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Cover story

15th July 2004, Page 28
15th July 2004
Page 28
Page 29
Page 28, 15th July 2004 — Cover story
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Fewer than half of international operators have adequate

insurance for drivers abroad.

The CM newsteam reports.

Operators might believe they have adequate insurance for drivers travelling abroad. But would your policy cover you if a driver was seriously injured and needed to be flown home, or if your load was hijacked in France?

Not according to the Road HaulageAssociation,which claims that fewer than 50% of operators have adequate business travel and medical fees cover.

Chris North, marketing executive for RI-IA Insurance, says that while operators will always take out cover for their two-week annual holiday, many forget about business travel.

The consequences of this can be disastrous."Operators give drivers an E128 form [the business equivalent of the E1111 which will enable the driver to get free or reduced cost emergency treatment across the European Union," he says. "However, this is quite basic and would not cover repatriation if a driver were involved in an accident, or the cost of a replacement driver to recover the load."

Exposed

The brother-in-law of one driver who died while working in Spain found this out the hard way: -We were shocked to discover that the company had no insurance to cover this. We had to fight to get any contribution from his employer, and while this was going on we found out that unless his body was repatriated within five days of his death he would automatically be cremated."

Another driver, Cohn Veitch. was faced with a £2,400 bill after he was flown home following an accident in France that left him in a wheelchair.

All insurance policies must now include cover for use of the vehicle in EU member states. But North warns that while this may provide comprehensive cover in the UK, it will only provide for the most basic cover required by law when overseas: "Operators should always tell their insurance company what they are doing and not leave it to chance as this is when things go wrong.

"If you fail to tell them that you are working abroad and you are involved in an accident they could say that they are only required to pay third-party costs, which could leave you liable for the full cost and out of business." Despite the fact that green card checks on European vehicles within the EU have been scrapped, both the RHA and the Freight Transport Association still advise operators to carry them when they carry out work abroad.

The FTA describes the green card as an "international insurance certificate" which provides proof that an effective third-party insurance policy is in place for the vehicle. Carrying it with you whenever you set foot outside of the UK is advisable because all countries retain the right to ask for evidence of third-party insurance. It is also still required for journeys outside the EU.

"Operators should always ensure that they have cover over and above the minimum legal requirements for the country that their driver is travelling in," says Don Armour, the FTA's manager of international affairs "A lot of operators run into problems abroad when they are unable to produce their green card — doctors may ask for it before administering treatment."

Stuart Wring from Avonmouthbased Wrings Transport learned from experience the perils of foreign work:"Four years ago we sent a driver to France with the office copy of the green card and not his own. He was taken to a French police station and we had to pay £500 to get him released. We've never made that mistake again."

Lee Scott, operations manager for specialist haulage insurer Truckinsure, says: "Health cover should always include a replacement driver. If an owner-driver is injured in Spain the cover would see a driver sent out to complete the job, which would prevent them from losing their customer.

Without a net

-Owner-drivers may not be aware of such policies or many may see it as another cost. But this is negligible compared to what they could lose without it." •


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