It is common in the trucking industry for truckers to use trailers belonging to others in their business. All of our coverage forms extend liability coverage to non-owned trailers while attached to a covered auto. However, in many instances truckers are responsible for any physical damage that may occur to the non-owned trailer while it’s in their possession as well. Physical damage for non-owned trailers is not inherently including in your liability policy- it must be added to your policy separately.
There are simple additions we can make to your policy to cover non-owned trailer physical damage.
*Trailer Interchange- Trailer interchange is the most common with the UIIA (Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement). Trailer interchange does extend to liabilities an insured may incur for damages to a trailer while it is in his possession, and does not require that the trailer be attached at the time of loss. It also includes “containers” under the definition of trailers, so it is used most often for intermodal operations where the equipment includes both a trailer chassis and container. Trailer interchange does require a “written trailer or equipment interchange agreement” be in place at the time of loss, so it may not extend to all situations when a trucker has a non-owned trailer in his possession.
*Non-owned trailer Physical Damage- This coverage extends over a covered auto and “any non-owned trailer while attached to the covered (or scheduled) power unit”, and usually lists a limit of maximum physical damage coverage amount for the non-owned trailer. The advantage of this coverage is no written agreement must be in place. It is important to understand that the non-owned trailer must be attached to a covered power unit at time of loss for non-owned trailer physical damage to apply.
If you have any questions about pulling non-owned trailers or otherwise, feel free to call us at Network Truck Insurance Services and we will be happy to assist you in making sure your insurance policy fits your needs!
