Who asks a food truck for what
| Who | What they usually want to see |
|---|---|
| Event venues & caterers' clients | General liability naming the venue, and liquor liability where you pour |
| Cities, counties & permits | General liability, auto and workers' compensation at the limits in the permit or contract |
| Landlords & commercial leases | General liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation |
Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.
How to check what you already have
- General liability declarations page. Three liability numbers matter: each occurrence, general aggregate and the products–completed operations aggregate. Then the forms list: blanket additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory wording satisfy every contract; scheduled forms satisfy one.
- Auto schedule. Every vehicle listed with the right garaging address and use; symbols that include hired and non-owned auto; physical damage with the lender as loss payee where the vehicle is financed.
- Equipment schedule. Owned items scheduled above the per-item threshold, a blanket limit for small tools, leased or rented equipment included, and the valuation (replacement cost or actual cash value).
- Workers' compensation information page. Item 3.A must list every state you work in, item 4 must carry the right class codes, and the employers' liability limits should meet what contracts ask. Check that the estimated payroll is close to this year's.
- Products–completed operations. The aggregate, any vendors endorsement naming buyers as additional insureds, and exclusions for specific products or markets.
- Liquor liability declarations and forms. The limit, and the forms list checked for an assault-and-battery exclusion, which removes the most common claim.
- Business owner's policy declarations. Liability limits on the first page, then the property section: building (if you own), business personal property, business income and the named extras such as spoilage, equipment breakdown or employee dishonesty. Confirm the property values are current.
- Hired and non-owned auto. Look for the symbols 8 and 9 or an endorsement by that name on the auto or general liability policy; without it, staff in their own cars are uninsured on company business.
- Special events coverage. Whether the annual policy already covers your events or each needs a separate policy, and the additional-insured wording venues ask for.
- Employment practices declarations. Limit and retention, third-party coverage for claims by customers, and whether wage-and-hour claims carry any defence sublimit.
- Pollution liability. Site-based or contractors form, claims-made or occurrence, the materials named (mold, asbestos, lead, fuels), and transport and disposal coverage.
What usually goes wrong for food trucks
- The truck insured as a vehicle with the kitchen inside it uninsured.
- A propane or fryer fire in the truck, the catastrophic claim of the class.
- A hood-cleaning or suppression-service condition in the property policy with no record it was met.
- Employees delivering in their own cars with no hired and non-owned auto.
- A personal auto policy on a truck with the company name on the door.
- Employees using their own cars for deliveries or errands with no hired and non-owned coverage.
What underwriters will ask a food truck
- The truck's value and built-in equipment, propane and suppression set-up, events per year, and the commissary used
- Seating, hours, cooking methods and the hood and suppression system's last service
- Delivery: your own drivers, third-party platforms or both
- Each vehicle, its garaging address, radius and who drives it
- Driver list with licence states and dates of birth for motor vehicle records
- Attendance, alcohol, amusement devices and whether events are indoors or out
Have the answers in the wallet before the renewal and the quote request fills itself in; CoverMatch sends one application to every eligible carrier and lines the quotes up against what you have.
Renewal timing
Audits at year end compare payroll, receipts and subcontractor costs with the estimate, so keep the wallet's size figures and the subcontractor certificates current. Start comparing sixty days before expiration, and ask for the limits the next contract will need rather than the ones the last one did.