Freight forwarders: insurance and scheme requirements
Arranging carriage of goods for shippers, usually under trading conditions.
Data as at · refreshed by scripts/seed-graph.mjs
Cover commonly held
Ordered by how central each cover is to this occupation. This is what businesses in the trade commonly hold and what contracts commonly ask for — it is not a statement that any of it is legally required, and it is not a recommendation.
- Commercial motor insurance — Cover for vehicles used for business, including utilities, vans and trucks, and liability for damage they cause.
- Public liability insurance — Cover for legal liability to third parties for personal injury or property damage arising from business activities.
- Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.
- Marine cargo insurance — Cover for goods moving by sea, air or land across borders, including while in store between legs of a journey.
- Goods in transit insurance — Cover for goods while they are being carried, whether the carrier owns them or is moving them for a customer.
- Professional indemnity insurance — Cover for legal liability arising from professional advice or services, written on a claims-made basis.
- Motor fleet insurance — A single policy covering a group of business vehicles rather than rating each one separately.
- Business pack insurance — A packaged policy combining property, liability and interruption sections for small business.
- Personal accident and sickness insurance — Cover paying a benefit when an owner or contractor cannot work through injury or illness, where no workers compensation applies.
Statutory schemes that can apply
- Workers compensation (NSW) · NSW — The New South Wales workers compensation scheme, with the nominal insurer and specialised insurers underwriting employer policies.
- Workers compensation (Queensland) · QLD — The Queensland workers compensation scheme, underwritten by the state insurer with self-insurance available to large employers.
- WorkCover (Victoria) · VIC — The Victorian workers compensation scheme, administered by the state regulator through appointed agents.
- Workers compensation (Western Australia) · WA — The Western Australian workers compensation scheme, where cover is placed with approved private insurers under a regulated framework.
- Return to Work (South Australia) · SA — The South Australian work injury scheme, funded by employer levies and administered by the state corporation.
- Workers compensation (Tasmania) · TAS — The Tasmanian workers compensation scheme, where employers hold a policy with a licensed insurer.
- Workers compensation (ACT) · ACT — The Australian Capital Territory private-underwriter workers compensation scheme.
- Workers compensation (Northern Territory) · NT — The Northern Territory workers compensation scheme, placed with approved insurers.
Checking what you hold
The document a principal, a landlord or a licensing team will ask for is a certificate of currency. The checker reads one and lists what it does and does not show.