The Easter holidays are just around the corner and freight transport and courier companies are gearing up for a busy weekend in the food and confectionery sectors.

Did you know that in Britain we eat 660,900 tonnes of chocolate a year, which is around 11kg per person per year - or about 3 bars a week? Yes, it’s a fun fact but behind it also eludes to some serious eating. The average person in the UK spends £6,000 on chocolate over his or her lifetime, and Cadbury itself estimates that it makes roughly £200 million from egg sales in Britain alone.

It’s a lucrative business and for those in the commercial vehicle industry, courier insurance is an issue not to be ignored. A combination of perishable goods, busy UK motorways, tight lead times and a warmer British climate, all add to the pressure on hauliers and retailers to deliver goods on time and in peak condition.

Most of the larger supermarkets run their own fleet and have additional cover to their commercial vehicle insurance, but the majority of independent retailers rely upon courier delivery companies for their weekly hop from one shop to another. They’ll certainly need answers to the following questions to avoid a disaster, leaving them with egg on their face by the whole eggs-perience -

·      How long will the chocolates be in transit from wholesaler to retailer?

·      What will be the temperature during the journey?

·      What is the minimum temperature inside the truck without causing blooming? (Blooming means the chocolate has a white surface when it gets too cold.)

·      What temperature will cause the chocolates to melt?

·      What happens if the lorry breaks down?

 Courier Insurance and Perishable Chocolate

Courier insurance is designed to protect you as a courier, as well as the vehicle you drive and the cargo you transport, including Easter eggs.  Getting the right type of courier insurance depends on the type of business you run. 

There are particular risks associated with this type of work where your cargo could be lost, stolen or damaged in transit, especially if you’re visiting multiple shop locations in a hurry. Your policy should also protect you against the risks you pose to other road users as well as their vehicles, property and persons. Courier insurance from Tradex can provide all that cover and more. 

If your van and its cargo play a vital part in your delivery business, then you must have the right type of cover in place. Even if you use your own car to deliver a perishable cargo like chocolate, then courier insurance is necessary as private car, motorbike or van insurance won’t provide adequate cover for this specific type of use. And that could leave you dangerously exposed.

Courier insurance is designed to protect you against the unique risks you face. That includes:

 ·      Making a lot of different stops during a single trip

·      High levels of daily mileage

·      A range of cargo types of different values

·      Courier insurance can also include public liability, employers’ liability and a wide range of different cover types to protect you against every eventuality.

Protect Against the Risks 

Whether you work as a part-time courier with your own car, run several vans or even own a courier fleet, if you drive for a living and regularly deliver goods to customers or employ drivers who do, it’s essential you’re covered by courier insurance so that can keep your business moving. And it’s not just the vehicles you drive that have value. You may also transport important and valuable cargo, so it makes sense to get cover in place that protects you against the specific risks you face. 

As well as protection for the road risks, you can take out a policy that comes with goods in transit cover included as standard up to a value of £10,000. This will have you protected should your chocolate or other valuable cargo be lost, damaged (melted) or stolen. You can also add public and employers’ liability cover as well as other business insurances that may be needed to create a single policy that meets all your needs.