Truck and Transport Insurance for Victorian Transport Operators
From a single prime mover to a mixed fleet, we arrange transport insurance that fits how you actually run. We’ve arranged insurance since 1980, work from offices in Wangaratta and Bendigo, and stay involved when there’s a claim.
What do you run?
- Operating In Victoria From 1980
- Proudly Australian Owned
- Steadfast Network Broker
Transport insurance for every size of operation
No two transport businesses carry the same risks. We start with what you haul, where you go and who drives, then build cover around that, wherever you operate in Australia.
Owner-drivers
One truck is your whole business. We look at your motor cover, your liability and how you'd keep paying the bills if the truck is off the road.
Small fleets
Two to fifteen vehicles, often a mix of rigids, prime movers and trailers. We can bring them under one program so renewals and claims are easier to manage.
Larger fleets
More vehicles, more drivers, more depots. We help you set up a fleet program and keep it in step as the fleet changes.
Refrigerated carriers
A reefer unit failing on the Hume can spoil a whole load. We talk through cover for the truck, the fridge and the freight.
Dangerous goods carriers
Fuel, chemicals and gas bring extra liability and stricter insurer questions. We help you present your risk properly to the market.
Livestock & rural carriers
Carting stock, hay or grain around regional Victoria and interstate. We know the roads, the seasons and the cover that goes with them.
A transport insurance program built around your trucks
Most operators need more than one policy. These are the covers we arrange most often for transport clients. What’s included depends on the insurer and the policy you choose, and all cover is subject to the insurer’s terms and underwriting.
Heavy Motor Vehicle
Covers your trucks and trailers for accidental damage, fire and theft, plus your liability for damage to other people's property. The core of any transport program.
Commercial Motor Vehicle
For the utes, vans and light trucks that keep the business moving. Often set up alongside your heavy vehicle cover.
Fleet
Puts multiple vehicles under one policy with one renewal date. Handy once you're adding and removing trucks through the year.
Refrigerated Vehicles
Can extend to the refrigeration unit and to loads lost because of a breakdown in temperature control. Worth checking closely if you run reefers.
Dangerous Goods
Insurers look hard at what you carry and how. We help you get the right disclosure in front of the right insurer.
Marine Transit, Cargo and Carriers' Liability
Protects freight on the move and your liability for goods in your care. The gap between these covers is where many claims go wrong (see below).
Stock in Transit, Australia Wide
For businesses moving their own goods or stock by road, rail or sea, including interstate.
Downtime
Helps replace lost income while a truck is off the road after an insured accident. Usually only available alongside comprehensive motor cover.
Earthmoving & Machinery
For tippers, loaders and gear that works on site as well as on the road. See our earthmoving and plant page.
Hired-In Plant
Covers equipment you hire in for a job, which your own policy may not pick up. Often missed until something goes wrong.
Cover descriptions are general only. The policy wording, Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination set out what is and isn’t covered.
Two covers transport operators often get mixed up
Carriers' liability vs goods in transit
Carriers’ liability is about your legal responsibility for a customer’s goods while they’re in your care. Goods in transit, or cargo cover, protects the goods themselves, whoever ends up being at fault. Depending on your contracts you may need one, the other or both.
In short: one covers what you owe, the other covers what you carry.
How downtime cover works
If an insured accident puts your truck off the road, downtime cover can help with the income you lose while it’s being repaired. Policies usually set a waiting period before payments start, a daily or weekly amount, and a maximum period. We’ll explain the settings on the options you’re offered.
In short: it keeps money coming in while the truck’s in the workshop.
A local broker who knows transport
We’ve been arranging insurance since 1980, and work from offices in Wangaratta and Bendigo. As a Steadfast network broker we can approach a wide range of insurers on your behalf, rather than being tied to one. We hold our own Australian Financial Services Licence, and when there’s a claim, your broker stays involved and our in-house claims team manages it.
- Access to a range of insurers through the Steadfast network
- Help at claim time from our in-house claims team
- Regional knowledge: the Hume, the Murray Valley and the back roads in between
- Offices in Wangaratta and Bendigo
What shapes your transport insurance premium
Insurers price transport risk on a handful of things. Knowing them helps you see where you can make a difference.
Radius of operation
Local, intrastate or interstate work all rate differently.
What you carry
General freight, refrigerated loads, livestock and dangerous goods each carry different risks.
Drivers
Age, experience and licence history all count.
Claims history
A clean record over recent years helps.
Garaging and security
Where trucks sit overnight, and how they're secured.
Vehicle values
Agreed or market value, and what each unit is worth.
When something goes wrong on the road
Accidents happen. Here’s what to do, and where we step in.
1. Make it safe
Check everyone is safe, then secure the scene and the load where you can.
2. Record the details
Other drivers, vehicles, registrations, insurers and any witnesses. Don't admit liability.
3. Take photos
Damage, the scene, the load and the road.
4. Call us
Ring your Johansen office and we'll start the claim with the insurer and keep it moving.
How it works
1. Tell us about your operation
What you run, where you go and what you carry.
2. We go to market
We approach suitable insurers and compare what comes back.
3. We explain your options
Cover, exclusions and price, in plain English.
4. You're covered
We arrange the policy and your certificate of currency.
Backed by the Steadfast network
Johansen is a Steadfast network broker, giving us access to a range of insurers and Steadfast’s product comparison and placement support.
Truck insurance questions we get asked
What insurance does a transport business need?
Most operators start with heavy motor cover for their trucks, then add liability, carriers’ or goods in transit cover, and often downtime. What you need depends on your vehicles, your loads and your contracts. We’ll go through it with you.
What's the difference between carriers' liability and goods in transit?
Carriers’ liability covers your legal liability for customers’ goods in your care. Goods in transit covers the goods themselves. Some operators need both. We’ll look at your customer contracts to work out which applies.
How much carriers' cover should I hold?
It usually comes down to the highest value load you carry and what your customers ask for in their contracts. We’ll help you settle on a limit that matches the work you do.
Are trailers I don't own covered?
Not automatically. Trailers you pull but don’t own can fall outside a standard motor policy. Tell us if you swap or hire trailers so we can look at the right cover.
How does downtime cover work?
It can help replace lost income while an insured truck is off the road after an accident. Policies usually have a waiting period and a maximum payment period. We’ll explain the settings on the options you’re offered.
Should I insure my truck for agreed value or market value?
Agreed value sets the amount up front. Market value pays what the truck is worth at the time of the loss. Each has trade offs on premium and payout, and we’ll talk them through with you.
Does it matter how far I travel?
Yes. Your radius of operation is one of the main things insurers rate on. Tell us honestly where you go, including any interstate work, so your cover holds up at claim time.
Can you insure refrigerated or dangerous goods loads?
Yes, we arrange cover for both. These loads bring extra insurer questions, so the more detail you can give us up front, the better.
Do you cover stock in transit interstate?
Yes. We arrange stock in transit cover for goods moving around Australia, by road and other modes, subject to the insurer’s terms.
Can I add drivers or subcontractors?
Usually, yes, but insurers will want details. Let us know before a new driver starts so the cover is in place.
Is compulsory third party (CTP) included?
CTP for personal injury is arranged through your vehicle registration in Victoria, not your truck policy. In some other states CTP is bought separately, and we can arrange it. Your motor policy covers damage to vehicles and property.
Who handles my claim?
We do. You call your Johansen office, we lodge the claim with the insurer and stay with it until it’s settled.
Get a transport insurance quote
Tell us a little about your operation and one of our brokers will call you to talk it through.