DAF Truck Insurance

They matter to the claim rather than the quote. A vehicle back on the road in a week costs an insurer less than one waiting a month for a part, and that feeds through to how a fleet is viewed over time.

It depends on the policy. Some specify manufacturer parts and some allow equivalents, so if you intend to keep the vehicle long term it is worth reading that clause before you need it.

Yes, and it is normal once a business runs more than a couple of vehicles. Each one is rated on its own inside a single schedule with one renewal date.

Not usually, though the settlement basis matters more. On an older vehicle a market value settlement can fall well short of replacement cost, so ask how a total loss would be dealt with.

There is a parts market behind any common marque, which is one reason tracking and immobilisers feature in the questions. The overnight address still matters more than the badge.

Yes. Bodies, cranes, tail lifts, lighting and cab work all change the value and sometimes the use, and an undeclared modification is a straightforward reason for a claim to be questioned.

Not automatically. A newer lorry is worth more to replace, though it usually carries better safety equipment, and the two pull against each other in the rating.

No. A motor policy insures the vehicle itself. Whatever is being carried needs goods in transit cover, which is a separate policy and is usually arranged at the same time rather than chased afterwards.

Very much. Carrying your own materials is own goods use; carrying somebody else’s for payment is hire and reward, which is rated differently and needs cover written for it. Getting the two mixed up puts a claim at risk.

That depends on the weight rather than the body. The category on the licence has to match what is being driven, and insurers ask for it directly, along with how long it has been held and any endorsements.

Look beyond the price to the level of cover, the total excess, what happens to a loaded vehicle after a breakdown, the licence and experience the driving terms ask for, and whether the load is insured anywhere at all.

Yes. Goods vehicles, vans and cars can sit on one schedule where a business runs several, and the insurer rates each type separately within that single policy. It keeps the renewal dates together, which is usually the bigger gain.

It does, and more than most operators expect. Theft risk is local and sits where the vehicle sleeps, so a gated yard and a roadside space can produce noticeably different terms for the same vehicle.

It is added as a mid-term adjustment and charged for the remaining months. Tell the insurer before it is driven, because cover begins when the vehicle is accepted rather than when you collect it.

Often, yes. What matters is whether the policy recovers a loaded vehicle or only the cab, because a stranded load is the expensive half of the problem. Read that clause before relying on it.