What Type Of Courier Services Need Insurance?



Nov 18th, 2011 Paul Headley

This question confuses many people in the courier business. The reputed international courier service providers like DHL, FedEx and so on, do have top business insurance. Before they pick up a parcel or package for delivery, their staff asks the client if it contains valuables.

If the client answers in the affirmative, they inquire about the value of the item and mark the package as a high value package. These high value packages are handled with extra care to ensure that they are safely delivered. High value items can range from rare and expensive paintings to a high value cheque. Therefore, the company takes a certain amount of insurance cover to lessen their losses in case of a mishap.

They may even take out a one off insurance for delivering a high value item, such as a rare painting. Insurance companies that provide courier insurance look at the average value of the items carried, areas to which the deliveries are made, and then they provide an appropriate insurance policy.

Insuring courier services is not an easy business. The types of items you need to deliver, all need to come under consideration when discussing your policy requirements with an insurance professional. Some items could be medical oriented such as organ donation or blood delivery. You would want to ensure of course, that nothing happen to goods such as these when they are being transported and covered in the event that something unfortunate does happen.

What many courier companies are finding, in regards to cover, is that there are broader types of courier insurance that are somewhat similar to getting third party insurance for a car. So regardless of whether the package is of low value or higher value, the policy can be manipulated accordingly.

Courier companies, like any other business, are always aiming to keep their costs down. They don't want to pay heavy premiums for insurance if their rate of loosing or damaging packages is under a certain percentage. Therefore, most of the people want a dual courier insurance policy, one that provides an overall cover and another for special high value deliveries. This arrangement is the most beneficial for the courier company.

If a courier company is making deliveries to a high-risk area like Iraq or Afghanistan, they make take special insurance for providing courier services in these countries. The insurance companies will of course, in turn, charge a higher premium.

Getting the proper courier insurance needed for a courier service provider requires careful research and a thorough understanding of the range and extent of protection needed in the case of an unfortunate event.

As you can see from some of the examples provided above, all courier services need to purchase insurance. The extent of this insurance will be up to the individual company, and some may need extra protection depending on the service they provide.

About the Author:


Paul Headley is a specialist insurance article writer. Staveley Head are a leading UK insurance broker for courier insurance

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