Fleet insurance
Courier Fleet Insurance
Fleet cover for delivery vans on hire and reward work, with the drivers and the contracts looked after
One fleet policy for courier and delivery vans on hire and reward use, with any-driver or named-driver options, vehicles added and removed as contracts change, and goods in transit cover arranged beside it. What you get depends on the insurer and the contracts you deliver for.
- Hire and reward use for multi-drop delivery
- Any-driver options for a changing driver pool
- Vans added and removed as contracts change
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerCourier fleet insurance covers two or more delivery vans on one business policy, rated for carrying other people’s goods for payment, with one renewal date and one point of contact. It works like any fleet policy, and adds the things a multi-drop operation brings: drivers who come and go, vans that are not always yours, carrier contracts that set minimum cover, and goods in transit alongside. Tell MyMoneyComparison.com about your business once, and specialist UK fleet brokers can come back to you with quotes to compare.
This page is about the drivers and the contracts. What fleet insurance is, the cover options, what it costs and how to compare it are on our fleet insurance page. Cover for a single courier van, the unattended vehicle clause and goods in transit limits are on our courier insurance page, and where vans park overnight is on our van fleet insurance page. Here we cover what a multi-drop fleet adds: drivers who are not always yours, vans that come and go, the contracts that set minimum cover, and the goods on board.
At a glance
Courier Fleets, in Brief
The short answers before the detail below.
- Hire and reward
- The use class for carrying other people’s goods for payment. A fleet policy without it does not cover courier work
- Drivers who come and go
- Any-driver cover lets anyone who meets the policy’s age and licence criteria drive; named cover lists them one by one
- Vans you do not own
- A fleet policy insures the vans on its schedule. A subcontractor’s own van needs the insurer’s agreement or the driver’s own policy
- The contracts
- Carriers and platforms set the minimum cover their drivers must hold; platforms ask to see the certificate
- Goods in transit
- The parcels are not on the motor policy. Goods in transit sits beside it, with its own locking and overnight conditions
- Everything else
- Cover options, mixed fleets and pricing work as on any fleet policy
The basics
What Is Courier Fleet Insurance?
A motor fleet policy for two or more vans used to deliver other people’s goods for payment: parcels, food, same-day and multi-drop work. It is rated for hire and reward use and written for a business whose drivers, vans and contracts change often.
Three things set a courier fleet apart from a fleet of vans that carry the firm’s own tools and stock.
The use
Carriage of goods for hire and reward is its own class. It is the class the carriers and platforms ask for, and the one an ordinary fleet policy excludes.
The drivers
Employed drivers, self-employed owner-drivers and agency cover, sometimes all on one run. Who can drive, and on whose policy, is the first question an insurer asks.
The goods
The parcels on board are not the van. Goods in transit is a separate cover with its own conditions, and many contracts ask for it.
It is still a fleet policy. The cover options, the driver options and the pricing work as on our fleet insurance page. A single courier van is on our courier insurance page, and what hire and reward means in practice is on our hire and reward guide.
How it works
How a Courier Fleet Is Placed
You describe the vans, the drivers and the contracts, the broker places the fleet on hire and reward terms, and the policy sets the driver criteria and the conditions that follow.
Describe the vans, the drivers and the work
Which vans you own, lease or hire, who drives them and on what basis, what you carry and for whom. Contracts with named carriers or platforms are worth mentioning up front.
The broker places the fleet
Specialist fleet brokers know which insurers write courier work, which will take self-employed drivers on the fleet, and which expect telematics or cameras.
The policy sets the driver criteria
Any-driver cover applies to anyone meeting a minimum age and licence-held period who is not disqualified. Named cover lists the drivers. Either way, the criteria are what a claim is checked against.
Vans move on and off as the work changes
Vehicles are added and removed on notification, with the premium adjusted. A hired or temporary van is covered on tight terms and still has to be declared.
What it covers
What Does Courier Fleet Insurance Cover?
The vans as on any fleet, on hire and reward use, plus the driver and vehicle flexibility a delivery operation needs, with goods in transit arranged beside it.
| What | Where it stands | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| The vans | Standard | Accident, fire, theft and third-party cover on hire and reward use |
| Any driver or named drivers | Your choice | Open driving above a minimum age, or a list of names |
| Vans added mid-term | Standard on notification | New vans on as contracts grow, old ones off, premium adjusted |
| Hired and temporary vans | Usually, on conditions | Covered for short periods once declared; check the notice the policy asks for |
| Non-owned vans on your business | Contingent liability, where included | Your liability when a subcontractor’s own van is used on your work; the van itself stays on the driver’s policy |
| Goods in transit | Separate cover | The parcels, to a limit per load, with locking and overnight conditions |
| Breakdown | Optional | Roadside and recovery for a fleet that cannot afford a van off the round |
| Telematics and cameras | Often expected | Some insurers require them on courier fleets; footage matters when a claim is disputed |
The goods are not on the motor policy. Goods in transit is a separate cover with a limit per load and conditions about locked doors, keys removed, alarms set and where the van sleeps with a load on board. What it does and does not pay is on our goods in transit for couriers guide.
Exclusions
What Courier Fleet Cover Leaves Out
The usual fleet exclusions apply, and a delivery operation adds a few of its own.
A driver outside the criteria
Too young, too few years on a full licence, or disqualified. On an any-driver fleet the criteria are the policy; a driver outside them is uninsured for own damage.
A van that is not on the policy
A subcontractor’s own van, a van borrowed for the day, or a hired van nobody declared. Cover starts when the insurer accepts the vehicle, not when it starts the round.
The parcels
Theft of or damage to the goods is goods in transit, not motor. Without it, a stolen load is your loss and the customer’s claim.
The unattended van
A load stolen from a van left unlocked, with the keys in, or parked overnight where the goods in transit conditions say it should not be, is usually declined.
Use outside hire and reward
Own-goods or social use is normally fine; a fleet declared for parcels and used for passengers, or for haulage above the class declared, is not.
The contract you did not mention
A carrier contract that requires a level of cover the fleet does not hold is a breach of the contract before it is an insurance problem, and the insurer may ask about it after a claim.
Vans and drivers
The Vans, the Drivers and the Contracts
A courier fleet is rated on the vans and the drivers like any fleet, and then on the work: who sends it, how many stops, and what is on board.
| Fleet | What it is | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel and multi-drop vans | The mainstream courier fleet | Rated on hire and reward, stop-start urban mileage and the driver pool |
| Food delivery | Cars, scooters and small vans | Hire and reward for food; the platforms ask to see the certificate before work starts |
| Same-day and dedicated runs | Fewer stops, longer distances | Rated on mileage and the goods carried; goods in transit limits matter more |
| Owner-drivers on your account | Vans you do not own | On the fleet only with the insurer’s agreement; otherwise on the driver’s own hire and reward policy |
| Electric delivery vans | The fleet in transition | The charging equipment and battery cover on our electric vehicle fleet page |
| Carrier contracts | Delivery service partners | The carrier sets the minimum cover it expects; the broker places to match |
Related fleet pages. Electric delivery vans are on our electric vehicle fleet insurance page, driver options on our any driver fleet insurance page, and the wider guide to insuring a delivery company on our courier and delivery companies guide.
Who it is for
Who Runs a Courier Fleet
Any business with two or more vans delivering other people’s goods for payment: parcel subcontractors, delivery service partners, same-day couriers, food delivery operators and firms running a mixed pool of employed and self-employed drivers.
The work comes from someone else. Many courier fleets deliver for a carrier, a retailer or a platform rather than for their own customers, and that contract sets the minimum cover: hire and reward motor insurance, goods in transit where the contract asks for it, and sometimes public liability. The fleet policy has to match the contract, and a change of contract is a change to tell the broker about.
Employed drivers
Your vans, your people
The simplest fleet to insure: the vans on the schedule, the drivers on any-driver or named terms, the goods in transit in your name. The questions are driver criteria, turnover and how the vans are parked with a load on board.
Owner-drivers
Their vans, your account
Self-employed drivers using their own vans on your routes sit on the fleet only where the insurer agrees; otherwise each holds their own hire and reward policy and you carry contingent liability for the work. Which arrangement applies is worth settling before the first claim, not after it.
Delivery platforms are a special case. Food delivery platforms require each driver or rider to hold hire and reward cover for the delivery and ask to see it, and some provide personal injury and public liability for the people delivering. A fleet delivering for a platform is rated on that work. Riders and single vehicles are on our courier insurance page.
The choice
Owner-Drivers on Your Fleet vs on Their Own Policy
A courier fleet with self-employed drivers has two ways to insure their vans, and the insurer, the contract and the claims record all pull in different directions.
| On your fleet | On their own policy | |
|---|---|---|
| The van | On your schedule, with the insurer’s agreement | On the driver’s own hire and reward policy |
| Own damage to the van | Your policy, your excess | The driver’s policy, their excess |
| Third-party liability on your work | Your policy | The driver’s policy first; your contingent liability behind it |
| Driver criteria | Your policy’s age and licence terms | Their insurer’s terms; you check the certificate |
| Goods in transit | Your cover, in your name | Theirs, yours or both, as the contract says |
| When the driver leaves | The van comes off the schedule | Nothing changes on your policy |
| Claims record | Their claims land on your fleet’s record | Their claims stay on their policy |
| The carrier’s check | Your certificate covers the van | Their certificate is checked driver by driver |
Contingent liability is the piece in between. Where a van you do not own is used on your business, some fleet policies cover your liability where the driver’s own insurance does not respond, sometimes on condition you checked it was in place. It covers you, not the van or the driver. What a driver’s own courier policy looks like is on our courier insurance page.
Cost
How Insurers Price a Courier Fleet
The vans, the drivers, the use, the location and the claims record, as on any fleet, with the driver pool and the stop-start mileage of delivery work weighing most. We do not print average premiums.
Why the driver pool is the rating factor
Courier fleets turn drivers over quickly, and any-driver cover with a young minimum age is priced for the driver you have not met yet.
Why the claims record matters more here
Multi-drop work means many short journeys and many low-speed knocks. Insurers rate the fleet on its confirmed claims experience once it has one, and on the operation before that.
What the quote is rated on
In roughly this order
- UseHire and reward, parcels, food, same-dayBase
- DriversAny driver or named; minimum age; turnoverRate
- Vans and mileageSize, value, stops per day, areaRate
- Claims recordConfirmed claims experience, or the operation if newRate
- Risk managementTelematics, cameras, driver checks, parkingAdjust
The drivers
A higher minimum age, a longer licence-held period or named drivers each narrow the risk. The trade-off is who you can put on a round tomorrow morning.
The record
How fleet-rated and claims-experience pricing work is on our CCE guide. A new courier fleet is priced on the operation until it has a record of its own.
The management
Telematics, cameras, driver vetting and secure parking are what an insurer asks about, and some now require them on courier work.
The contracts
The Contract Terms That Reach the Policy
A courier fleet is shaped by the contracts it delivers for. Four of their terms reach into the insurance.
The cover the carrier requires
Hire and reward motor insurance at a stated level, goods in transit at a stated limit, and sometimes public liability. The fleet policy is placed to match, and a new contract is a reason to check it still does.
Who is allowed to drive
Carriers vet drivers; insurers set criteria. A driver the carrier accepts can still fall outside the policy’s minimum age or licence-held period, and on an any-driver fleet nobody notices until a claim.
Whose van it is
A contract that lets drivers use their own vans changes the insurance: those vans are not on your schedule unless the insurer agrees, and the driver’s own certificate has to show hire and reward use.
What happens to the parcels
The contract says who bears the loss of a parcel and up to what amount. Goods in transit is arranged to that figure, in whichever name the contract requires, and its locking and overnight conditions are what a theft claim is checked against.
Quote checklist
The Questions a Courier Fleet Quote Starts With
The fleet as for any fleet, plus the delivery detail: who sends the work, who drives, whose vans they are, and what is on board.
The vans
Make, model, registration and value for each, and whether it is owned, leased, hired or a driver’s own.
The drivers
Employed, self-employed or agency; ages and licence-held periods; how you vet them and how often they change.
The work
Which carriers or platforms you deliver for, what you carry, stops per day and the areas covered.
The claims record
Three to five years of confirmed claims experience if you have it; the operation and the drivers’ own records if you are new.
Overnight parking
Depot, compound, drivers’ homes or the street, and whether loads stay on board overnight.
Risk management
Telematics, cameras, driver training, and the goods in transit limit your contracts ask for.
The contracts are worth having to hand. The cover a carrier requires is the specification the broker places to, and it is easier to match up front than to amend after a claim. The renewal questions for any fleet are on our fleet renewal checklist.
Comparing
Comparing Courier Fleet Quotes on the Terms, Not the Premium
The premium and the fleet size are the first two numbers on any comparison. The driver criteria and the goods in transit conditions are what decide a claim.
On the drivers
- The minimum age and licence-held period on any-driver cover
- Whether self-employed drivers can sit on the fleet, and on what terms
- What the policy asks you to check and keep for each driver
On the vans
- How hired and temporary vans are covered, and the notice required
- Whether contingent liability for non-owned vans is included
- How quickly a van can be added or removed
On the goods
- The goods in transit limit against what your contracts require
- The locking, keys and alarm conditions
- Where a loaded van may be parked overnight
In your own plans
- A new carrier contract this year, and the cover it will ask for
- Taking on owner-drivers, and whose policy their vans will sit on
- Adding electric vans, and the charging cover that comes with them
Two things catch courier fleets out. A driver who fits the carrier’s vetting but not the policy’s criteria, and a load stolen from a van parked where the goods in transit conditions said it should not be. Neither shows on a premium comparison. The standard fleet terms are in our plain English jargon guide, and comparing fleet quotes generally is on our fleet insurance page.
Cutting costs
Keeping a Courier Fleet Premium Down
The levers are the drivers, the records and the way the vans are run. We publish no savings figures.
Vet the drivers and keep the file
Licence checks, ages and licence-held periods on record. A driver file answers the first question at a claim and supports a tighter any-driver band.
Fit telematics and cameras
Insurers rate courier fleets on how they are managed, and footage settles the disputed low-speed knock that multi-drop work produces.
Park the loaded vans properly
A locked compound or building overnight, doors locked and keys out during the day. It meets the goods in transit conditions and is rated.
Settle whose van it is
Owner-drivers on the fleet or on their own policy, decided and declared. An undeclared van is uninsured; a declared one is priced.
Build and explain the record
A confirmed claims experience over a few years is what moves a courier fleet off new-business rates. Losses that were not the driver’s fault are worth explaining to the broker.
Match the cover to the contracts
Cover the carriers require, at the limits they set, and no more than the work needs. Which options suit a fleet is a question for the broker.
Glossary
Courier Fleet Jargon
The terms that come up most on a courier fleet policy.
- Hire and reward
- Carrying other people’s goods for payment. The use class a courier fleet must be insured for.
- Multi-drop
- Delivery work with many stops on one round. Rated on stop-start mileage and low-speed claims.
- Any driver
- Cover for anyone meeting the policy’s minimum age and licence-held period who is not disqualified.
- Named driver
- Cover for the drivers listed on the policy, and no one else.
- Owner-driver
- A self-employed driver using their own van on your routes. On your fleet only with the insurer’s agreement.
- Contingent liability
- Cover for your liability when a van you do not own is used on your business and the driver’s own insurance fails.
- Goods in transit
- Separate cover for the goods being carried, to a limit per load, with locking and overnight conditions.
- Unattended vehicle condition
- The requirement that a van be locked, keys removed and alarm set whenever left, for a theft claim to be paid.
- Confirmed claims experience
- The insurer’s record of a fleet’s claims over recent years, used to rate the renewal.
- Delivery service partner
- A business delivering for a carrier or platform under contract, usually with its own fleet and drivers.
- Temporary vehicle
- A hired or borrowed van on the fleet for a short period, covered once declared.
- Telematics
- A device or app recording how a van is driven. Often expected on courier fleets.
Anything not listed here is covered in our plain English jargon guide.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Where MyMoneyComparison.com Comes In
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One form, whole fleet
Describe the fleet once, business type first, instead of repeating the van list to each broker.
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FAQs
Courier Fleet Insurance FAQs
Answers on hire and reward, self-employed drivers, goods in transit, contracts and adding vans.
What is courier fleet insurance?
A motor fleet policy for two or more vans used to deliver other people’s goods for payment, rated for hire and reward use. It works like any fleet policy, with any-driver or named-driver options and vans added and removed as the work changes, and it is written for an operation whose drivers, vans and contracts change often. Goods in transit cover is arranged beside it.
Do I need hire and reward cover for a courier fleet?
Yes. Carrying other people’s goods for payment is its own class of use, and a fleet policy written for a firm’s own goods does not cover it. Platforms ask to see the certificate before allocating work, carrier contracts set the cover they expect, and it is what a claim on a delivery round is checked against. What the words mean in practice is on our hire and reward guide.
Can self-employed drivers be covered on my fleet policy?
It depends on the insurer. Some will include self-employed drivers on the fleet; others require each driver to hold their own hire and reward policy. A van you do not own, hire or lease is not on your schedule unless the insurer agrees to it, so the arrangement is worth settling with the broker before the first route rather than after a claim.
What is contingent liability?
Cover for your liability when a van you do not own is used on your business and the driver’s own insurance does not respond, sometimes on condition you checked it was in place. Some fleet policies include it. It protects you; it does not cover the van or the driver, and it is not a substitute for the driver’s own hire and reward policy.
What does any-driver cover mean on a courier fleet?
Anyone who meets the policy’s minimum age and licence-held period, and is not disqualified, may drive the fleet’s vans without being named. Some insurers offer open driving above a chosen minimum age, and the younger the band the higher the premium. A driver outside the criteria is not covered for own damage, so the criteria are worth checking against every new starter.
Are the parcels covered by the fleet policy?
No. The goods on board are goods in transit, a separate cover with a limit per load and conditions about locked doors, keys removed, alarms set and where a loaded van is parked overnight. High-value goods are often excluded or limited. Carrier contracts often set a goods in transit limit, in your name or the driver’s, and the detail is on our goods in transit for couriers guide.
What do carriers and platforms require?
Hire and reward motor insurance, goods in transit where the contract asks for it, and sometimes public liability. Food delivery platforms require each driver or rider to hold hire and reward cover for the delivery, and some provide personal injury and public liability for the people delivering. The contract is the specification the broker places the fleet to.
Can I add and remove vans during the year?
Yes. Vans are added and removed on notification, with the premium adjusted, and cover starts when the insurer accepts the vehicle rather than when it starts the round. Hired and temporary vans are usually covered for short periods on tight terms and still have to be declared within the notice the policy sets.
Do I need telematics or cameras?
Not always, but insurers increasingly expect them on courier fleets, and some require them. Telematics shows how the vans are driven; camera footage settles the disputed low-speed knock that multi-drop work produces. A fleet that has them is rated as a managed fleet, and a fleet that does not may find fewer insurers willing to quote.
How is a new courier fleet priced?
On the operation: the vans, the drivers, the use, the areas covered and how the fleet is managed. Once the fleet has been insured for a while, insurers rate it on its confirmed claims experience over recent years instead. How that works is on our CCE guide. We do not print average premiums, because no figure would be true for a particular fleet.
Does a food delivery fleet need different cover?
The same hire and reward basis, written for food delivery, on cars, scooters or small vans. The platforms ask to see each driver’s certificate before work starts, and some provide personal injury and public liability for the people delivering. The vehicles and the driver pool are what the insurer rates.
What if a driver uses a van for something other than deliveries?
Own-goods or social use is normally fine on a fleet policy. Carrying passengers for payment, or haulage above the class declared, is a different use and is not covered. Declare what the vans do; a fleet insured for parcels and used for something else is where a claim is disputed.
Does a mixed courier and trade fleet need two policies?
No. A fleet policy can carry vans on hire and reward use alongside vans carrying the firm’s own goods, with each van declared for what it does. What a fleet policy does in general, and how mixed fleets are handled, is on our fleet insurance page.
What does the broker want to see for a courier fleet quote?
The van list with values and whether each is owned, leased, hired or a driver’s own; the drivers, their basis and how you vet them; the carriers or platforms you deliver for and what you carry; where the vans sleep; your claims record; and the goods in transit limit your contracts require. The business type starts the form; the contracts are what the broker places to.
Why does this page not show courier fleet insurance prices?
Because no figure would be true for you. A courier fleet is priced on its vans, its drivers, the work it does, where it operates, how it is managed and its claims record, in combinations no average captures. If we publish data of our own one day, it will carry a sample size and a date.
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About this page
This page is about the drivers and the contracts: what a multi-drop delivery fleet adds to a fleet policy. Fleet insurance in general is on our fleet insurance page, and a single courier van on our courier insurance page. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK fleet insurance policies and specialist broker guidance on courier fleets, for the hire and reward, driver criteria, non-owned vehicle, temporary vehicle and claims experience points described throughout
- Goods in transit policy terms, for the locking, keys and overnight conditions
- The delivery platforms’ own driver and rider pages, for what they require and provide; the Financial Conduct Authority register, for checking a firm
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