Relocating should not be a problem for individuals or businesses thanks to truck rentals that are available for a most of the short-term periods. If you need to transport something or if you just need a bigger vehicle for a certain reason, truck rentals are particularly useful. That being said, before one sets off, there are certain things that one should know about the truck rental insurance. This makes sure that there are funds available in all cases of accidents or damage to the rented truck. In this article, we will explain in detail truck rental insurance and what the truck rental companies offer their clients in terms of coverage.
What is the necessity of truck rental insurance?
While using rented trucks, there might always be a chance of accidents or damages. This will be even in cases where you are an expert who has considerable amount of experience, since there are so many factors outside the drivers control, such as the weather, road hazards and most importantly the person’s familiarity with the vehicle. There is even truck rental insurance that can deal with such factors disadvantage and give you peace of mind knowing that you will not have to cover any of those expenses on your own.
In the absence of insurance, you will be responsible for a lot of money in case of damage to the truck or if you were involved in an accident if even it was not your fault.
Coverage modifications are available from some rental companies, however, make sure you know what is contained within their plans and whether other forms of coverage will be necessary for complete safety.
Forms Of Truck Rental Insurance
Normally, insurance for truck rentals comes in various kinds. Know what kinds of coverages available to be able to choose wisely before renting.
1. Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) / Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)
CDW and LDW are acronyms that represent, respectively, Collision Damage Waiver and Loss Damage Waiver. These waivers describe policies that eliminate the need to obtain damage to the truck due to certain faults that did not originate from the misuse of the vehicle.
The main difference between CDW and LDW is that LDW typically covers more scenarios, including theft or vandalism, while CDW usually only covers damage resulting from a collision.
2. Liability Coverage
Liability insurance is defined as the coverage of damages to another person’s vehicle or property by the driver of the rental truck or other bodily injury inflicted by other individuals. This is required by law in most states, so be sure that sufficient liability insurance has been incorporated in the rental coverage.
Depending on the agreement you may come to, the rental company may offer you the minimum amount of liability coverage, while most of the time, you will be able to buy more protection. To avoid losses at the rental expense, renting out and operating a vehicle may necessitate further coverage. Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) ensures that one passenger or the driver himself has medical coverage if an accident takes place involving the truck being rented. This policy ensures that you will cover some of the costs if you get hurt or if another person partaking in the project gets injured. There are hospital bills, any form of medical treatment, and even death benefits that deal with unexpected happenings that aren’t commonplace. This type of insurance is essential if you’re worried about potential medical costs while renting a truck. If you know beforehand that certain things can happen along your journey, this might come in very handy. SLI provides coverage for casualties that are much higher than the ones offered by the company leasing the truck. It is widely known that renting companies do give a minimum amount of coverage but this will undoubtedly fall short when taking into account an accident for example and that’s exactly what SLI is there for. When the need arises, this is a great form of coverage that will help backup the necessities required while proved inadequate. This is useful when there’s a strong chance of getting into colossal mishaps during one’s travel or if you’re simply looking for an extra cover just in case you need to handle catastrophes or major injuries. When traveling for business purposes, carrying valuable or fragile goods would certainly necessitate extra cover. Even during transportations, cargo insurance secures both the truck and the materials. Quite useful if handled correctly because purchasing sensitive materials can lead to a serious financial impact. Here’s a few what truck rental insurance renters should know: if when renting the truck only one driver is using it, them being in the rental document should be the standard. Only such common cases will not be the primary reasons for refusing coverage: all of these risks associated with truck rental are rare.
These can include:
- Valuables belongings: The most of rental truck insurance policies does not include personal belongings in the interior of the vehicle, belongings inside the vehicle are excluded from coverage and hence owner needs to be cautious about such items belongings within the rental vehicle.
- Reckless driving causes damage: When the blame for the damages caused was as a result of overs speeding, driving under the influence and other forms of reckless driving, the possibility of bearing the cost of repairs is very high.
- Events that occur off the roads: It is also clear that when the truck exceeds the road limits or is mishandled during an off-road activity, it is likely that certain policies will be nullified or will not be compensated.
- Undisclosed damages: If the damage was already sustained by the truck before it was handed to the current user but that was not disclosed, the user may be forced to pay for the damages.
Are You in Need of the Insurance? As a rental truck insurance provider, the decision on whether to or not to buy rental insurance will depend on the following factors:
- Check your current policies: In the even that you have yourself an auto insurance policy, that policy may cover rental trucks if it is private or business use. Payment of premium for rental vehicles is an unnecessary expense that can be avoided because some policies most often cover it. Many times your insurance firm’s benefits can be verified by contacting them.
- Coverage offered by the credit card: If the renters card has been used for booking the rentals, certain cards have been designed to offer insurance cover on the rented cars. Any card member who wishes to borrow usning their credit card should first see what the card provider offers for protection.
- The worth of the truck and the load on it: Other than once in a blue moon, there are circumstances when additional insurance is necessary, for example, when one hires an expensive truck or carries a week’s worth of groceries in a shipping container.
When one is renting a truck for the purposes of moving, hauling or for commercial purposes, a consideration for truck rental insurance is mandatory. Being familiar with the different classes of coverage offered, losses sustained in an automobile collision, liability coverage and the protection of the cargo should assist you in selecting the right insurance coverage. It is also important to check your existing insurance coverage to find out if there is a need to buy more insurance coverage and if in doubt, verify with the rental company containing what their insurance coverage includes. This step is important in order to avoid wasting time. From here forward, you will be free to travel the area without any concerns about your safety.