Best Inland Marine Insurance Providers

Like many large insurers, The Hartford provides pricing information only by direct personal quote.

We do know that The Hartford’s average general liability insurance cost comes in at around $88/month. That’s fairly competitive pricing for mid-sized and larger businesses. However, this may not be the most affordable option for smaller companies shopping mainly on price.

However, The Hartford offers stellar protections and free price quotes. Even if you’re extremely price-conscious, we think it’s worth your time to check out The Hartford’s inland marine coverage for your small business.

As we mentioned, The Hartford’s inland marine coverage options are broad and can be tailored for many types of business. Here are some highlights of The Hartford’s inland marine coverage:

• Builders risk
• Contractors equipment
• Cranes and riggers liability
• Installation
• Renewable energy course of construction
• Renewable energy equipment
• Related property
• Communication towers
• Electronic equipment
• Motor truck cargo
• Rolling stock
• Shipper’s interest
• Warehouse and logistics
• Carrier logistics choice
• Equipment rental and sales

You can also add coverage for special types of coverage, including bailees (which covers the loss of property that’s in your care), collectibles, exhibitions, fine arts, musical instruments, patterns and dies, signs, and vending machines.

The Hartford specifically offers inland marine coverage to cover equipment that’s essential to these types of businesses:

• Agriculture and landscaping
• Computer
• Electronic
• Entertainment
• Flooring
• Medical
• Party and special event
• Sales and rental dealers

The Hartford employs dedicated marine underwriting specialists and offers full-service inland marine coverage with dedicated transportation claim specialists.

Claims assistance is available 24/7, with high customer satisfaction reported.

Thimble stands out from a crowded insurance field by publishing pricing information, with a caveat that your price may vary depending on some of your choices.

Thimble allows customers to business equipment protection — its name for inland marine coverage — onto every monthly policy. Note that although Thimble offers insurance by the day, job, week, or month, you’ll need to be on a monthly plan to add this coverage.

The starting cost for adding this coverage is $6/month. Coverage limits can be set at $1,000 to $5,000, with a $500 standard deductible. If you choose a higher limit, your premium will be greater.

Thimble’s business property coverage starts at around $23/month. If you add basic inland marine coverage, you’re looking at a starting rate of around $30/month.

Reflecting its small business focus, Thimble offers inland marine insurance under a more easily understood name: business equipment protection.

Thimble’s version of inland marine insurance is simple. It’s uncomplicated coverage aimed at simple businesses that want added protections. You won’t find high-value limits or specialized coverage.

What Thimble’s equipment coverage does offer is reliable protection for equipment you own and equipment you use, with protection that follows the equipment wherever you use it.

This can be an affordable option for companies that have travel as an integral part of their business model, such as a food cart. If you rent equipment, keep your customers’ property temporarily, or borrow and share tools, for example, you’ll be covered.

If you have equipment or any items that are valued individually at more than $2,500, you will need to “schedule” coverage for them. All that means is that you’ll need to list the make, model, and serial number of your biggest assets.

Thimble outsources its claims processing. If you need to file a claim, you’ll work with a company called Sedgwick. However, you can start the process on the Thimble website or through the app. You can also receive some limited support from Thimble during the claims process.

Although this process is somewhat unusual, Thimble customers don’t seem to mind. In fact, they award Thimble’s claims process 4.5/5 stars overall.

Travelers does not share general pricing information. This company also does not support online price quotes. You’ll need to connect with a local agent to discuss your needs and pricing.

Start on the Travelers website and simply enter your ZIP Code to see agents near you. You’ll notice that some results will include phone numbers only, while others offer email contact information.

Travelers offers inland marine coverage to a variety of business types. Here are some highlights:

• Computerized business equipment coverage
• Communications coverage
• Miscellaneous property coverage
• Medical equipment coverage
• Fine arts and museums insurance
• Renewable energy insurance

Travelers offers a full range of policies aimed particularly at construction, marine suppliers, and marine transportation companies. You can also purchase equipment breakdown coverage and surety bonds through Travelers.

Travelers claims professionals work with risk control and Specialty Investigations Group with expertise in construction; fine art, jewelry, and other valuables; renewable energy; transportation and logistics; and specialty and heavy equipment.

You can start the claims process online, via email, or with a phone call. Service is available 24/7. You’ll be able to track your claim’s progress online.

You can request a personal quote from Chubb online. Pricing is tailored to your unique business needs.

Chubb’s agents can use a proprietary tool known as u*writer, an interactive underwriting system that lets them submit, rate, get a quote, bind, and issue a policy 24/7.

When it comes to inland marine insurance, Chubb offers the most extensive coverage of any insurer we’ve seen. Here are some highlights:

• Construction: Commercial builders’ risk, residential builders’ risk, contractors’ equipment, installation floaters
• Engineered Risk: Bridge and tunnel authorities; ports, piers, and equipment; dams; turnpike authorities; container cranes; civil works and other infrastructure property
• Unique Exposures: Agricultural equipment, equipment dealers, fine arts, leased property motor truck cargo legal liability, musical instruments, scientific instruments, warehouse legal liability

Chubb also offers traditional ocean marine insurance, from worldwide transit and storage to coverage for commercial maritime operations.

Customer support is available through Chubb’s online portal, by email, via a contact form, or over the phone.

You can report a claim online or by phone. Trained claims representatives guide Chubb customers through the process, including a multinational claims unit that can coordinate claims activities around the globe.

You can start your personalized Liberty Mutual insurance quote online. Liberty Mutual contracts with Tivly, an insurance marketplace, to provide comprehensive quotes. You’ll be sent to an external Tivly webpage to complete your request for a quote.

You can also call a toll-free number to start your quote.

If your business involves specialized equipment and other items that don’t fall cleanly within traditional inland marine boundaries, Liberty Mutual can get you covered with a miscellaneous property floater policy.

Liberty Mutual inland marine policies can be written to include coverage for general items such as:

• Athletic equipment
• Auto body tools
• Sound equipment
• Catering equipment
• Cleaning service equipment
• Construction trailers
• Food trucks and equipment
• Golf carts
• Lawn maintenance equipment
• Leased property
• Scientific equipment
• Vending machines

You’ll also find traditional inland marine coverage, such as:

• Antiques, fine arts, and museums
• Builder’s risk
• Commercial computer
• Contractor’s equipment
• Installation floater
• Motor truck cargo/transportation
• Radio, television, and cellphone towers
• Warehouse legal liability

Liberty Mutual also offers risk prevention tools, including a suite of web-based safety materials. You can also connect with safety specialists at the Risk Control Consulting Center.

Claims assistance is available 24/7, and Liberty Mutual says it takes only 10 minutes or less to file a claim. You can track and manage your claim online.

Food Liability Insurance Program offers optional tool and equipment coverage and a trailer endorsement. These types of optional coverage can be added to your general liability coverage.

FLIP’s general liability starts at $25.92/month or $299/year. Adding tools and equipment starts at $8.85/month, and trailer coverage costs $12.50/month.

FLIP’s inland marine coverage protects your business equipment from accidents wherever you take your business activities. Equipment can include ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, inventory including merch, and office equipment such as computers and routers.

If your equipment suffers damage from fire, lightning, explosions, wind, frost, cold weather, hail, rain, sleet, snow, or ice, inland marine coverage will help you repair or replace it.

Other covered events include smoke damage, vandalism, riots, overturn of a vehicle, breakage, theft, and volcanic action. FLIP suggests that any business answering “Yes” to any of these questions should strongly consider adding inland marine coverage:

• Do you sell products online and ship to customers?
• Is your business mobile?
• Do you take equipment or inventory away from your main premises to do business?
• Do you work as a vendor at fairs, festivals, and the like?

You can file a claim with FLIP online. Telephone service is available on weekdays during business hours, Mountain Time.