All Risk Insurance and Gap Coverage
Thank you for shipping with Inter-City Auto Transport. We appreciate your business and want to provide the highest quality service at all times. Please be assured that while every effort is made to ensure safe delivery of your goods, sometimes loss and/or damage does occur.
While Inter-City Auto Transport arranges for the transportation of your goods, by law, it is the motor carrier who bears responsibility for loss of and/or damage to your freight. Many carriers limit their liability for freight in their care, custody and control. Carrier’s Liability for freight moving domestically by truck or rail is usually governed either by the Carmack Amendment or Contracts entered into with specific clients.
While Carmack (as far as liability conventions are concerned) is rather broad, it is still centered on the liability of the carrier. At the heart of the concept of carrier liability is the idea that the carrier is not responsible for paying claims if they did not cause or contribute to the loss.
Increasingly, insurers of trucking companies are limiting coverage by adding exclusions to their policies.
Here is a list of Typical Exclusions that may be found in a Carrier’s/Trucker’s Liability Policy:
- Acts of God
- Explosion
- Derailment
- Vandalism
- Hijacking
- Earthquake
- Smoke
- Wind
- Lightning
- Hail
- Act of Public Enemy
- Water Damage
- Theft from unattended vehicles
- Theft due to infidelity of carrier’s employee
Furthermore, if the receiver of the shipment signed a clean bill of lading how will the carrier respond to the claim?
How Can You Protect Yourself? You have options….
AFta PLAN Gap Coverage
You will be told by the majority of transport companies that your vehicle is covered 100% for damage. However, that is only half true. If you have read reviews on car shipping, one of the main complaints from customers is that they’ve experienced damage to their vehicle during the shipping process and received little to no compensation for it. That would not be the case if they were covered 100%.
When shipping a car, it is covered 100% for carrier error only, while it is on the truck. That means the coverage only extends to damage caused by the carrier’s driver. Any act of nature is NOT covered. This includes hail, storms and road debris. Also, any damage to a vehicle, while it is off the truck during the loading or unloading process, is not covered. We once had a carrier who drove a client’s vehicle up the road after unloading. Another car made a turn, did not see the vehicle, and rammed it from the side, totaling it. The customer had to use his own insurance to cover the loss. Many auto transporters will not tell you this, as they have no remedy for this gap in auto transport insurance. They just cross their fingers that it won’t happen to you. And if it does, they’ll give you the carrier’s insurance details and hope that you’re no longer their problem. That means you will have to rely on your own personal insurance for ALL damages a carrier’s insurance may not compensate for. Fortunately, we have a solution to this growing problem. We are authorized agents with the AFta PLAN. The AFta PLAN Gap Standard Protection offers you up to $400.00 for minor damage and will reimburse you up to $1000.00 for your personal insurance deductible. It also compensates for lost or damaged keys up to $150 and 5 days of car rental for an extended delay in delivering your vehicle. This is the ONLY product of its kind in the auto transport industry and is available for an additional $98.
Oh….I almost forgot the best part…Let’s say your vehicle is delivered Friday evening…it’s dark…it’s late… and you’re in a hurry (For Example: going out for dinner). The carrier unloads the vehicle and you and the driver do an inspection. Everything looks great and you pay the carrier. You’re happy that you have your car, and he is on his way. Meanwhile, the next morning you notice, as you’re cleaning your vehicle, that there is a ding or scratch on a fender that you did not notice last night.
Needless to say, the carrier is long gone and you’re left with the cost of repairing the damage to your car. Fortunately, you’re covered by the AFta PLAN which will compensate you for up to $400 for such damages if it is reported within 48 hours after delivery.
Every customer will receive a personal login to the AFta PLAN platform to manage your claim should you have one. It just makes sense. You can’t put a price tag on peace of mind.
AFta also offers Payment Cancellation Coverage that will allow you to cancel your order after dispatch but before it is picked up and you will be refunded your deposit up to $350 (conditions apply). This coverage is available for $38.
AFta Gap Comprehensive Coverage is the combination of both Standard Coverage and Payment Cancellation Coverage and is available for $128.
For many people, their car is like a member of the family. That’s why we take every precaution to ensure the safe arrival of one of your most prized possessions!
All Risk Shipper’s Interest Insurance Coverage
(Only enclosed shipments are eligible)
“All Risk” Shipper’s Interest Coverage provides the owner of the cargo with coverage for direct physical loss or damage to the cargo without the need to prove liability. While the exclusions in the Carrier’s policy forms will differ, the Shipper’s Interest coverage remains constant. Unlike Motor Truck Cargo/Carrier’s Liability Insurance, Shipper’s Interest insurance provides coverage for the direct physical loss or damage to the cargo, not the Carrier’s Liability.
For this reason, Inter-City Auto Transport recommends that its customers purchase Shipper’s Interest Cargo Insurance or consult your personal property insurance policy. Your shipment may already be covered under this policy. For your convenience, we offer you the option of purchasing this important coverage as a part of our package of services. Please take a moment to review the following information. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact your Inter-City Auto Transport sales representative.
Advantages of Insuring Your Cargo through Inter-City Auto Transport
Covered losses are paid without the need to prove carrier negligence
Worldwide coverage
Insurance Company deals with collecting from the carrier (if possible) once the claim has been paid
No need to demonstrate where the loss occurred
Claim payments based on insured value, not weight of pieces missing/damaged or Carrier’s limited liability
Deductible is paid by withholding carrier pay
Specifically, this insurance covers your freight, not the carrier’s liability for damage or loss. Claims are filed directly against the master policy, by the shipper, and paid within thirty (30) days from the date in which all required supporting documents are presented.
Shipper’s Interest Pricing
Coverage of up to $750,000 is available with no deductible to the customer.
70¢ per $100.00 of coverage up to $500,000 with $0.00 deductible for General Approved Freight.
Coverage can be bound within minutes.
The Inter-City Auto Transport protection program has three major components: best-in-class practices for 1) carrier accountability 2) Risk Management and Insurance and 3) CarrierWatch monitoring system.
Though the Federal motor carry safety administration does not require coverage beyond a domestic surety bond, Inter-City Auto Transport offers a higher level of insurance to protect its customers’ cargo and the liabilities and exposure that can occur.
Inter-City Auto Transport carriers are held to the highest industry standards
Inter-City Auto Transport’s vetting process with carriers confirms they have acceptable safety ratings, ensures our carrier’s authority is in place, and ensures our carriers’ insurance is valid and in place. Inter-City Auto Transport has a direct interface to CarrierWatch, which enables us to qualify and monitor trucking companies daily for changes in their carrier safety ratings, CSA 2010 BASIC scores, insurance and authority.
You can have confidence in Inter-City Auto Transport’s carriers knowing that their contracts require them to:
Follow transit safety protocols
Respond to all cargo claims
Maintain a minimum of following coverage:
Commercial Auto Liability Insurance with Minimum Limit of $750,000
Motor Truck Cargo Policy with Minimum Limit of $100,000
All Risk Shippers Interest Cargo Coverage is the broadest form of cargo coverage available.
There can be many gaps in cargo coverage provided by a carrier’s cargo policy so we recommend you consider putting in place all risk shipper’s interest cargo coverage. Ask us for a free quote!