Food trailer insurance can seem downright confusing at first. What could possibly make it different than food truck insurance ? But food trailer insurance is sometimes its own distinct product. Each insurer tends to use such drastically different terminology that it’s important to talk with an agent about which products make sense for your food trailer. Add to that the complication of insuring a kitchen that is towed instead of driven. Below we’ll review what food trailer insurance is and where you can find it.
- What is Food Trailer Insurance?
- How Much does Food Trailer Insurance Cost?
- Where Can I Find Food Trailer Insurance?
What is Food Trailer Insurance?
Admittedly, the difference between food truck insurance and food trailer insurance is hazy. You’ll find some insurance agent networks that tend to use the terms “food truck insurance” and “food trailer insurance” interchangeably.
Insure My Food, a major provider of food truck insurance, offers an infographic describing the types of insurance a food trailer should carry. It lists general liability, worker’s compensation, auto insurance, loss of business income and food spoilage as some main types. Those are also the types of insurance that a food truck should have. So, in this case, food trailer insurance is the same as food truck insurance.
However, food trailer insurance is also listed as its own distinct product through Insure My Food. This product covers your food trailer itself, along with the attached equipment. You can be covered in the case of events like theft, collision, burns, vandalism and damaging weather. You can also find coverage for loose items. It’s also called property or inland marine coverage, according to InsureMyFood. It might sound strange since commercial property and inland marine insurance are very different products. However, it could make sense in the case of food trailer, since the trailer is a property used for commercial purposes. It needs commercial property insurance to protect itself from common risks and damages. And when it is driven from one location to the next, it needs inland marine coverage to protect itself from damages or loss in transit. As such, food trailer insurance is different from food truck insurance in a sense that it is simpler and more focused on the trailer itself.
Then there are situations like the Food Liability Insurance Program. It has a whole page listing a food trailer product. The product works as an endorsement added to the main plan.
Specifically, “A food trailer endorsement on your Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) policy includes coverage for incidents that occur in, on, or around your food trailer when it is unhooked from your towing vehicle and parked on a rented premise.”
A commercial auto policy is also a must for a food trailer business, according to Progressive. You might look into insuring the vehicle towing the trailer.
So what food trailer insurance even is can vary from provider to provider. Generally, food trailer insurance protects the actual trailer itself. It can sometimes cover equipment inside, too. It’s more commonly called commercial property insurance and/or inland marine insurance as explained above.
Meanwhile, food truck insurance is an umbrella term that covers the different types of insurance a food truck owner should carry, like liability coverage, worker’s compensation and loss of business income.
How Much does Food Trailer Insurance Cost?
As a general note on how much food trailer insurance costs, that can also change between carriers depending on how they even define food trailer insurance. As an example, the Food Liability Insurance Program lists that food trailer insurance starts at $449. That’s $150 for the actual food trailer endorsement and $299 for the general liability coverage that endorsement is added to.
Where Can I Find Food Trailer Insurance?
Food trailer insurance is easier to find than it looks, if you know which terms to look under. You can look under property insurance, inland marine insurance or commercial auto insurance.
There are also several different ways you can go about finding food trailer insurance:
- Independent insurance agent networks, like Trusted Choice, or insurance brokerage firms
- Specialty food insurance companies that sell food trailer insurance direct, like the Food Liability Insurance Program or Insure My food
- General small business insurance companies, like Hiscox or the Hartford, which will most likely list food trailer insurance under property insurance or commercial auto insurance
All of these are solid options, depending on how customized of a product or customer service experience you want.
Final Thoughts
Food trailer insurance generally means the type of insurance that covers the trailer itself and the equipment inside. It’s common to see it also listed as commercial property insurance and inland marine insurance. You might also source commercial auto insurance for the vehicle towing the trailer.
