Understanding Lorry Insurance Image

What Is Truck Insurance?

Truck insurance is a commercial vehicle insurance that provides cover for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), including trucks and lorries. It protects you, other drivers, and third parties in the event of accidents, damage, or injury. Whether you’re an owner-operator insuring a single truck or a fleet owner covering multiple lorries, HGV insurance is necessary for legal compliance and protection.

Do I Need Truck Insurance Image

Do I Need Truck Insurance?

Yes, it is a legal requirement to have the correct insurance if you take a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) on the road. It protects you and any third parties involved. Your lorry must be insured even if you don’t intend to drive it unless it has been officially registered as off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN). If you are insuring multiple HGVs, truck fleet insurance could be a more suitable and cost-effective option for your business.

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What does truck insurance cover?

The type of cover you need will depend on a few different factors. First is the type of truck, or trucks that you want to insure. Secondly is whether you’re an owner driver who only needs to insure one truck or you operate a business with multiple trucks that need insuring. Lastly is the budget you have for your insurance.

Third-Party Only (TPO)

Covers liability for injury to others, damage to third-party property, and liability while towing a caravan or trailer.

Third-Party, Fire, and Theft (TPFT)

Provides TPO cover plus protection against fire damage, cover for theft of the truck, and any damage caused during the theft.

Comprehensive Cover

Includes TPFT cover plus protection for your own vehicle, windscreen cover, personal effects, accidental damage, and potentially medical expenses.
Ian Beevis Insurance Expert

What the experts say…

"If you have multiple HGVs, insuring them all as part of a truck fleet may be more convenient and cost-effective than covering them individually."

– Ian Beevis, Founder of Clean Green Compare

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What else can truck insurance cover?

Insurance policies can differ, but they may offer additional features as standard or for an extra premium.

Hazardous Goods

Cover available for the carriage of hazardous goods

Fleet Insurance

: Managing a fleet of trucks? Fleet insurance allows you to cover all your vehicles under one policy. This simplifies administration and often proves more cost-effective compared to individual policies for each vehicle.

Breakdown Recovery

: A breakdown can happen at any time, so having breakdown cover is essential for keeping your business moving. Many insurers offer their own breakdown services, which can be more convenient than relying on third-party providers.

Commercial Property Cover

: Protects your premises, including offices and storage facilities, from damage or theft.

Goods in Transit Insurance

If your trucks carry goods, having goods in transit cover is a must—especially for high-value or sensitive items. This cover ensures your cargo is protected from loss, theft, or damage. Make sure to clarify with your insurer which scenarios are covered, as some policies may only provide protection during transit.

Public Liability Insurance

: Having public liability cover is extremely important.. If a member of the public is injured because of your operations, this insurance will cover compensation claims. It’s particularly useful for trucking companies with multiple vehicles on the road, helping to mitigate potential risks.

Uninsured Loss Recovery

: Assists in recovering losses if an incident is caused by an uninsured third party.

Employers’ Liability Insurance

: If you employ drivers, this employers liability insurance cover is legally required. It protects your business in the event that an employee gets injured or becomes ill due to their work. This is an essential safeguard for both your team and your company.

Changing or Replacing Locks and Keys

: Covers replacement costs if keys are lost or stolen.

European Cover

: If your trucks travel throughout Europe, this cover is essential. It protects your vehicles whether they are at home or abroad, ensuring peace of mind when your vehicle crosses borders.

Loss of Licence Cover

: Losing your licence can be financially devastating. Loss of licence cover offers compensation for a set period, helping you manage while you work on getting back on your feet. It’s not a standard cover, but it’s highly recommended for added security.

Towing Costs

: Helps cover the cost of towing your truck after an accident

Personal Accident and Sickness Insurance

: This cover provides financial support if a driver is injured or falls ill. It’s a crucial safeguard for your drivers, ensuring they are supported during recovery and providing peace of mind for everyone involved.

Ready to get covered?

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How to Save Money on Your Truck Insurance

Saving money on insurance should always be a top priority. Luckily there are some surefire ways to save a good deal of money on your truck insurance. Below are some great money saving tips

1

Pay Annually –

Insurance providers will always prefer if you pay for your policy annually rather than monthly and in many cases they will offer you a significant discount when you choose to do this. Depending on how many trucks you’re insuring, this one method alone can save you a lot of money.
2

Use Fleet Insurance –

If you have multiple trucks to insure then it’s highly recommended that you get truck fleet insurance. In nearly every case it works out a lot cheaper to insure multiple vehicles under one policy rather than getting separate policies.
3

Secure Your Vehicle(s) –

Making your truck as secure as possible is essential. Insurance providers will certainly want to know how secure your truck is before they give you a price so you should take every measure you can to cut down on the risk of theft or your truck or its contents.
4

Be Picky with Your Drivers –

If you run a truck company and insure your vehicles yourself, one of the ways to save on your insurance is to be very selective with the drivers you employ. When insurance providers are calculating the cost a policy the driving history and experience of the driver is one of the main factors taken into account so by only employing experienced drivers with a clean licence you can go a long way to saving on your policy.
5

Get Multiple Quotes –

This is one of the best and most reliable ways to save on your truck insurance. The prices you’re quoted can vary a lot so the only way of knowing if you’re getting a good deal is by getting quotes from many different insurance providers.

What sort of trucks can be insured under an HGV policy?


Recovery Trucks

Recovery truck insurance is available from many insurance providers that you can find online. Often recovery trucks are owned by a company who will own a fleet of them and insure them with fleet insurance. The cost of recovery truck insurance will depend on a few different factors such as the number of trucks being insured, the value of the vehicles, and the insurance provider. Shopping around for quotes will always help you to save money, so you should do this every time you need to renew your policy.


Flat Bed Trucks

Flat bed trucks are very common in the UK and are an excellent way of transporting large items in a quick and easy fashion. Flat bed trucks are often used by construction companies to transport large machinery to and from building sites. Because they are used for transporting large equipment, this can make them hazardous to drive, and therefore a good insurance policy is essential. There are many insurance providers who offer flat bed truck insurance, so you’ll have no problem finding quotes. The most important thing to decide upon is the level of cover that you need. A good option to have included in a flat bed insurance policy is contents cover. This means that if the goods you’re transporting are damaged or stolen, you’ll be compensated for them.


Tipper Trucks

Having a comprehensive insurance policy for a tipper truck is vital. Not only are they hazardous to drive because of their large size, but they also have very expensive components that are costly to replace. Tipper trucks can also be the target of thieves because of their expensive parts. When you’re looking for tipper truck insurance, you should know exactly what type of cover you need. Any good tipper truck insurance policy should cover damaged or stolen parts of the vehicle as well as covering you for any collisions. It’s also worth considering getting public liability insurance included in your policy with tipper truck insurance since damage can quite easily occur when operating such a vehicle.


Refrigerated Trucks

There are several things you have to cover against when you have a refrigerated truck. Like any vehicle, you must cover for accidents, but with a refrigerated truck, you must also get cover for the goods being transported. If the refrigeration inside the truck ceases to function, then the goods will spoil, so contents cover is an absolute must for a refrigerated truck. Most large truck insurance providers will be able to offer cover for refrigerated trucks. As always, you should seek out as many quotes as you can to ensure you get the best price for a policy.


Gritter Lorry

Gritter lorries are used in the winter months when there’s snow or ice on the roads. Due to their large size and unique usage, gritter lorries require a special policy, which is offered by a panel of insurance specialists.


Specialist Trucks

HGVs/LGVs which have a specialist, singular function such as:

  • Car transporters
  • Cement mixers
  • Highway maintenance vehicles
  • Snow ploughs
  • Skip lorries
  • Livestock lorries

Truck Insurance FAQs

Do I need an operator’s licence to drive a truck?

If you drive a vehicle over 3.5 tonne an operator’s licence is required whether you are carrying own goods or transporting goods for hire and reward.

What types of vehicles can you get cover for?

  • Recovery/Breakdown Trucks
  • Crane
  • Skeletal
  • Articulated lorry
  • Curtain Side
  • Skip carrier
  • Refrigerated truck
  • Flatbed truck
  • Dropside
  • Ripper Waste disposal truck
  • Concrete mixer
  • Recycling truck

Does my type of business affect my truck insurance?

Insurers will take your business type into consideration when calculating the policy premium. For instance, if you are carrying hazardous goods insurers could increase the premium, due to the higher risk involved.

What are the age restrictions on truck insurance?

Most insurers wont cover drivers under the age of 21, and a number under the age of 25. Cover is available for younger drivers but expect to pay a considerably higher premium with a limited number of insurers.

What factors affect the cost of a truck policy?

Where can I get truck insurance quotes?

There are many ways to get quotes. You can of course contact insurance providers directly. However if you want to get quotes from multiple providers then there is a better way of doing things. You can get quotes from a panel of truck insurance specialists within a matter of minutes by clicking the green quote button below. All you have to do to get your quotes is provide a bit of information about yourself, your business and the type of policy you need.

Can I use my no claims bonus on my truck insurance policy?

Yes. Providing that the no claims bonus was earned in the UK there should be no issue with transferring it over from one insurance provider to the next. Usually the no claims bonus will also need to be on the same type of vehicle too, although there are exceptions to this.

What level of HGV cover am I required to have legally?

In order to comply with the law, all vehicles must have at least third party insurance. In addition to this, if you employ drivers then you must also have employer’s liability. When transporting goods it’s also a very good idea to have goods in transit cover.

The main factors that affect the cost a truck insurance policy are –

  • The size of the truck(s) being insured
  • The number of trucks being insured
  • The mileage of the trucks
  • How secure the trucks are
  • The named drivers on the policy
  • The level of cover

Is it possible to insure multiple trucks together?

Yes. In fact this is very common with truck insurance. With a fleet truck insurance policy you’re able to insure multiple trucks, including multiple truck types, under one easy-to-manage policy.