Courier Breakdown Cover
As a courier I am only too aware of the importance of looking after other peoples positions and therefore was very keen to make sure that I had the right insurance cover in place. I knew that if I just looked for the cheapest insurance deal, I might find that I am not fully covered. This is a story that could have ended horribly wrong but fortunately, my careful nature paid dividends.
When I started my new business I began by ensuring that I had my company covered which included employer’s liability, professional indemnity, goods in transit and my two vans. I took out a courier insurance policy including all the important insurances and goods in transit. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite qualify for a mini-fleet and so couldn’t take advantage of cost the savings by combining my insurance policies and taking out a fleet policy.
I spoke to my local insurance broker, who had already arranged all my other insurances for me and she suggested that I took out a fully comprehensive commercial vehicle policy for my two vans. This included breakdown cover. Initially I had planned to go direct to a recovery company such as the AA or RAC to sort out my breakdown cover. However, my broker explained that the breakdown cover was quite comprehensive and included Roadside Recovery, Home Start or Full European cover. I decided to take the cover out which, at least meant I didn’t need to go and sort out breakdown cover elsewhere.
A couple of months later, we had one of the worst snow falls I have seen in a long time. The towns near where I lived and worked in Northumberland were virtually cut off from the rest of the country. The news reporters were advising that we didn’t go out unless we had too. I had several package to deliver around the area and couldn’t let my clients down.
I donned my winter clothing and got into my van. It was freezing cold. I had already scraped the windows that morning, but they had already started to refreeze. I could barely see where I was going and was sure I would have an accident, if I wasn’t careful. As I approached my last delivery of the day, the warning light came on the dash and so I pulled over as soon as it was safe to do so. The engine cut out and I couldn’t get it started again. It was lucky it was the end of my day, but I was worried about tomorrow’s deliveries. I called the number the broker gave me and within 20 minutes I had a recovery truck by my side. I asked the mechanic to wait while I took the package over the road. The mechanic towed me to the local garage where they quickly identified and solved the problem.
I was very pleased that I had listened to my broker and that I took out the breakdown cover. As a result of the quick recovery, I managed to get to work the next day as well. There was barley any impact upon my business. I was very aware of the benefits of not just going for the cheapest insurance deal available. By listening to your local insurance broker, you can ensure you are fully covered. To a business, this is invaluable.
