Business insurance and transporting clients

SeduLOUs

Hi

Does anyone know if it is possible to obtain a car insurance policy that allows some business travel types but not others? I specifically want a policy that allows me to travel between work sites/offices, but that absolutely does not cover me for transporting clients and colleagues in my car.

If the above is not possible:

If I take out normal insurance with cover for 'business use', but tell my employer that I am not insured to transport clients, is there any way (even illegal) for my employer to discover the true nature of my policy (assuming of course that I am not going to furnish them with the name of my insurer or a copy of the cover note)?

Thanks in advance,

dacouch

If your employer has any sense they should be checking your policy to ensure you have a policy in place and that it provides the correct cover.

If they don't do this they leave themselves potentially open for prosecution for serious offences should you not hold the proper insurance and cause a death to a third party

SeduLOUs

dacouch wrote: »

If your employer has any sense they should be checking your policy to ensure you have a policy in place and that it provides the correct cover.

If they don't do this they leave themselves potentially open for prosecution for serious offences should you not hold the proper insurance and cause a death to a third party

I know this, but it isn't what I asked.

I will not be driving clients in my car under any circumstances (and therefore will not be causing them any death), so the employer will not need any evidence that I am covered to do so...

dacouch

SeduLOUs wrote: »

I know this, but it isn't what I asked.

I will not be driving clients in my car under any circumstances (and therefore will not be causing them any death), so the employer will not need any evidence that I am covered to do so...

The law is death to third parties which is not neccessarily your passengers but other road users and pedestrians.

They have a duty to inspect their employees using their vehicles in connection with the business eg driving between different sites (Which is generally classed as business use) to ensure the employees policy covers them for this.

So if your HR / Transport office are on the ball they will be checking your Certificate of Insurance and driving licence at least once a year but ideally every six months. So if they do this they will already know whether or not you have business use

SeduLOUs

dacouch wrote: »

So if your HR / Transport office are on the ball they will be checking your Certificate of Insurance and driving licence at least once a year but ideally every six months. So if they do this they will already know whether or not you have business use

Well, they don't.

The point of the problem is that I want to continue to have appropriate business insurance for all of the reasons you have listed (including possibly running someone over on the way to a different office), but I want to tell my employer that I don't have business insurance in order that they can no longer request me to act as a free taxi for all of their clients and staff.

Based on experience with other colleagues, employer only requests a copy of insurance cover note if you have business insurance and are using the vehicle to transport clients. They seem completely uninterested or ignorant to the fact that business insurance is still a requirement for driving between offices.

If I fib to my employer and say that I don't have business insurance when I do, is there any way of them finding this out other than by phoning random insurance companies pretending to be me and attempting to pass security?

Quentin

If you lie and tell your employer that you don't have business insurance, (meaning you cannot do any business journeys at all in your car), then any decent employer would either provide you a company car to make business journeys in, stop making you do business journeys or pay you to get business cover (which won't be very much if anything) and reimburse you all your costs for undertaking business related journeys.


You need to discuss the situation regarding the free taxi you have been providing rather than lie to your employer

SeduLOUs

Quentin wrote: »

You need to discuss the situation regarding the free taxi you have been providing rather than lie to your employer

It's been discussed to death. Other than getting rid of the car (which I have seriously considered), telling them that I have chosen not to renew my business insurance is the only option I have left.

There are work vehicles available with insurance that covers me but often there are not enough vehicles available and I am expected to pick up the slack. There is absolutely no requirement in my contract/handbook for me to have a driving license, let alone a vehicle with appropriate business insurance.

I am paid 25p per mile as a reimbursement which is quite low anyway but not the end of the world. Recently clients have excreted various bodily fluids into and caused minor damage to my vehicle for which the employer takes no responsibility. I was told I should reclaim any costs from the families of the clients with whom I have no contract whatsoever.

Other more savvy staff with shinier cars have told employer that they refuse to take out business insurance, and there have been absolutely no consequences, so I guess it's about time I join the club and stop being a mug.