HGV and truck insurance
Skip Lorry Insurance
cover for the vehicle that carries the skip, whether it runs alone or behind a hire business
Cover for a lorry fitted with skip lifting gear. The vehicle and the arms are insured together once declared, with the containers and any stored waste arranged separately alongside it.
- Single vehicles and small fleets
- Lifting gear declared
- Own-account and hire work
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerSkip lorry insurance covers the vehicle rather than the hire business around it. That distinction matters, because a builder who owns one lorry to move their own containers is a different risk from an operator hiring skips to the public all week. The lifting gear, the round and the overnight yard set the terms. Tell us the vehicle and the work, and specialist UK brokers can quote.
Running a skip hire business? Our skip loader insurance page covers the wider operation.
At a glance
Skip Lorries, in Brief
Six things that shape the terms on the vehicle itself.
- The gear is part of the vehicle
- Arms and chains, declared
- Urban rounds mean tight access
- Low-speed damage is common
- Mixed loads raise questions
- What is in the skip matters
- The lorry sleeps somewhere
- Yard security is rated
- Drivers work alone
- Placement is a judgement call
- Own-account differs from hire
- Say which you are
The basics
What Skip Gear Adds to a Vehicle Policy
The chassis is insured as an ordinary goods vehicle. The lift arms add value and a loading activity, and the round decides how much low-speed damage an underwriter expects.
Damage to the vehicle
Chassis, cab and lift gear.
Third-party cover
Injury and damage caused.
Lifting gear
Arms, chains and hydraulics.
Access damage
Tight streets and driveways.
Theft
Rated on the overnight arrangement.
Use declared
Own-account or hire to the public.
How it works
Four Steps to Getting Skip Lorry Quoted
Four steps. Describe a skip lorry, name the drivers, explain the work, then choose the level of cover.
You list what you run
Everything that makes a skip lorry what it is.
You name the drivers
Or agree an age and licence condition.
You explain the job
Own-account removal, trade hire, domestic hire or site clearance.
You pick the level
Third party upwards, with the excess you want.
What it covers
What a Skip Lorry Policy Actually Covers
Ordinary goods vehicle sections, with the lift gear inside the vehicle value. What sits outside is everything that happens to a container once it has left the lorry.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party liability | The base of every policy | Others’ injuries and property |
| Fire, theft and attempted theft | From the middle level up | Locks, alarms and storage terms |
| Own damage | Comprehensive | Damage to a skip lorry on your own schedule |
| Windscreens | Usually part of comprehensive | A separate, smaller excess |
| Roadside and recovery | Where offered | Ask what happens to a loaded vehicle |
| Legal cover | Bought as an extra | Disputes and uninsured loss recovery |
| Goods carried | Outside motor cover | Insured by a goods in transit policy |
Access damage is the everyday claim. Clipping a gatepost or a parked car while reversing into a driveway is the bread and butter of these vehicles, and a run of small claims moves a renewal more than one big one.
What it leaves out
What a Skip Lorry Policy Does Not Reach
The limits follow the declaration. Anything outside the description, the use class or the driving terms puts your own cover at risk, though an injured third party is still paid and the cost recovered afterwards.
Anything not on the list
A new vehicle is covered once it is added, not before.
Drivers the terms exclude
Licence category, age and experience.
Paid carriage of goods
A standard policy does not stretch to it.
Equipment fitted later
Declare cranes, tail lifts and bodywork.
Cargo
A motor policy insures the vehicle, not the goods.
Damage to a container once it is off the lorry
Skips away from the vehicle need their own cover.
Kinds of skip lorry
Mid-Weight Rigids, Light Vehicles and Multi-Carriers
The lorry is chosen for the streets it works rather than the skips it lifts, which is why access comes up so often at the quote.
Mid-weight rigids
The standard skip vehicle.
Light skip lorries
Mini skips and domestic access.
Multi-skip carriers
More than one container per trip.
Extendable arm vehicles
Placing over obstacles.
Enclosed container carriers
Lidded skips for light waste.
Crew cab skip lorries
A second pair of hands on the round.
Roll-on containers instead? See hook loader truck insurance.
Who it suits
Who Runs a Skip Lorry
Some operators hire skips out, and some simply need a way to move their own. Insurers price those two positions very differently.
Skip hire firms
Containers out to the public.
Builders
Moving their own waste from site.
Landscapers
Green waste and spoil removal.
House clearance firms
Mixed domestic loads.
Recycling businesses
Segregated material.
Owner operators
One lorry, a local round.
Running it yourself on subcontract? See owner driver operators insurance.
Own lorry or hire fleet
One Lorry for Your Own Waste vs a Hire Operation
The vehicle can be identical. What changes is who the containers belong to, who they go out to and what the yard holds.
| Own account | Hire operation | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the skip serves | Your own jobs | Paying customers |
| Containers out at once | A handful | Dozens across the area |
| Yard exposure | Little stored waste | A transfer pile |
| Liability profile | Your own sites | Public streets and driveways |
Hiring skips to the public? See skip loader insurance.
Cost
What Moves the Price on a Skip Lorry
Vehicle value, the round worked, the waste handled, driver experience and the claims record. We do not print average premiums.
Why the round matters
A lorry on narrow residential streets all day accumulates small contact claims in a way that one running between a site and a transfer station does not, and the rating reflects that pattern.
Why the waste type is asked
Inert builders waste, mixed household clearance and anything hazardous are three different conversations, and insurers would rather be told which one applies than assume the mildest.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- Vehicle valueChassis and lifting gearBase
- Round workedUrban, suburban or ruralRate
- Waste handledInert, mixed or hazardousRate
- Driver experienceYears on skip workRate
- Overnight securityWhere the lorry sleepsAdjust
Fit reversing cameras
Access damage is the routine claim.
Park behind a gate
The gear is worth stealing.
Describe the waste accurately
It saves an argument later.
The details
The Small Print on a Lifting Vehicle
Most disputes over a skip lorry trace back to the description rather than the accident. Four habits prevent them.
Keep the description current
Equipment fitted later still needs declaring.
Check entitlements regularly
Categories, medicals and endorsements.
Declare the lifting gear
Chassis-only cover leaves the arms out.
Notify quickly
Late notification is a common reason for a dispute.
Quote checklist
What a Broker Asks About a Skip Lorry
Gather these six before you ask. Everything else on a quote for a skip lorry follows from them.
What you run
Everything that describes a skip lorry.
Who drives
Licence categories, ages and records.
The job
Own-account removal, trade hire, domestic hire or site clearance.
Weights
Gross vehicle weight and payload.
Where it sleeps
Yard, transfer station, compound or a secured depot.
What has happened before
Claims over recent years.
Comparing
Two Quotes Side by Side on a Collection Vehicle
The price is the last thing to look at. The cover, the excess, the driving terms and the fit to what a skip lorry actually does decide whether the policy works.
The protection
- Level across the policy
- Recovery when loaded
- Windscreens
The excesses
- Compulsory amount
- Voluntary amount
- Any extra for inexperience
The driver basis
- Licence category
- Years held
- Temporary cover
The load and the work
- Lifting gear included
- Access damage excess
- Waste types accepted
Ask what excess applies to low-speed damage. It is the claim you will actually make. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
Keeping the Renewal Sensible on a Collection Vehicle
The levers are cameras, driver continuity, yard security and a clean record. We publish no savings figures.
Camera the blind sides
Most damage happens reversing.
Keep the same driver
Familiar streets mean fewer knocks.
Secure the yard
Hydraulic gear is a target.
Log every placement
Photographs settle disputes.
Service the lift gear
Records support a claim.
Compare every renewal
Waste work is rated very differently.
Glossary
Skip Lorry Terms, Explained
The words that come up when the lorry is the thing being insured.
- Goods cover
- Insurance for what is being carried, separate from the vehicle policy.
- Own account work
- Carrying goods that belong to your own business.
- Haulage work
- Carrying goods that belong to somebody else, for payment.
- Operator licensing
- The permission a goods vehicle operator holds to run vehicles.
- GVW
- Gross vehicle weight: the vehicle and its load together.
- Drawbar
- A rigid vehicle pulling a trailer behind it.
- Body type
- What is built onto the chassis, which changes the value and the risk.
- Tachograph record
- Evidence of driving and rest, asked for after an incident.
- Voluntary excess
- The extra amount you choose to carry to reduce the premium.
- Declared use
- What the insurer has been told the vehicle does.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Collection Vehicle Owners Compare Through MyMoneyComparison.com
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces operators to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one vehicle
Describe the vehicle once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
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MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Skip Lorry Insurance FAQs
Answers on the vehicle itself, lift gear, mixed loads and urban collection work.
Is the lifting gear insured with the lorry?
Where it has been declared, yes. The arms and hydraulics form part of the vehicle value, so a policy set up on a bare chassis figure will fall short if the whole thing is written off.
Do I need cover for skips left out?
The motor policy stops at the vehicle, so containers sitting on driveways and streets need their own arrangement. Whether that matters depends on how many you have out at any time.
Is one lorry cheaper to insure than a fleet?
Per vehicle, not necessarily. A single lorry has no spread of risk, while a fleet brings a claims record the insurer can price against, so the comparison rarely runs the way operators expect.
Does it matter whether I hire skips out?
Considerably. Hiring to the public means containers on streets you do not control and members of the public around them, which is a liability profile own-account work simply does not have.
Are mini skip vehicles rated as trucks?
It follows the plated weight rather than the container size. A light vehicle under three and a half tonnes is usually rated as a van, and the questions change above that.
What about damage to a customer’s driveway?
That is a liability question rather than vehicle damage, and it is a common one on this work. Confirm which policy answers before a block paved drive gets cracked.
Can I carry household clearance waste?
Yes, with the right carrier registration. Mixed domestic loads bring more unknowns than inert builders waste, so describe what you actually take rather than the tidiest version of it.
Does a crew cab change anything?
It adds passengers to the risk and reduces the chassis behind the cab. Both are worth declaring, though neither usually moves the price much on its own.
Is the cargo insured by this policy?
No, and it is the most common misunderstanding on commercial motor. The vehicle is covered; the load is not. Goods in transit cover fills that gap and is normally bought alongside.
Do we need hire and reward cover?
Only if the vehicle carries goods for payment. Moving your own stock or materials is own goods use. Where a vehicle does both, it has to be insured for the wider of the two.
Does the driver need a specific licence?
The category has to match the weight being driven. Insurers also ask how long it has been held, because experience moves the price more than most operators expect.
How should we judge a quote on a skip lorry?
Beyond the price: the level of cover, the total excess, recovery of a loaded vehicle, the driving terms, and whether any equipment fitted to the vehicle has been declared and accepted.
Can several vehicles share one policy?
Yes, and most operators end up there. One schedule, one renewal date and one claims record, with each vehicle type rated separately inside it. Adding the next one then becomes an adjustment rather than a new policy.
Does the yard affect what we pay?
Noticeably. Overnight location carries the theft risk, and insurers rate a secured compound quite differently from a street or an open hardstanding. It is one of the few levers fully within your control.
What is the process for adding a vehicle?
A mid-term adjustment charged pro rata for the rest of the year. Do it before the vehicle turns a wheel, because cover starts when the insurer accepts it and not a moment earlier.
Do we need recovery cover for a skip lorry?
Many operators find they do. Check whether the service recovers a loaded vehicle, how far it will take it and whether a replacement is offered, because those three points are where policies differ most.
Ready when you are
Get the Skip Lorry Quoted
Tell us the vehicle and the round. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Single vehicles and small collection fleets
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
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About this page
This page explains UK cover for the skip lorry itself: the chassis, the lifting gear on it, and what changes when one vehicle serves a business rather than a hire fleet. 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 goods vehicle policy summaries
- Lifting gear, urban collection work and overnight vehicle security
- Financial Ombudsman material on commercial motor complaints
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