High-value cargo
Up to $15M
Limits for high-value and theft-prone loads.
Cargo insurance
Contingent cargo
and trip transit insurance
Cargo coverage for freight brokers, shippers, and 3PLs, paired with shipment intelligence and an operations team to help prevent losses.
Protection in practice
- Match coverage to your cargo
- Choose the protection you need
- Monitor shipments with our platform
- Get support from our risk team
Optional protection
Strategic Theft
Available with All-Risk or as standalone coverage.
Proactive risk support
Platform + team
Shipment risk platform with 24/7 operator support.
Why Indemni Insurance
Traditional insurance programs are largely reactive to cargo losses. They address what could or should have been done to prevent or reduce a loss after cargo has been damaged or stolen. Indemni pairs insurance with risk mitigation tools to help customers reduce losses, claims, and disruptions.
In working with our partners, we have a program where the technology was in place before the insurance program. We recognize the need for useful risk mitigation tools that partner with an insurance policy, thereby providing a higher level of security and an improved insurance experience.
Markets
High-value freight means freight valued at $250,000 or more per shipment. Most standard carriers won’t insure high-value and theft-prone loads, or if they do, they are only willing to provide limits that are well below the full value. We specialize in protecting those risks when it matters most for our customers.
High-value and theft-prone loads
| Market | Standard carriers | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Often declined | Specialist placement |
| Limits | May fall below the full load value | Up to$15M |
Three coverage options
Choose whether to include Strategic Theft with All-Risk coverage or cover Strategic Theft alone. Strategic Theft Only excludes all other perils.
All-Risk with Strategic Theft
Strategic TheftIncludedOther All-Risk perilsIncludedAll-Risk without Strategic Theft
Strategic TheftExcludedOther All-Risk perilsIncludedStrategic Theft Only
Strategic TheftIncludedOther All-Risk perilsExcluded
Refrigeration Breakdown is available by endorsement.
Appetite
Commodities we consider, subject to underwriting and policy terms. Household Goods, including furniture and household effects, are not insured.
Technology
Processing units, rack servers, storage systems, semiconductor equipment, networking equipment, personal computers, mobile devices, audio & visual gear, robotics, telecom infrastructure.
Building Materials
Fiber optics, copper, steel coil.
Pharmaceuticals
OTC drugs, vitamins & supplements.
Food & Beverage
Beer & wine, frozen foods, food products.
Farm / Agriculture
Equipment & machinery.
How Indemni covers the gaps
Loss or damage
All-Risk Coverage
All-Risk coverage means just that. Coverage for any cause of loss unless specifically listed as an exclusion in the policy.
Coverage for shippers and freight brokers
Shipping your own inventory?
Transit or shippers-interest coverage
Protects a business shipping its own inventory.
Brokering a shipment?
Contingent cargo liability
Protects the freight broker when the motor truck carrier’s insurance is inadequate or does not respond.
People and policy
Your insurance and risk team
We provide Contingent Cargo and Trip Transit insurance built to fit the business needs of freight brokers, 3PLs, and shippers.
Your Indemni team
Reliable Risk Management team
Partner with our platform and team of operators who specialize in ground-level shipment intelligence.
- Insurance advisorCoverage guidance
- Managed servicesShipment monitoring
- Technology teamPlatform and integrations
- Support teamHelp with issues
What’s covered, and what isn’t
Cargo insurance covers freight that is damaged, lost, or stolen while in transit or temporary storage. Coverage depends on the selected form.
Cargo insurance
Freight in transit and temporary storage
Loading 
Transit 
Temporary storage 
Unloading
Coverage below depends on the selected form. All-Risk is available with or without Strategic Theft. Strategic Theft Only excludes all other perils.
Covered, depending on your form
Shippers-interest and transit coverage
Protects a business shipping its own inventory, by truck, rail, or parcel, when it does not control the motor truck carrier.
Theft of the freight
A full trailer stolen from a yard, a load taken in a fictitious or double-broker pickup, or freight pilfered in transit.
Collision, overturn, and accident damage
Freight crushed, scattered, or written off when the truck collides, jackknifes, or overturns.
Loading and handling damage in transit
Freight dropped, crushed, or water-damaged during loading, unloading, or transfer between conveyances.
Debris removal
After a covered loss, the cost to clean up and dispose of damaged cargo, plus the freight charges you had already earned on the load.
Emergency removal
To prevent a potential covered loss, freight is covered while it is being moved or being stored for up to 90 days or coverage expiration, whichever comes first.
Pollutant Cleanup and Removal
After a covered loss, the expense to extract pollutants from land or water, if reported within 180 days of the loss.
Excluded unless noted
The truck or trailer itself
Covered by commercial auto
Physical damage to the tractor, trailer, or reefer unit is not cargo.
Stock sitting at a fixed warehouse
Covered by commercial property
Inventory at rest in a fixed warehouse is not in transit.
Bodily-injury or property damage claim from an accident
Covered by general liability
If the wreck that destroys the freight also injures another driver or damages property other than the covered freight, that injury or property damage claim is liability, not cargo.
Reefer or refrigeration breakdownAvailable by endorsement
Covered by a refrigeration breakdown endorsement
Reefer unit failing and spoiling a perishable load is excluded on most base forms.
See optional coverageHousehold Goods
Not insured
Furniture and household effects are outside our appetite.
Insurance coverage is subject to eligibility, underwriting, terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions.
Cargo loss scenarios
About these examples| Scenario | How the claim happens |
|---|---|
| Full-trailer cargo theft | Loaded trailer is stolen from a yard or taken in a fictitious pickup. |
| Reefer breakdown spoils a load | A refrigeration unit fails on a perishable shipment and the entire load is condemned. |
| Collision destroys the freight | A jackknife or overturn crushes or scatters the load. |
| Water and handling damage in transit | Freight is soaked by a roof leak or crushed during a forklift transfer. |
These examples describe cargo losses. Coverage depends on the selected form, endorsements, terms, and limits.
How much coverage is needed
There is no standard limit or coverage. The coverage and limit that best protect you depend on several factors.
Motor Truck Carriers
The value of their typical and maximum load
A motor carrier hauling electronics or pharmaceuticals needs far more on a single trailer than one moving building materials at the same revenue.
Freight Brokers and Shippers
The value of the load
Freight brokers, shippers, and 3PLs will not tender a load until the motor truck carrier submits a certificate of insurance detailing their insurance coverage including limits of insurance.
For contingent cargo coverage, freight brokers are required to obtain proof of the carrier’s insurance limit that is equal to the cargo value.
What should you require for insurance limits
Up to$1M
Annual policy
Cargo value exceeds the annual policy limit
Request an increase for that shipment only
Freight broker - Contingent Cargo Liability
Contingent Cargo policies require the freight broker to obtain proof of the carrier’s insurance before it will tender the load. The carrier’s insurance must be current and with limits that equal or exceed the value of the cargo assigned to them.
The insurance limit for a contingent cargo liability policy should equal their highest shipment value. Indemni offers Contingent Cargo Liability coverage on an annual policy with limits up to $1M. For individual shipments where the cargo value exceeds the annual policy limit, a request can be submitted to Indemni to increase the contingent cargo liability limit to meet the cargo value for that shipment only.
Up to$15M
Per shipment · All-Risk coverage
Shipper - Trip Transit
Direct shippers of higher-value freight have two options for insurance coverage. They can require the carrier to provide proof of insurance for cargo, which at most will be $250,000 per load on an All-Risk form, and name the shipper on the certificate before the first pickup.
On a high-value freight shipment, this limit is most likely inadequate. Indemni offers Trip Transit (Single Trip) coverage where we provide All-Risk coverage for the cargo up to $15M per shipment.
How the limit reads
Limit of Insurance
Per-occurrence
Any single loss
Per-conveyance
One truck or trailer
Per-catastrophe
Same as per-occurrence limit
Refrigeration breakdown
Endorsement required
Deductible
1%2%5%10%
of the Limit of Insurance
Per-occurrence limit (per-load)
The most the policy pays for any single loss, which in practice is your worst single load. This is the figure most freight brokers and shippers set as their minimum before they tender freight.
Per-conveyance limit (Set to max load)
A cap on what is paid for the freight on any one truck or trailer at one time. Carry enough to cover your most valuable load on a single vehicle, not your average.
Per-catastrophe limit (same as per-occurrence limit)
The most the policy pays for any single loss regardless of the number of modes of transportation involved, or any combination of modes of transportation involved.
Refrigeration breakdown (Subject to policy limits)
The most the policy pays for refrigeration-breakdown spoilage, and only when the endorsement is on the form. High-risk commodities are often sublimited or excluded inside it.
Deductible (1%, 2%, 5%, or 10% of the Limit of Insurance)
What you pay on each covered claim - deducted from the available amount paid by insurance.
FAQs
Who needs contingent cargo and transit insurance?
Any freight broker, 3PL, shipper or motor carrier that hauls high-value freight for others. The type of coverage you need depends on your role. Review whether you need contingent cargo liability or shippers-interest coverage, along with the Strategic Theft terms that apply to your freight.
- Ecommerce
- Brands shipping their own inventory and inbound freight. Shippers-interest transit coverage pays the value of the product directly when a carrier they do not control loses or damages a shipment.
- Food & beverage
- Perishable inbound and outbound shipments need transit coverage with a refrigeration breakdown endorsement, since a refrigeration failure can condemn an entire load.
- CPG brands
- High-volume distribution multiplies the in-transit shipments and the freight contracts that require proof of cargo coverage.
Disclaimer
Insurance is recommended, offered and sold by Indemni Insurance Agency, LLC (CA License #6019669). Insurance coverage is available in the states of AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, WA, WI, and WV only (09/2026)
Insurance coverage is subject to eligibility, underwriting, terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions. Please refer to the applicable policy documents for complete coverage details. Program details are subject to change without notice. Underwritten and provided on a surplus lines basis by Chaucer Syndicate 1084 at Lloyds. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.