Couriers provide a unique delivery experience for individuals or businesses that require documents, information, packages, or mail in a swift and efficient manner. Rather than using a mail service that doesn’t guarantee the time of delivery, many people choose to hire a courier service to hand-deliver documents or packages, often on the same day. Since courier services are frequently local, customers can get their important documents quickly, and are willing to pay a higher price for the service. However, being a courier or running a courier business has its own set of risks, including theft, accidents, and a variety of liabilities. The risks associated with being a courier make insurance a vital part of having a secure business.
Who needs courier insurance?
Couriers and courier service business owners should be properly insured to protect against potential risks, litigations, and liabilities associated with this type of work. Since couriers are being trusted to deliver legal documents, important papers, packages, mail, and medical samples, insurance is essential. Anything can happen during the delivery, from theft, to an accident, and the courier and business should be protected with adequate insurance.
What are some of the risks of owning a courier or being a courier?
There are a number of risks associated with being a courier or running a courier business. Since you are providing a delivery service, accidents are one of the biggest risks. Getting into an accident while making a delivery can cause damage to your own vehicle, the vehicles of others involved, and pose financial hardship if any of the individuals were physically injured.
Your courier business can be sued for any number of things, such as the package or documents being stolen while in the vehicle, or straight from the couriers hands, a passerby tripping over a large package left on the sidewalk, or other drivers in an accident caused by the courier.
All of these risks have one thing in common; your courier business can be sued for damages and medical costs. If you have insurance, your business won’t suffer financial loss as a result of the lawsuit. As someone who is responsible for bringing packages, mail, or important documents from point A to point B, you become liable if something occurs during that time.
What does courier insurance cover?
Insurance policies for couriers commonly come as a package policy that includes coverage for a variety of risks. The courier insurance typically includes business automobile coverage in the case of an accident so that damages to the vehicles involved, or individuals harmed, will be covered. It will also include theft covered in the event of the package or documents being stolen during the delivery. Courier insurance should also include coverage if the items being delivered were damaged during delivery, such as in an accident. Public liability insurance should also be obtained for couriers as it offers protection if the courier or business is sued for damage or injury caused by the courier.
Couriers have an important job of delivering their clients goods on time and in the same condition as when they left. This responsibility makes proper insurance an essential part of having a courier business.
