No Certificate of Insurance = No Delivery!

Nothing can mess up your schedule and your budget like having the delivery driver show up and be forced to sit and wait outside while a certificate is obtained, or turned away all together and left to return on another day.

Did you know that many of New York’s commercial and residential buildings require that a Certificate of Insurance (COI) be on file with the building or property manager before a delivery can be made? That’s a fact of business life in the delivery business in New York City and surrounding area.

A building or property manager wants verification that there is coverage for any damage caused during a delivery. Typically, it’s only necessary for properties that share common areas like a lobby or elevator.

If you are planning to have goods or equipment picked up or delivered, check with the building management at both locations to find out if they require a COI. If so, be sure to notify your delivery company so they can have one prepared and presented to building management ahead of the scheduled date.

We have picked up and delivered to so many buildings in the New York City area that chances are that we probably already have a COI on file. In the instance where we may not have a COI, we have a quick remedy working with one of the industry’s best insurance companies that specializes in working with companies like ours, so we can typically turn around a COI on the same day or by the next business day.

What is a Certificate of Insurance?

A Certificate of Insurance is Purely Informational and is not intended to confer any rights on either the policyholder or the certificate holder. A Certificate of Insurance should list the pertinent coverage terms as they appear in the actual policy.

The New York State Insurance Department has expressly advised insurers that:

…[C]ertificates of insurance should be used only to provide evidence of insurance in lieu of an actual copy of the applicable insurance policy. Certificates should not be used to amend, expand, or otherwise alter the terms of the actual policy.

When choosing a Delivery and Trucking Company in the New York City area to entrust your goods and equipment to pick up and deliver, make sure that they are carrying adequate insurance, and check on Certificate of Insurance requirements at the pick up and delivery points.

As a best practice, and for the protection of our company and yours – in addition to Workers Compensation Insurance- we maintain an above industry standard level of insurance with a $1 million General Liability and Vehicle Insurance policy blanketed with an additional $4 million dollar umbrella liability insurance policy, bringing our total coverage to $5 million.

Eveready Express has hundreds of COIs already on file with buildings throughout New York City, which will speed the delivery process and gives you, the property management and your clients peace of mind.

Not sure how to navigate this?

Call our delivery specialists at Eveready Express!  We quickly navigate the world of Insurance Certificates (and the streets of NYC).