Cargo insurance
Carrier's liability insurance covers your liability as forwarder, carrier and warehouse keeper under the HGB, CMR and ADSp, including the compulsory cover under § 7a GüKG.
Insurance broker / Business types / Transport and logistics
Insurance for freight forwarders, warehouse keepers and logistics firms in Germany
As a forwarder you organise transport that others drive and store goods that do not belong to you. If something goes missing you are still liable, often for your subcontractors' mistakes too. This page shows which policies are compulsory, which ones carry your business and what they cost.
The question almost everyone asks first
Do I need insurance at all as a forwarder without my own lorries?
The Road Haulage Act (Güterkraftverkehrsgesetz) only obliges those who drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes themselves. But if you work under the ADSp, as almost all forwarders do, you must show liability insurance, otherwise you cannot rely on the ADSp liability limits. And towards your customer you are also liable for the carrier you hired. Without carrier's liability insurance, your business bears that alone.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Phantom carriers
Fraudsters with stolen identities sign up on freight exchanges, load the goods and vanish. The customer holds you responsible.
- 02
Cargo theft
Curtain slashers at motorway services and whole trailers stolen: electronics, tyres and drinks are especially sought after.
- 03
Damage in the warehouse
Forklift accidents, goods stored wrongly, water through the roof: as warehouse keeper you are liable for customers' stored goods.
- 04
Wrong loading
Poorly secured loads, the wrong temperature in a reefer trailer, mixed up consignments: the damage often happens during loading.
- 05
Delay and misrouting
A just in time delivery arrives late and the customer's production line stops. Under the German Commercial Code (HGB), exceeding delivery times must be compensated.
- 06
Cyber attacks and fake emails
Forged bank detail changes from carriers and encrypted forwarding software hit logistics firms particularly often.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Business liability
Covers injury and property damage outside the contract of carriage, for example when a forklift rams a customer's gate.
Strongly advised
Fleet insurance
Covers your own lorries, vans and road registered forklifts; from three vehicles usually cheaper than separate policies.
Business contents
Covers racking, forklifts, equipment and your own goods in the warehouse against fire, escape of water, storm and burglary.
Cyber insurance
Covers encrypted forwarding software and, where included, fraud through fake payment instructions.
Depends on the business
Business interruption
Keeps the business solvent if the warehouse cannot be used after a fire.
Machinery breakdown
Covers forklifts, stacker cranes and conveyor systems against breakdown and operating errors.
Business legal expenses
Legal expenses for disputes over freight charges, with subcontractors and in employment law.
What it costs: example prices
Carrier's liability is priced per vehicle or by turnover. What matters is vehicle weight, area of operation, whether you agree liability at the HGB level or above, the type of goods and your claims history.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo insurance | Carrier's liability per vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, regional traffic, statutory liability | about €180 to €250 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Carrier's liability per truck and trailer over 7.5 tonnes, Germany and Europe under CMR | about €620 to €800 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Forwarder without own vehicles, €2 million forwarding turnover, with warehouse | about €2,000 to €6,000 a year |
| Fleet insurance | 7.5 tonne lorry in goods transport, liability and comprehensive | about €2,500 to €5,000 a year per vehicle |
| Business liability | Forwarder with warehouse and ten staff, €5 million limit | about €800 to €2,000 a year |
For comparison: Carrier's liability for an articulated lorry in European traffic costs about as much a year as a single full load over roughly 300 kilometres.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The per vehicle figures come from a published tariff with a €125 excess, the motor figures from public comparison data. Forwarding policies priced by turnover and public liability are guide values from our own quoting work.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Desk
For: Forwarder without own vehicles and without a warehouse
- Cargo insurance
- Business liability
- Cyber insurance
Together about €2,500 to €6,000 a year
Request this package02
Forwarder
For: Forwarder with a few own vehicles and a small cross docking warehouse
- Cargo insurance
- Business liability
- Fleet insurance
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
Together about €12,000 to €30,000 a year
Request this package03
Logistics
For: Contract logistics with a large warehouse, fleet and conveyor systems
- Cargo insurance
- Business liability
- Fleet insurance
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Machinery breakdown
- Cyber insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together from about €30,000 a year, priced individually
Request this packageThe worst day at the forwarder's
Six cases forwarders really go through, all on one Friday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€214,500
-
A carrier booked through a freight exchange does not exist. The load of laptops has vanished.
-
A forklift hits a rack in the warehouse and three pallets of customer goods come crashing down.
-
Manoeuvring on a customer's premises, your driver damages a roller door.
-
A subcontractor emails new bank details. The email was forged and three freight payments are gone.
-
The reefer trailer breaks down and a load of dairy products arrives too warm.
-
A smouldering fire in the forklift charger damages racking and equipment in the warehouse.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Get the compulsory insurance certificate under § 7a GüKG issued for every vehicle over 3.5 tonnes; it must be carried on every journey.
- If you agree liability above 8.33 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram, your carrier's liability cover must match that amount.
- Check carriers before the first job, for example via the commercial register and proof of insurance; some policies make this a condition of cover.
- Warehouse keeper's liability and storage insurance on the customer's behalf are two different things. Find out which your customers expect.
- Ask for cover against fraud by fake carriers and forged payment instructions.
- Claims must be reported to the insurer within short deadlines; a fixed procedure for claim notifications saves a lot of money in a dispute.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We speak transport law
HGB, CMR, ADSp and the Montreal Convention: as a broker we compare carrier's liability policies from several insurers and make sure the cover matches your contracts.
We settle claims ourselves
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves, including transit damage to boats. We know which documents an insurer needs after a lost load.
Fleet, warehouse and staff in one place
Carrier's liability, vehicle fleet, warehouse and company benefits are handled together, coordinated without gaps.
Family run since 1989
Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission. And we can be reached when the customer calls on a Friday afternoon.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is carrier's liability insurance compulsory?
For road haulage with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, yes: under § 7a GüKG with at least €600,000 per claim. For forwarders without their own vehicles, the ADSp require liability insurance.
What does carrier's liability insurance cost?
Depending on vehicle and area of operation, about €180 to €800 per vehicle a year. Forwarders without their own vehicles are usually priced by turnover.
Does carrier's liability also cover the value of the goods?
Only up to the liability limit, within Germany usually 8.33 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram. Covering the full value needs cargo insurance, which you can offer your customers.
Who is liable for the subcontractor?
Towards your customer, you are. Your carrier's liability covers that, and you can recover from the subcontractor if they are insured themselves.
Are goods in the warehouse insured?
Your liability as warehouse keeper is covered by carrier's liability insurance if storage is included. The full value of customers' goods is only covered by storage insurance on the customer's behalf.
Do I have to carry the insurance certificate?
Yes. Drivers must carry proof of goods in transit liability on every journey and show it at roadside checks.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Freight forwarder
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
Related trades
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 52.10 Lagerei
- 52.21 Erbringung von sonstigen Dienstleistungen für den Landverkehr
- 52.22 Erbringung von sonstigen Dienstleistungen für die Schifffahrt
- 52.23 Erbringung von sonstigen Dienstleistungen für die Luftfahrt
- 52.24 Frachtumschlag
- 52.25 Erbringung von Logistikdienstleistungen
- 52.26 Erbringung von sonstigen Dienstleistungen für den Verkehr
- 52.31 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für die Güterbeförderung
- 52.32 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für die Personenbeförderung
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
Boat or yacht? Here we are not the broker but the underwriting agency, with our own policies and our own claims handling.
Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated