What delivery and gig platforms require from merchants and fleets

What the platform agreement actually requires

QUICK ANSWER

Delivery and gig platforms require general liability naming the platform as additional insured, auto coverage that matches how deliveries are made (commercial auto for fleets, hired and non-owned for staff cars), workers' compensation or occupational accident for drivers, and increasingly cyber. Limits sit in the merchant or fleet agreement, and the platform can pause an account when a certificate expires.

Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 11, 2026 Updated Oct 14, 2026

Typical requirements and how to check them
Requirement	What they usually ask for	How to check what you have
General liability	Per-occurrence and aggregate at the agreement's limits, the platform as additional insured	Dec page limits; blanket additional insured by contract in the forms list.
Auto liability	Commercial auto for owned fleets at the agreement's per-accident limit; hired and non-owned auto for staff vehicles; the platform often asks to be additional insured	Auto dec page symbols and limit; hired and non-owned endorsement on the liability policy for staff cars.
Workers' compensation or occupational accident	Statutory workers' compensation for employees; occupational accident where drivers are independent contractors	Workers' compensation information page; occupational accident policy with the platform's minimum benefits.
Cargo (fleets)	A per-vehicle limit for goods in transit on fleet agreements	Cargo policy limit and exclusions compared with the freight mix.
Cyber	Merchant integrations that handle customer data increasingly require a stated limit	Cyber policy or endorsement with breach response and liability.
Food safety and product liability (merchants)	Included in GL; some platforms ask for a specific product liability limit	Products–completed operations aggregate on the GL dec page.
Notice of cancellation	Thirty days' notice; platforms monitor certificate expiration dates automatically	A live certificate keeps the platform's compliance system current.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

General liability

Per-occurrence and aggregate at the agreement's limits, the platform as additional insured

Dec page limits; blanket additional insured by contract in the forms list.

Auto liability

Commercial auto for owned fleets at the agreement's per-accident limit; hired and non-owned auto for staff vehicles; the platform often asks to be additional insured

Auto dec page symbols and limit; hired and non-owned endorsement on the liability policy for staff cars.

Workers' compensation or occupational accident

Statutory workers' compensation for employees; occupational accident where drivers are independent contractors

Workers' compensation information page; occupational accident policy with the platform's minimum benefits.

Cargo (fleets)

A per-vehicle limit for goods in transit on fleet agreements

Cargo policy limit and exclusions compared with the freight mix.

Cyber

Merchant integrations that handle customer data increasingly require a stated limit

Cyber policy or endorsement with breach response and liability.

Food safety and product liability (merchants)

Included in GL; some platforms ask for a specific product liability limit

Products–completed operations aggregate on the GL dec page.

Notice of cancellation

Thirty days' notice; platforms monitor certificate expiration dates automatically

A live certificate keeps the platform's compliance system current.

Where the requirement hides

Platform agreements are click-through terms with an insurance section, a separate merchant or fleet policy document, and updates pushed by email. The current version controls, and platforms update terms more often than landlords or franchisors do.

Match the coverage to how deliveries happen

The single question that decides the requirement is who drives. Platform couriers mean your exposure is product and premises liability. Your own staff in company vans means commercial auto with the platform as additional insured. Your staff in their own cars means hired and non-owned auto on your policy and, in some agreements, minimum personal coverage for each driver. Fleet operators on logistics platforms carry the full set: auto, cargo, GL and workers' compensation or occupational accident.

Certificate monitoring

Most platforms use automated compliance tracking that reads expiration dates from certificates and pauses accounts when a date passes. The fix is not a reminder; it is a certificate that is never out of date.

What to send the platform

A certificate with the platform named as additional insured on general liability (and auto where applicable), limits at or above the agreement, the endorsement forms referenced, and an expiration date the platform's system can trust. Upload it in the platform's compliance portal or send the live link where the portal accepts one.

Questions people actually ask

The platform's drivers deliver my food. Why do I need auto coverage?

If platform couriers do the driving, you usually do not; the requirement then falls on your general liability and product liability. If your own staff deliver, even in their own cars, the agreement requires auto coverage on your side.

What is occupational accident and does it satisfy a workers' compensation requirement?

Occupational accident pays medical and disability benefits to independent contractors injured while working. It does not replace workers' compensation for employees, and some states do not accept it; check the agreement and your state rules.

The platform paused my account for an expired certificate. How do I avoid that?

Platforms track expiration dates and pause automatically. A live certificate link the platform can check at any time, plus renewal shopping sixty days out, keeps the account open.

Do I need cyber because of a delivery app?

Where the integration shares customer or payment data with you, agreements increasingly require it. Even where not required, a merchant handling online orders holds data worth protecting.