Prime mover and trailers
Damage to the powered unit and to owned trailers, with non-owned trailers handled by separate wording.
Prime Mover Insurance
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Prime Mover Insurance
Cover for prime movers running single, B-double and road train combinations.
A prime mover rarely works alone. It pulls owned and non-owned trailers, carries someone else's freight, and earns nothing while it is off the road, so the conversation usually spans four things at once: the truck, the trailers, the load and the downtime.
What is it?
A prime mover is the powered unit of an articulated combination, coupling to semi-trailers via a turntable. Australian fleets commonly run Kenworth, Volvo, Scania, Mack, Freightliner, DAF, Mercedes-Benz and Western Star units in single-trailer, B-double and road train configurations, each rated differently by insurers.
What does prime mover insurance cover?
Carriers liability
The freight you are carrying is generally addressed by carriers or goods-in-transit cover, not by the motor section.
Downtime
Cover for lost income while the unit is being repaired, which matters most for owner drivers.
What affects the cost?
- Combination type - single, B-double or road train
- Interstate versus local operation
- Commodity carried and whether dangerous goods are involved
- Driver experience and fatigue-management systems
- Where the unit is parked overnight
Worth raising on the call
- Non-owned trailers you tow are treated separately from trailers you own.
- Carriers liability limits should reflect the highest-value load you actually carry.
- Interstate routes and remote work usually change appetite and terms.
Claims we are commonly asked about
Trailer dropped on an unlocked turntable
A driver couples in a dark yard, the jaws do not lock and the trailer drops onto the chassis and airlines as the unit pulls away. Damage typically runs across the trailer kingpin area, the prime mover deck and guards, and sometimes the freight on the trailer.
Jack-knife on a wet ramp
On a wet on-ramp the trailer pushes the drive axles out and the combination folds into the barrier. Beyond the cab and trailer repairs there is usually a heavy recovery bill, a road authority claim for the barrier, and weeks of lost income while the unit is rebuilt.
Engine bay or tyre fire on a long run
A turbo oil line or a dragging brake starts a fire on a hot linehaul leg and the cab is destroyed before the driver can stop it. These are commonly total loss situations, and the freight on board is dealt with under a separate carriers or goods in transit section.
Worth confirming in the wording
- Worth confirming how trailers you tow but do not own are described, whether they need to be named, and what limit applies to them.
- Worth confirming whether mechanical or electrical breakdown, and further damage that follows a breakdown, is treated differently to accident damage.
- Worth confirming what driver criteria apply, including minimum age, heavy vehicle experience and whether an unlisted or casual driver attracts a different excess.
Common questions
Does prime mover insurance cover the freight I am carrying?
Generally not under the motor section. Freight is normally addressed by carriers liability or goods in transit cover, which responds to loss or damage to the goods you are carrying subject to the policy terms and any conditions of carriage. The limit should reflect the highest value load you actually carry, not an average one.
Am I covered if a subcontract driver takes the truck?
It depends on how the policy describes who may drive. Some wordings cover any licensed driver who meets stated age and experience criteria, others require drivers to be named, and many apply a higher excess to inexperienced or unlisted drivers. It is worth confirming this before a casual driver is put in the seat.
Is downtime cover worth it for an owner driver?
For an owner driver the truck is the income, so a repair that takes six weeks is usually a bigger problem than the repair bill itself. Downtime cover typically pays a daily amount after a waiting period, up to a maximum number of days, and is subject to the policy terms. The waiting period and the daily amount are the two numbers worth checking against your real weekly costs.
What drives the premium on a prime mover?
There is no standard figure. Insurers generally weigh the combination type, insured value, interstate versus local work, the commodity carried and whether dangerous goods are involved, driver experience and fatigue management, overnight parking, the excess and your claims history. Two identical trucks on different work can price very differently.
General information only. Cover, limits and exclusions depend on the PDS, TMD, eligibility, underwriting and the policy terms. See truck insurance for the wider picture.
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