# Insurance for hauliers and road carriers in Germany

> If you carry goods in lorries over 3.5 tonnes in Germany, you may not even set off without goods in transit liability insurance. On top of that come motor liability, comprehensive cover and the question of what happens after a crash with a full load. This page shows what is compulsory, what makes sense and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-haulier.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Do I need goods in transit liability even with just one lorry?

Yes, as soon as you carry goods commercially in a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross weight, counting any trailer. The duty under § 7a GüKG applies from the first vehicle, the minimum is €600,000 per event, and the certificate must be on board for every journey. If it is missing at a roadside check you face a fine and problems with your operating licence.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every vehicle, plus goods in transit liability under § 7a GüKG (Germany's Road Haulage Act) for commercial haulage over 3.5 tonnes: at least €600,000 per claim, with proof carried in the vehicle
- **Biggest risk:** Accidents causing injury and total loss of the load, plus theft at motorway services
- **Basic cover from:** about €280 a year of goods in transit liability for a 7.5 tonne lorry in regional traffic, plus the motor insurance
- **Statutory accident insurer:** the BG Verkehr, the Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer) for transport; compulsory for every business with drivers and employees
- **Often forgotten:** Third party trailers and swap bodies: damage to them is only covered by carrier's liability for an extra premium
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 49.20 Güterbeförderung im Schienenverkehr, 49.41 Güterbeförderung im Straßenverkehr, 49.50 Transport in Rohrfernleitungen

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Accidents with injuries:** A lorry involved in a crash can quickly cause damage running into millions. That is what motor liability is for, and its limit should be well above the legal minimum.
- **Cargo damage:** A shifting load, an emergency stop, tipping over on a bend: the carrier pays for damaged goods up to the statutory liability limit.
- **Theft on the road:** Curtains slashed, diesel siphoned off, the whole trailer gone: motorway services and unsecured car parks are crime scenes.
- **Driving hours and fines:** Roadside checks, tachographs, toll back charges: proceedings against drivers and operators cost time and legal fees.
- **Lorry off the road:** After an accident the vehicle spends weeks in the workshop. Leasing, driver's wages and jobs keep running.
- **Backs and loading accidents:** Drivers climb in and out dozens of times a day, secure loads and couple trailers. Falls and back injuries are common.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 4, Cyber 2, Downtime 4, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Cargo insurance** (Essential): Goods in transit and carrier's liability is compulsory under § 7a GüKG and covers your liability for the load under the HGB (German Commercial Code) and CMR. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory for every vehicle; comprehensive cover protects the lorry itself, and from three vehicles it goes into a fleet policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): Covers damage away from road traffic, for example when loading and unloading with a customer's forklift or in your own yard. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): With motoring legal expenses for fines and criminal proceedings, disputes over freight charges and employment law. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Extra accident cover for drivers, including off duty and during overnight stops on the road. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Helps if the yard and workshop are out of action after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Occupational disability** (Depends on the business): For owners who drive themselves: your back and health decide your income. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php

## What it costs: example prices

Motor insurance makes up the largest share. Goods in transit liability is priced per vehicle by weight, area of operation and level of liability.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cargo insurance | Goods in transit liability, 7.5 tonne lorry, regional traffic up to 150 km, statutory liability | about €280 to €350 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Goods in transit liability, truck and trailer over 7.5 tonnes, Germany | about €450 to €580 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Truck and trailer over 7.5 tonnes, Germany and Europe under CMR | about €620 to €800 a year |
| Fleet insurance | 7.5 tonne lorry in goods transport, liability only | from about €2,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | 7.5 tonne lorry with liability and comprehensive | about €2,500 to €5,000 a year |

For comparison: Goods in transit liability for a 7.5 tonne lorry costs about as much a year as one full tank of diesel for the same vehicle.

_The goods in transit figures come from a published tariff (excluding German insurance premium tax, €125 excess, surcharges for refrigerated, tanker and silo vehicles), the motor figures from public comparison data. As of September 2026. Heavy articulated lorries cost considerably more to insure._

- [Dialog Versicherung: Tarifrechner Frachtführerhaftung (PDF)](https://www.dialog-versicherung.de/resource/blob/10926/35afca14dca37761ec72f1c55b9891f5/Tarifrechner%20Frachtf%C3%BChrerhaftung)
- [Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität: Güterschaden-Haftpflichtversicherung](https://www.balm.bund.de/SharedDocs/FAQs/DE/Gueterkraftverkehr/Gueterschadenhaftpflicht.html)
- [versicherungsvergleich-lkw.de: Was kostet eine 7,5-Tonner-Versicherung?](https://www.versicherungsvergleich-lkw.de/was-kostet-eine-7-5-tonner-lkw-versicherung/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **One lorry** (Owner driver with a single vehicle): Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: about €3,300 to €6,500 a year
- **Fleet** (Business with three to ten lorries and employed drivers): Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: about €12,000 to €50,000 a year
- **Europe** (Long distance haulage with articulated lorries at home and abroad, own yard): Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance, Business interruption. Together: from about €50,000 a year, priced individually

## The worst day on the Autobahn

Six events hauliers know well, all on one Monday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 04:30: At the motorway services the curtain has been slashed and twelve boxes of power tools are missing. (€9,800, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 07:15: A rear end collision in a tailback: the lorry shunts two cars together and a driver is injured. (€68,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 07:16: The front of your own lorry is wrecked; radiator and cab have to be replaced. (€26,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 11:00: A load of tiles shifts under emergency braking and a third of it is broken. (€7,200, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 15:40: Unloading with the customer's forklift, your driver damages a sprinkler system in the warehouse. (€15,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 19:30: Fine proceedings for breaches of driving hours are opened and you need a lawyer. (€2,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €128,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Carry the insurance certificate under § 7a GüKG in every vehicle and check after every change of vehicle that it still fits.
- Choose a high combined limit for motor liability; €100 million is usual for lorries, and the legal minimum is not enough after a serious crash.
- Have third party trailers, swap bodies and containers included in carrier's liability if you haul other people's equipment.
- Refrigerated, tanker and silo vehicles and high value goods must be declared to the insurer; otherwise cover is missing when a claim comes.
- Park valuable loads only in guarded parking if your policy requires it; many policies make this a condition of cover.
- Motoring legal expenses for the business and drivers pay off for roadside checks, tachograph disputes and accidents where fault is unclear.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Compulsory and optional kept clearly apart:** Goods in transit liability, CMR, motor fleet and public liability interlock. As a broker we compare several insurers and close the gaps between them.
- **Losses we know:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves, including transit damage to boats on low loaders. We know which photos and consignment notes an insurer wants to see.
- **One contact for lorries and family:** Fleet, carrier's liability, driver cover and your personal provision all run through us.
- **Family run since 1989:** Many hauliers are family businesses, just like us. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### When does goods in transit liability become compulsory?

For commercial road haulage with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross weight including trailers. The minimum is €600,000 per event.

### What does goods in transit liability cost for a lorry?

According to a published tariff, about €280 to €800 per vehicle a year, depending on weight, area of operation and level of liability.

### Is the load covered by the motor insurance?

No. Motor liability covers third party losses from the accident, comprehensive covers your lorry. You are liable for the load as carrier, and carrier's liability covers that.

### What does 8.33 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram mean?

It is the statutory liability limit for cargo damage within Germany and under CMR, around ten euros per kilogram. You are only liable beyond that if you agreed more or acted with gross negligence.

### Does the duty also apply to vans under 3.5 tonnes?

No, goods in transit liability is not required by law there. But your customers almost always ask for it.

### Which Berufsgenossenschaft is responsible?

The BG Verkehr. Membership of this statutory accident insurer is compulsory as soon as you employ drivers or other staff; as the owner you can insure yourself there too.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-haulier.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT 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.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.