subject: Do Motorcycle Couriers Need Insurance? [print this page] A number of young people, especially college students, take part in courier services to make some extra money. All you need to become a freelance courier delivery person is to have a motorcycle and have complete knowledge about the streets of the city in which you plan to work. Courier service companies, and even private businesses, employ freelance courier delivery drivers.
If it's an established courier service for which a motorcycle courier is working, the company insures their dispatch riders. Therefore, the dispatch rider only needs to have a valid insurance for his motorcycle and a driving license. If the motorcycle courier is a freelance motorcycle courier, and not hired for an established courier service, then he will need to get courier insurance.
However, before he gets any type of insurance, he must have an idea of the value of the contents in the packages he is carrying. If he is delivering normal office mail, then he will not need to get a heavy insurance. Nevertheless, if he is delivering high value items like jewellery, then he needs to be properly covered.
The motorcycle courier must inform the person or company that hires him whether he already has courier insurance or not. Normally businesses that use courier services to deliver high value goods get their own delivery insurance.
Therefore, the taking out of a courier insurance policy is a matter that has to be decided between the person who is hiring the motorcycle courier and the business owner. If he is hired on a regular basis, the client may ask the courier to get courier insurance. The client will tell him the value of the insurance that he should get. Of course, the courier may charge a premium from his customer, as he has to incur the extra cost of insurance.
Therefore, the question of whether a motorcycle courier should take out courier insurance will depend on whom he is providing the courier services to and if he is carrying any high value goods. Most businesses do not employ motorcycle couriers to deliver high value goods, as motorcycle accidents and theft are quite common.
A number of the established courier service companies actually hire local courier service providers who can be labeled as private contractors. They in turn hire private motorcycle and van couriers, or people who have the required transportation to work for them. These local courier companies take courier insurance for their entire fleet of van and motorcycle couriers. If these companies hire a freelance motorcycle courier, they do not need to take out personal courier insurance.
If the motorcycle courier works freelance, they must ask the person that wants to hire their services, the exact type of items needing to be delivered. Private individuals or businesses who hire a motorcycle courier normally overlook the insurance factor, and it's only when a loss occurs, the question is asked.
by: Paul Headley
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