Recovery Operator Insurance

What is recovery operator insurance?

What can recovery operator insurance cover?

While every breakdown and recovery business’s insurance needs will be different, there are some common risks.  These include road risks insurance, public liability insurance, vehicles in transit, and personal possessions cover.  Jensten Motor Trade’s policies allow you to pick and choose from a range of policy elements, including:

• Your vehicle(s) – your recovery trucks can be covered on a third-party, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive basis.   If you have a fleet of recovery vehicles, these can be insured on a fleet insurance policy
• Carriage of vehicles – protects the vehicle(s) you are transporting
• Public liability insurance – if a member of the public is injured or their property damaged while on your premises, you can be held liable. Public liability insurance will protect you financially should you be sued for damages
• Employers’ liability insurance (EL insurance) – EL – is a legal requirement if you have any staff, full-time, part-time or contracted. EL insurance protects motor traders from compensation claims from their employees should a claim be made against them for loss or injury at work. Your policy must have a minimum of £5m cover, with £10m being the industry standard
• Business premises cover – if you’re trading from premises – be it a forecourt, yard, garage or compound – you’ll want to have them protected. If your premises were damaged or destroyed, business premises insurance would cover the cost of repairs or a rebuild
• Tools and machinery cover – without your tools and machinery, you can’t operate your recovery operator business. This covers tools and expensive pieces of machinery, such as diagnostic equipment.  It can also provide Mac and Snap-On tools insurance, plus employees’ tools and toolbox options
• Business interruption insurance – should disaster strike – a fire, a flood, or an explosion – and you can’t trade, business interruption insurance will provide an income until you can get to your previous trading level
• Engineering inspection insurance – if, as part of your trading, you use testing equipment or machinery, engineering inspection insurance will cover the cost of a safety assessment of it. Having this can also help you satisfy your health and safety at work requirements
• Money and keys – if money or keys are stolen from your premises, this is designed to cover the cost of their replacement. Most policies will stipulate that money needs to be left in a safe, locked cashbox, or a cabinet
• Engineering inspection service – if, as part of your trading, you use testing equipment or machinery, an engineering inspection service element to your policy will cover the cost of a safety assessment of it. Having your equipment assessed is a legal requirement as it’s part of 1998’s Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).  It can help satisfy your health and safety at work requirements, and it also means you’re less likely to have downtime owing to essential equipment such as vehicle lifting tables, jacks, and pressure systems failing
• Business contents – including your stock in trade, computers, portable hand tools, own and customers’ vehicles on the business premises, contents of recovered loads and other business equipment
• Public, products liability and defective workmanship insurance – provided cover for third-party property damage, injury or disease and defective workmanship claims
• Sales and service indemnity – protects you against claims of damage or injury after selling or repairing a vehicle. It can include cover for faulty parts or repair work that’s contributed to the problem