrier’s OCP insurance?

The final cost of OCP insurance is determined by many different factors. Premiums for this insurance are determined according to carefully defined rules. Of course, insurance companies allow negotiations with a transport company that would like to purchase a policy. The most important factors affecting the final cost of purchasing the carrier’s OCP include:

  • guarantee sum – it means the amount up to which the insurer will cover all losses,
  • income earned by the transport company in the current calendar year and in previous years,
  • the type of goods transported by the transport company.

The cost of OCP insurance is determined individually, however, the amount for the policy may be subject to negotiation. You should be prepared for the high price of TPL insurance, especially when you want to transport works of art or animals. Many insurance companies do not offer OCP insurance for transporting animals or works of art at all. Choosing a specific insurance policy is extremely important. We cannot pay attention only to keeping the price as low as possible, because later it may turn out that the scope of protection offered will be too low.

How to buy carrier’s liability insurance? 

How to find the best carrier’s OCP company? It is very easy. There are many special comparison websites on the Internet, thanks to which you can quickly compare up to a dozen offers from different insurance companies in one place. The most important thing is that using the services of such specialized comparison websites is completely free. This is not only convenient, but also a huge time saver. Once we have chosen the best insurance company from the rest thanks to the insurance ranking, we can contact a consultant of a given company. We encourage you to try to negotiate some attractive policy conditions yourself. Relying on a standard version of the contract prepared by an insurance agent will not be a good solution. Worth knowing, that the OCP of the carrier is not only optional, but also its scope in each company may be different. It is not like in the case of ordinary liability insurance, where regardless of which insurance company we buy the policy from, the scope of insurance will always be the same. When it comes to carrier’s liability insurance, the most depends on the policy pursued by a particular insurance company, the agent’s competence as well as our determination to agree on such conditions that will fully meet our needs.