Hgv Insurance from £110/month

HGV operators need motor cover rated for the vehicle's actual use — the distance radius, the goods carried and the operating centres — plus goods in transit cover and public liability. The O-licence undertakings matter to insurers: maintenance records and drivers' hours compliance are what claims and renewals turn on.

Cover this trade usually needs

Cover	Why it matters	Typical limit
HGV motor cover	The vehicle — comprehensive cover for a high-value asset earning its keep	Full vehicle value
Goods in transit	The loads you carry — your responsibility under the contract conditions	Matched to load values and contract conditions (CMR for international)
Public liability	Injury and damage during loading, unloading and delivery	£5m usual
Employers' liability	Legal requirement for drivers and yard staff	£10m (legal minimum £5m)
Breakdown and recovery	HGV recovery is specialist and expensive	Per vehicle

Key risks

• A road accident — the vehicle's size makes severity the issue.
• Load damage or theft — including overnight parking theft.
• A driver injured during loading or at a delivery site.
• An international movement under CMR conditions with its own liability rules.
• A vehicle off the road loses revenue by the day.

Regulations and licences

• Operator licence undertakings — maintenance, drivers' hours, tachograph rules.
• DVSA roadside checks and earned recognition.
• CMR convention for international haulage.
• ADR rules if you ever carry dangerous goods.

What we check before quoting

• Vehicle weights, types and values — rigids, artics, tippers and tankers are rated differently.
• The operating radius — local, national, international.
• What you carry — general haulage, refrigerated, high-value or hazardous.
• Your O-licence history and DVSA record.
• Driver criteria and agency driver use.

Gaps we see most often

• Goods in transit limits below the contract conditions you have signed up to.
• International work not declared — CMR liability is a different regime.
• Agency drivers not covered by the driver criteria.
• Overnight parking not meeting the policy's security conditions.

Limits clients and contracts usually ask for

• Goods in transit matched to contract conditions — RHA conditions or CMR.
• Public liability £5m; employers' liability £10m (the legal minimum is £5m).

Key facts and sources

• HSE states that health and safety law applies to work on the road in the same way as on a fixed site, for company and grey fleet vehicles alike. HSE — Driving and riding safely for work

Common questions

What does my O-licence have to do with insurance?

Everything. Insurers price on how well the operation is run, and your O-licence record — maintenance compliance, DVSA encounters, drivers' hours — is the evidence. A good record gets better terms; a poor one needs explaining before quotes.

Am I covered for the goods I carry?

Under goods in transit cover, up to the policy limit and subject to the contract conditions you carry under — RHA conditions, CMR for international, or the customer's own terms. Tell us which conditions you sign, because they set your liability.

I do occasional European work — is that covered?

Only if declared. International haulage brings CMR liability, different breakdown arrangements and green card requirements. Occasional European work is easy to add, but it must be on the policy before you cross the Channel.

Are agency drivers covered?

Only if they meet the policy's driver criteria and the policy allows them. Fleet and HGV policies set minimum ages and experience; an agency driver outside the criteria can void a claim. Check with us before the shift, not after the accident.