Getting the right level of insurance is important, especially if you are in a business, and it is something that is easily overlooked in the rush to actually do your job!
Fast food delivery and courier services are one type of business that can occasionally find themselves in a pickle, especially when it comes to getting the food goods to the customer.
With the food delivery business growing massively, particularly since restaurants, cafes and pubs were closed from 20th March due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are more and more drivers out there delivering takeaways, and making sure you do it right is important – if you don’t have the right level of insurance when delivering your goods then even a small bump to your car, bike or van can be ridiculously costly.
Do you need insurance to deliver food?
In the UK you need to have the right level of car insurance in order to be on the road, so yes, you will need insurance to deliver takeaway food even if it’s just a pick-up for a friend.
Once you start being paid for delivering the food, it stops being a social journey covered by standard insurance and you need to start looking to get more specialist cover for food delivery insurance.
Do I need public liability insurance?
The business itself will need to have public liability insurance (which protects you from any damages that may occur if someone is hurt through your business) but as a delivery driver you generally won’t need to get it – you are merely making sure that you are covered for the journey while delivering the food, not for the food itself or the building it was prepared in.
However, if you are not employed directly by the restaurant or shop making the food and are a self-employed driver, you may want to look into the terms of your contract and check if you are covered under their insurance policy.
It may be prudent to look into public liability insurance yourself in case any of your actions (outside of a car crash) cause personal injury to another or damage to their property.
This could be as minor-seeming as stepping on someone’s toe when delivering the food goods, or accidentally tripping and damaging plants in a customer’s garden.
Any reputable food delivery company should cover their drivers through their own insurance, but it is worthwhile to check.
