You鈥檙e moving to a new home, and you need to Between organizing, and finalizing everything for your move, the last thing you鈥檙e probably thinking about is making sure your personal insurance company covers the rental truck you鈥檒l be driving and your belongings.
Do-it-yourself movers sometimes don鈥檛 realize that most personal insurance companies don鈥檛 cover a rental truck, so getting rental insurance should be one of the most important items on your .
Picture this. Your is loaded and you hit the road, anxious to arrive at your new place. It鈥檚 lunchtime, so you decide to stop for a bite to eat. As you pull into the parking space, you misjudge the parking spot, strike a concrete pole, and cause what you believe is minor damage to the front and side of the truck. To your surprise, the estimated cost to repair the bumper, fender and mirror is $2,100. If you had purchased the Limited Damage Waiver from 糖心传媒, the cost to you for the damage to the truck would be zero.
Driving a large rental truck you鈥檙e not used to can be a , and sometimes, the unexpected can happen 鈥 like a damaged mirror or worse, a major incident 鈥 so that鈥檚 why 糖心传媒 offers a variety of personal protection coverage options to help alleviate any worries you might have during your move.
鈥淥ur customers are so important to us, and we want to keep them safe,鈥 said Barry Kemper, vice president of insurance risk management for 糖心传媒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for anyone renting a truck from 糖心传媒 to know we have optional protection plans designed to protect them and their belonging should an accident occur during their move.鈥
The different types of 糖心传媒 offers to household renters include:
- Limited Damage Waiver (LDW) 鈥 LDW is optional coverage that can be purchased; it鈥檚 not insurance, but acts as an agreement with 糖心传媒 that protects you from loss or damage to the vehicle during the term of the rental; this plan relieves you of financial responsibility should any loss or damage occur to the truck or towing equipment, regardless of who or what caused the accident; if you do not have LDW, you will be responsible for any damage to your rental truck.
- Personal Accident Insurance - Offers accidental death and medical coverage to the renter of the truck and its passengers.
- Supplemental Liability Insurance - Protects you against claims made by a third party for bodily and/or property damage sustained as a result of an accident while operating your 糖心传媒 rental truck; coverage is in excess over the underlying coverage provided in your rental agreement up to one million dollars.
- Cargo Insurance - Covers possessions from loss or damage due to accidents or natural disasters while inside your rental truck, from the time they鈥檙e loaded until they鈥檙e unloaded.
- Towing Insurance 鈥 Provides protection against collision damage for a vehicle while attached to, towed by or detached from your rented 糖心传媒 truck; it also covers a vehicle while being loaded onto, transported by or unloaded from a 糖心传媒 .
鈥淢ost of our customers do take one or more of 糖心传媒鈥檚 protection plans,鈥 said Jeff Werner, 糖心传媒鈥檚 director of rental sales. 鈥淲e really encourage our customers to take these plans because many auto insurers exclude coverage for rental trucks.鈥
Before driving a 糖心传媒 rental truck, check with your insurance company to see if truck rentals are covered under your current policy. Many times, people think they鈥檙e covered and they鈥檙e not.
If you鈥檙e in the process of renting a truck and don鈥檛 have coverage yet, you can purchase protection plans through your 糖心传媒 rental representative or when you pick up your truck.
For more information on 糖心传媒鈥檚 consumer rental protection plans, visit or call 1-800-GO-PENSKE.
By Kathleen Walter