Christmas Delivery Insurance: Peak Season Freight Protection

Introduction: why Christmas delivery is a different risk

From late October through January, delivery volumes spike, routes get tighter, and the margin for error shrinks. For UK businesses moving goods—couriers, hauliers, last‑mile fleets, retailers running their own vans, and third‑party logistics providers—Christmas is often the most profitable period of the year.

It’s also the period when claims tend to rise: more vehicles on the road, more temporary drivers, more night drops, more pressure to meet cut‑offs, and more high-value items in the network (electronics, jewellery, alcohol, luxury gifts). Add winter weather, congestion, and depot security challenges, and you’ve got a peak season risk profile that looks nothing like the rest of the year.

“Christmas Delivery Insurance” isn’t usually a single policy you buy off the shelf. It’s a practical way of describing the mix of covers that protect your freight, your vehicles, your people, and your cashflow when you’re at maximum exposure.

Who needs Christmas delivery insurance?

This guide is most relevant if you’re any of the following:

• Courier companies and parcel networks

• Haulage operators (HGV, van fleets, mixed fleets)

• Retailers and wholesalers operating their own delivery vehicles

• eCommerce brands using third-party couriers but still holding contractual liability

• 3PL and fulfilment centres handling storage, pick/pack, and dispatch

• Same-day and on-demand delivery services

• Seasonal pop-up logistics operations and subcontractor-heavy fleets

If you handle goods that don’t belong to you, or you’re contractually responsible for them at any point, you should assume you have a “goods in transit” exposure—especially during peak.

The core covers to consider for peak season

1) Goods in Transit (GIT) insurance

Goods in Transit insurance is the backbone of freight protection. It covers loss of or damage to goods while they are being carried, loaded/unloaded, or temporarily stored during transit (depending on wording).

Key points to check before peak season:

• Limit per vehicle/load: Is it high enough for Christmas stock (electronics, premium hampers, alcohol, branded goods)?

• Single item limits: Many policies cap the value of any one item.

• Theft conditions: Requirements for alarms, immobilisers, locked compounds, and “attended vehicle” rules.

• Overnight storage: Whether goods are covered if left in a vehicle overnight.

• High-risk postcodes/areas: Some wordings restrict cover in certain locations.

• Carriage type: Own vehicles vs subcontractors; hired-in vehicles; owner-drivers.

If you’re a courier, also check whether your wording is “all risks” (broad cover, subject to exclusions) or “named perils” (only specific events are covered).

2) Carriers’ Liability (Road Haulage Liability)

Carriers’ Liability covers your legal liability for loss/damage to goods you carry under standard trading conditions (often based on RHA Conditions of Carriage, CMR for international, or bespoke contracts).

Why it matters at Christmas:

• Claims often arise from delivery errors (misdelivery, wrong address, leaving goods in unsafe places).

• Retailers may pursue you for consequential losses (missed sales, refunds, chargebacks). Many liability policies won’t cover pure financial loss unless explicitly included.

• If you accept higher liability in contracts during peak, your standard policy may not match it.

Practical check: confirm your contractual liability position. If you sign SLAs with penalties or “guaranteed delivery” clauses, you may need separate cover or contract wording changes.

3) Commercial Motor insurance (fleet or single vehicle)

Peak season often means:

• More miles, more night driving, more reversing in tight spaces

• Temporary drivers, agency drivers, or new starters

• Hired-in vans or short-term leases

Make sure your motor policy matches reality:

• Any driver / named drivers: Are temps covered? Are age/experience limits realistic?

• Use class: Carriage of goods for hire and reward vs own goods.

• Vehicle changes: Can you add/remove vehicles quickly?

• Windscreen and breakdown: Small claims can cripple schedules.

• Courtesy vehicle / hire vehicle cover: Downtime costs more in December.

4) Employers’ Liability (EL) and Public Liability (PL)

When you scale up, people risk scales up too.

• EL is a legal requirement in most cases if you employ staff.

• PL helps if third parties are injured or property is damaged (e.g., a driver damages a customer’s wall while unloading).

Peak season triggers:

• More manual handling injuries, slips/trips in icy yards, and fatigue-related incidents

• More interactions with the public at doorsteps, shops, and busy depots

5) Business Interruption (BI)

BI is the cover many businesses only think about after a loss.

If a fire, flood, theft, or major vehicle incident hits your depot or fleet in December, the biggest cost may be lost turnover and extra expenses to keep operating.

Check:

• Indemnity period (how long BI pays): Is 12 months enough if you lose contracts?

• Increased cost of working: Can you hire extra vehicles, outsource routes, use alternative depots?

• Seasonality: Ensure your sums insured reflect peak revenue, not an annual average.

6) Cyber insurance (yes, even for delivery firms)

Christmas is prime time for:

• Ransomware attacks on dispatch systems

• Fraud attempts (fake change-of-address, fake supplier bank details)

• Data breaches involving customer addresses and delivery info

Cyber cover can help with:

• Incident response and forensics

• Business interruption from system outages

• Liability and regulatory costs (where insurable)

What Christmas delivery insurance typically doesn’t cover (common gaps)

Insurance is powerful, but it’s not a blank cheque. Common exclusions and limitations include:

• Unattended vehicle theft (especially if left unlocked, keys in ignition, or no forced entry)

• Overnight theft from vehicles unless parked in a locked compound or garage

• Wear and tear / mechanical breakdown (motor policies cover accidents, not maintenance)

• Poor packaging or inadequate securing of loads

• Delay, loss of market, or penalties (unless you have specific extensions)

• Dishonesty by employees unless you have fidelity/employee dishonesty cover

• High-value items (phones, laptops, jewellery, tobacco, alcohol) unless declared and accepted

• Temperature-controlled goods unless you have the right wording for refrigerated transit

The key is to align cover with your actual peak season operations and the goods you’re moving.

Peak season risk hotspots (and how to insure around them)

Theft from vehicles and depots

Theft risk rises when:

• Vans are loaded overnight for early starts

• Drivers stop at service stations

• Routes include high-theft areas

• Depots are stacked with high-value stock

Insurance angle:

• Confirm security requirements in your policy (locks, alarms, trackers, immobilisers).

• Ensure your depot/warehouse cover matches peak stock levels.

• Consider money and goods in safe limits if you handle cash-on-delivery.

Operational angle (also helps claims acceptance):

• Written key control policy

• No “keys left in van” rule

• Secure parking instructions and proof (CCTV, gated yards)

Misdelivery and doorstep losses

“Safe place” deliveries can create disputes: the customer says it never arrived; the driver says it did.

Insurance angle:

• Carriers’ liability may respond if you’re legally liable, but it depends on proof and contract terms.

• Consider tech controls: photo proof of delivery, GPS stamps, signature capture.

Weather disruption

Snow and ice increase collisions, delays, and damage during loading.

Insurance angle:

• Motor cover handles accidents, but delay penalties usually aren’t covered.

• BI may help if a major event shuts down operations.

Temporary drivers and subcontractors

Peak season often relies on agency drivers and owner-drivers.

Insurance angle:

• Confirm motor cover for temps and minimum licence requirements.

• Check whether your GIT and liability cover extends to subcontractors.

• Ensure contracts clarify who insures what (and at what limits).

How to choose the right limits for Christmas

A quick way to sense-check your limits:

1. Highest possible load value in December (not average load value)

2. Highest single item value you might carry

3. Worst-case theft scenario (entire van stolen, or depot break-in)

4. Contractual liability you’ve agreed to (including retailer terms)

If your GIT limit is £10,000 per vehicle but you’re carrying £35,000 of electronics on a Saturday in December, you’re effectively self-insuring the gap.

Questions to ask your broker before peak season

Bring these to your renewal or mid-term review:

• Are my GIT limits adequate for peak stock values?

• Do I have cover for high-value goods (list them explicitly)?

• What are the unattended vehicle and overnight conditions?

• Are subcontractors/owner-drivers covered under my policy?

• Does my policy cover loading/unloading and temporary storage?

• What evidence do I need for a theft claim (CCTV, forced entry, tracker logs)?

• Does my liability cover match my terms of carriage and customer contracts?

• Do I have BI that reflects peak season revenue and extra costs?

• Are my drivers correctly declared (age, experience, convictions, licence checks)?

Claims: what good evidence looks like

Christmas claims move fast, and insurers will look closely at compliance with policy conditions.

Best practice documentation:

• Driver training records (manual handling, security, accident reporting)

• Vehicle security specs (alarm, immobiliser, tracker certificates)

• Proof of secure parking (yard photos, CCTV screenshots)

• Proof of delivery systems (POD photos, signatures, GPS logs)

• Load manifests and invoices showing item values

• Incident logs with timestamps and police crime reference numbers

The goal is simple: make it easy to prove what happened and that you followed your own procedures.

Practical steps to reduce risk (and premiums) before Christmas

Insurers like controls that reduce frequency and severity. Consider:

• Pre-peak vehicle checks and tyre replacements

• Winter driving briefings and route planning

• Two-person crews for high-value drops

• “No overnight goods in vehicle” policy (or strict secure compound rules)

• Trackers on high-risk vehicles

• Depot access control (fobs, visitor logs, lighting, CCTV coverage)

• Clear subcontractor onboarding (insurance evidence, limits, indemnities)

• Strong SLAs and trading conditions that cap liability

Even small improvements can help underwriting conversations.

Example insurance “stack” for a UK courier or delivery fleet

Every business is different, but a typical peak-ready package might include:

• Commercial motor (fleet) with appropriate driver flexibility

• Goods in Transit with peak-season limits and high-value extensions

• Carriers’ liability aligned to your terms of carriage

• Employers’ liability and public liability

• Commercial property/warehouse cover for peak stock

• Business interruption with seasonality considered

• Cyber insurance for dispatch systems and customer data

If you operate internationally, add CMR and check how Brexit-era customs delays and storage exposures are treated in your wording.

Final checklist: get Christmas-ready in 30 minutes

• Confirm peak stock values and maximum load values

• Review GIT and liability limits and exclusions

• Confirm driver arrangements (temps, agency, subcontractors)

• Check vehicle and depot security requirements

• Confirm BI sums insured and indemnity period

• Update procedures: keys, parking, POD, incident reporting

Call to action

If you’re heading into peak season and you’re not 100% sure your goods in transit, carriers’ liability and fleet cover match your Christmas workload, it’s worth reviewing now—before the first late-night run and the first icy morning.

At Insure24, we help UK delivery and logistics businesses arrange practical, compliant cover that matches the way you actually operate—so you can focus on getting parcels delivered, not arguing about exclusions.

Speak to our team for a quick, no-obligation review of your Christmas delivery insurance and peak season freight protection.