Car Delivery Driver Insurance

If you are you a delivery driver, using your own car, you'll need the right insurance.

Do you want to use your car for a delivery job? It could be a great way to earn extra money, but you'll need to have specialist insurance, called 'courier' insurance. Without it you could risk the awful consequences of driving whilst uninsured!

How do I get this insurance?

Simple. Just fill in a short form and members of a panel of car courier insurance specialists will send you quotes to compare!

Companies you get quotes from may include these top insurance providers:

Why do I need courier insurance?

Insurance companies base their premiums on what they see as the likely risk of their customer making a claim. This is why those who live in busy cities, are inexperienced or have a poor driving record can pay a lot more than the average motorist. Unfortunately delivery drivers do, statistically, presents a higher risk of claims than the average motorist and so the vast majority of car insurance companies refuse to cover them for this type of work.

Any person with a standard social domestic and pleasure insurance policy, or even a business insurance policy, who is paid to deliver goods that they do not own themselves are almost certainly in breach of their insurance agreement and so, if they were involved in an accident, their insurers could well refuse to pay out on any claims.

Furthermore, if they were stopped by the police they could well find themselves facing the serious charge of driving without insurance, as well as seeing their car impounded.

Do couriers really have more accidents?

According to Department For Transport records, delivery drivers have almost 3 times as many accidents per mile driven than the national average. However a good way of making sure that you are not one of these accident statisticts is to be aware of the potential dangers, so that you can avoid them. Some common ones are:

Lack of Awareness in the Courier Industry

Couriers operate in a notoriously unregulated industry, with most of the sector being self-employed. This leaves them without any necessary safety controls or formal training. For example, taxi drivers are subjected to strict background checks and must carry out a set number of hours of work in a week. Meanwhile, couriers are often hired on a per-hour or per-delivery basis, which often leaves them driving for more hours than they really should.

Most couriers work for small, independent companies, meaning that they could be left unaware of safety issues, with many unaware of the dangers of driving whilst tired or distracted.

With little or no knowledge of their rights, many couriers are not aware of the compensation they can claim should they be injured on the job. This may also be compounded by their lack of awareness regarding the insurance they are supposed to have whilst driving.

Exhaustion from Driving for Long Shifts

A large number of couriers work in zero-hours employment contracts, meaning that they do not receive a guaranteed number of hours each week. Whilst this may sound like an ideal arrangement for those looking for part time work, it can be risky for those working behind the wheel.

Couriers are often driving for long shifts to make up for their lack of guaranteed hours. This often results in tiredness on the road, which can have disastrous consequences for couriers, those around them, and those receiving deliveries.

Driving whilst tired is one of the most common causes of accidents; it has been estimated that tiredness can reduce your reaction time by as much as an astonishing 40 times, making driving whilst exhausted potentially lethal.

Road Conditions and Dangerous Deliveries

Whilst long shifts may play a part in couriers’ accident rates, deliveries also pose a significant risk for the sector. Deliveries can be difficult and unpredictable, with some couriers reporting dangerous conditions. For example, some couriers have reported being attacked whilst delivering packages. Others have been robbed whilst driving through dangerous areas, or have had aggressive encounters with other motorists.

Other couriers have reported encountering dangerous road conditions, such as heavy traffic or bad weather. Indeed, some couriers have reported having to drive in poor road conditions, such as icy paths or flooded roads to complete deliveries. Such conditions pose a significant danger for both the couriers and those around them.

Distractions Whilst Driving

Distractions are often cited as the cause of accidents, particularly among younger and inexperienced drivers. Couriers often use portable devices whilst driving, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones and sometimes use multiple devices at once because they are working to tight deadlines. They are trying to finish one delivery, whilst booking the next. Some couriers also use their devices to research the best routes whilst driving, or get distracted by satnavs.

Parking In Dangerous Locations

If a delivery has to be made to a destination which suffers from heavy traffic, or bad road visibility, there is a temptation to park as close as possible to it rather than go further away to a safer location, particularly if there are heavy goods to be carried. This can create obstruction hazards for other road users, which can then lead to accidents.

To Conclude:

Using your own car, or other vehicle, to work as a courier can make you a lot of money but this should not be at the risk of having an accident. By recognising what these risks are, and making sure that you don't get tired or miss meals to squeeze in yet one more delivery, you can greatly reduce the risk of you being involved in an accident.

Oh, and don't forget that no matter how careful a driver you are, you will still need to have courier insurance, so why not get quotes now!