Transport

Between the departure warehouse and the destination warehouse, the responsibility for the merchandise changes several times, and the incoterm indicates at what point the risk is transferred and who is responsible for insuring it. The regime that limits the carrier's liability also changes with the mode and scope of each journey.

Where the claim enters

Goods in transit, accumulation at terminals and operator liability

What decides the claim file

The carrier's indemnity ceiling is calculated by kilos, and the load is worth what it contains.

The incoterm distributes the obligation to insure, and only CIF and CIP impose it on the seller, each with a different scope. Based on that, the Institute clauses determine what is covered — A broadly, C only for listed risks — and the limit per stay covers what accumulates on the platform while the merchandise waits. These are three decisions made at the time of contracting and checked on the day of the claim.

Legal limit of the carrier and value of the load
In international road transport, Article 23 of the CMR Convention limits the carrier's compensation to 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight; in national transport, Article 57 of Law 15/2009 limits it to one-third of the daily IPREM per kilogram. Both criteria are calculated based on weight and ignore the contents of the package. The goods policy covers the value of the cargo regardless of these limits, which is why both covers coexist.
Institute Clauses A vs C
The A clauses provide broad cover, while the C clauses only respond to the enumerated risks, meaning that two policies with identical capital resolve the same claim differently. A useful comparison is made on the terms and conditions rather than the sum insured.
The limit per stay at a logistics platform
A platform concentrates several times the capital that travels in a lorry, and the policy sets a specific limit for that point, different from the limit per means of transport. It is sized by looking at the campaign peak, which is when the warehouse gathers the stock from various branches.
General average and the container guarantee
Once general average is declared, the cargo owner deposits a proportional guarantee before withdrawing their goods, even if they arrive intact. An active transport policy resolves this deposit and releases the container without immobilising cash flow at the port.

What is contracted here

The covers that support a company in this sector

Each one is designed based on the company's real exposure. None are contracted the same in two companies in the same sector.

Frequently asked questions

Lo que nos preguntan en transport

Is it necessary to insure the goods if the carrier already has insurance?

The carrier's insurance covers their liability within the applicable regime limits, which are calculated by weight. The carrier is responsible from the moment they receive the goods until they deliver them, and it is they who must prove the cause that exonerates them, so the discussion rarely centres on fault: it is on the compensation limit. The goods policy covers the value of the cargo regardless of who is responsible, and it bridges the gap between that per-kilo limit and the value of what travels in the lorry.

With which incoterm am I required to contract insurance?

Only CIF and CIP oblige the seller to contract cover, with different scopes: CIP requires broad conditions, and CIF is satisfied with the minimum. In other terms, the goods travel insured according to what each party has understood, so it is advisable to fix it in the sales contract before the first shipment.

What does an open policy offer compared to insuring trip by trip?

The open policy automatically covers every shipment that fits the agreed conditions and is declared afterwards, by application or regularisation, so no shipment is excluded for not being communicated in time. In return, it requires discipline in periodic regularisation, which is the obligation that sustains it.

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