Transport, Technology & Franchise Insurance

Transport

When your trucks stop moving, your income can stop too. We'll help you understand what that means for your business and how to protect against it.

Transport businesses carry risk on the road, in the yard and in the paperwork.

Who it's for: Trucking and transport operators, Courier and freight companies, Freight forwarders and logistics businesses

Explore Transport

A truck off the road for weeks. A load damaged or stolen in transit. A customer claiming for goods in your care. A fleet that's grown faster than your insurance has.

We'll take the time to understand what you move, where you move it, who drives and what your customer contracts say. Then we'll help you explore insurance options around the way you actually operate.

Talk transport insurance

Who this is for

Trucking and transport operators
Courier and freight companies
Freight forwarders and logistics businesses
Company vehicles and commercial fleets
Heavy machinery moved between sites

What we'll ask you

What do you carry, and what's it worth?
Do you own the goods, or carry them for others?
Where do you operate: local, national, across the Tasman?
Who drives: employees, owner-drivers or subcontractors?
What do your customer contracts and terms of carriage say about liability?
Do you carry temperature-controlled or hazardous goods?
How long could you keep operating if a key vehicle were off the road?

Areas we may consider

Trucks and trailers

Commercial fleets

Heavy machinery and mobile plant

Goods in transit

Carriers' liability

Freight forwarders' liability

Goods in your care

Marine cargo

Liability and spill clean-up

Business interruption

Hired-in vehicles and owner-drivers

What's the difference between goods in transit and carrier's liability?

Goods in transit generally covers goods you own while they're moving. Carrier's liability generally covers your legal responsibility for goods you carry for others. Which one you need depends on whose goods they are and what your contracts say.

Do I need cover for goods I carry for customers?

If you carry goods for others, you may be legally responsible for them while they're in your care. Carrier's liability cover is designed for that responsibility. We'll look at what you carry, how it's carried and what your customer contracts say.

I use owner-drivers and subcontractors. Am I covered if they have an accident?

It depends on your policy and on the insurance they hold. We'll help you understand where the gaps may be and what to ask your subcontractors for.

What will an insurer want to know about my operation?

Usually what you carry, how far you travel, who drives, what your vehicles are worth and your claims history. The clearer the picture, the fewer surprises at claim time.

What happens if a truck is off the road after an accident?

Repairs are one cost. Lost income is another. Some policies include hire-vehicle costs or cover for loss of use, subject to the policy terms and any waiting periods. We'll help you understand what yours does and doesn't include.

Do my customer contracts affect my insurance?

They can. Contracts often set liability limits, insurance requirements and who carries the risk, and insurers may exclude liability you take on in a contract beyond what you'd have anyway. We're not lawyers but send us your standard terms and we'll help you see where it may matter.

What about temperature-controlled or hazardous goods?

They carry extra risks, such as refrigeration breakdown, spoilage and spill clean-up, and not every policy covers them automatically. Tell us what you carry, and we'll help you understand your options.

Does freight across the Tasman or overseas change things?

It can. Goods moving by sea or air, or across borders, may need marine cargo cover, and different rules may apply. We'll help you understand what may be needed.

What licences and compliance should I be aware of?

Operators of larger goods vehicles generally need a transport service licence, and vehicles need current certification and registration. A lapse could affect a claim, so we'll ask about it. NZTA sets the current rules.

Technology

You build the technology. We'll help you understand the risk.

Technology businesses carry risks that don't sit neatly in a standard business policy.

Who it's for: Software and SaaS companies, IT services and managed service providers, Web and app developers

Explore Technology

A software update that takes a client offline. A data breach. A contract that puts the liability on you. A cloud provider outage that stops your team working.

We won't pretend to write code. What we will do is ask the right questions, help you understand what insurers are looking for and make sure you know where you stand before you need to make a claim.

Talk technology insurance

Who this is for

Software and SaaS companies
IT services and managed service providers
Web and app developers
Digital agencies
Startups and scale-ups

What we'll ask you

What do you build or provide, and who relies on it?
What do your client contracts say about liability, warranties and insurance?
Where are your clients, and where does your revenue come from?
What data do you hold, and how much of it belongs to other people?
How would you cope if your systems, or a key supplier, went down?
What security basics are in place, such as multi-factor authentication and backups?

Areas we may consider

Cyber risks

Technology errors and omissions

Professional indemnity

Liability

Business interruption and outages

Crime and fraud

Directors and officers

Employment practices

Equipment and devices

Client contract requirements

My clients are asking for proof of cyber or professional indemnity cover. Can you help?

Yes. Send us the contract clause and we'll help you understand what's being asked for and what your options are.

I'm a small startup. Do I need cyber insurance?

It depends on what data you hold, how you operate and what your contracts say. We'll talk it through, including what may not be worth insuring.

What's the difference between cyber insurance and professional indemnity?

Cyber insurance generally responds to security and data events, such as a breach or ransomware, including response costs and lost income. Professional indemnity generally responds when a client says your work or advice caused them a loss. Technology businesses often need to look at both, and policies can overlap or leave gaps. We'll help you see where.

What will insurers want to know about my security?

Typically, things like multi-factor authentication, backups, how you control access and whether you have an incident response plan. Your answers can affect what cover is offered and on what terms. We'll help you pull them together.

What if my software fails and a client loses money?

That's the kind of claim technology errors and omissions or professional indemnity cover is designed for, depending on the policy. The wording, your contract and its liability limits all matter. We'll help you understand how they fit together.

Does cyber insurance cover ransomware?

Cover for extortion and ransomware varies between policies and may come with conditions or limits. We'll help you understand what a policy says, including who to call first, before you need it.

Does my cover apply to clients in Australia, the US or elsewhere?

Not automatically. Policies can limit where work is done and where claims may be brought, and overseas jurisdictions can change the picture. Tell us where your clients and revenue are and we'll help you understand the territory and jurisdiction wording.

What if a cloud provider or key supplier goes down?

Your own cover may or may not respond, and there are often waiting periods. We'll help you understand whether cover for supplier outages is available and relevant to you.

Do I need directors and officers, or employment practices cover?

It depends on your structure, your investors and your staff. Startups with investors or a board often ask about directors’ and officers’ cover. We'll talk through what's relevant, including what may not be.

We use AI tools or build AI features. Does that change anything?

It can. Insurers are still working out how to treat AI, so wording varies. Tell us how you use it and we'll help you understand how policies treat AI-related risks.

Franchisors

One brand. Many businesses. Your insurance should reflect both.

When you're a franchisor, you carry risk in two places: your own business, and the network wearing your name.

Who it's for: Franchisors and franchise networks

Explore Franchisors

An incident involving one franchisee can quickly become your problem. A gap in cover at one location can leave the wider brand exposed. And keeping track of who's insured for what across a network is no small task.

We'll start by understanding how your franchise operates: what you control, what your franchisees are responsible for and what your agreements require.

Talk franchise insurance

What we'll look at

The insurance clauses in your franchise agreement
The minimum cover you require, and how you check it's in place
How new franchisees are set up, and what happens when one leaves
Where customer data and central systems sit
Your claims history across the network

Franchisee?

If your agreement requires you to hold certain insurance, we can help you understand what's being asked for.

Areas we may consider

Liability

Professional indemnity for systems and training

Cyber

Directors and officers

Employment practices

Business interruption and supply chain

Product liability and recall

Head office and company sites

Franchisee insurance requirements

Is a franchisor responsible for what a franchisee does?

It depends on the franchise agreement, how much control the franchisor has and the facts. We can't give legal advice, but we'll help you understand how it may affect your insurance.

Can we require franchisees to hold specific insurance?

That's usually set out in the franchise agreement. We'll help you work out what minimum cover makes sense and how to check it's in place.

How do we check franchisees actually hold the cover?

Many franchisors ask for certificates of currency when a franchisee starts and at each renewal. We'll help you work out what to ask for and how to keep track, so gaps don't go unnoticed.

Should the franchisor be named on franchisees' policies?

Often franchisors ask to be noted as an interested party or ask for particular liability wording. What's appropriate depends on your agreement and the policy. We'll help you understand the options.

What insurance does the franchisor business itself need?

That depends on what you provide, such as systems, training, products, customer data and head office operations. Common areas include liability, professional indemnity, cyber, directors and officers and business interruption. We'll look at your operations and your agreements.

We hold customer data centrally. Do we need cyber insurance?

Franchisors often hold customer, loyalty or payment data across the network, which can create cyber exposure. We'll help you understand your exposure and what cover may be appropriate.

What happens when a franchisee leaves or sells the business?

Cover usually needs to be reviewed, transferred or cancelled, and claims history and notification dates matter. We'll help you build insurance steps into your exit and transfer process.

Can we recommend an insurance arrangement to our franchisees?

That's possible, but each franchisee should still get advice suited to their own business, and any payment or benefit to the franchisor may need to be disclosed. We'll take you through how that works.

I'm a franchisee. What do I need?

Start with your franchise agreement, which will usually set minimum insurance. We'll help you understand what's required and whether your business has risks beyond the minimum.

Industries

Let's talk about what you're protecting.