By Mitul Malkan at ERS
Home delivery drivers have always been amongst the unsung heroes of our economy. But while the pandemic has given them some well-earned recognition, it hasn’t made their job any easier. Demand has skyrocketed in 2020, from electronics to home furnishings, health products and garden plants.
During the first lockdown in March, we saw a patchwork quilt of makeshift delivery solutions as businesses struggled to meet the unexpected surge in demand, and thousands of commercial vehicle owners saw a chance to replace their Covid-hit incomes by picking up the shortfall. Taxi drivers changed lane into delivery services and independent retailers hit the road with their own impromptu delivery services.
Now, back in lockdown and with a busy festive period looming, millions of households will be relying on a diverse fleet of drivers to home deliver Christmas.
85% of retailers believe that online shopping will increase this Christmas compared to 2019, and at least one quarter of UK consumers are intending to start this shopping earlier than usual – indeed, the chances are they’re well underway already. While many of us are shut up in our homes, these drivers are facing a frenetic period ahead.
Supporting home deliveries of all shapes and sizes
For brokers, this is a unique moment to be supporting the world of home delivery. Maybe your customers are delivering wine club orders, local garden centre produce or Christmas presents. Maybe they’re busy travelling out to customers’ homes for consultations, repairs or to provide essential services. Whatever the scenario, you can be sure that we have the product to serve it.
For traditional couriers, we provide comprehensive policies for operators with up to five vehicles that work on a time critical, pay-per-drop basis.
We’re also being flexible with our passenger transportation policyholders so that they too can easily take advantage of the opportunities presented by the home delivery revolution.
Finally, we’ve made many of our commercial products open market on our eTrade platform to help give brokers and their commercial customers the real-time policy and pricing information they need to make instant decisions for policies up to 5 vehicles
The value of eTrade
Many of the specialist areas in which we operate – such as Commercial or Specialist Commercial Vehicles – aren’t even offered by mainstream insurers, let alone made available online at scale and speed. eTrade helps us cope with sudden or rapid spikes in demand more easily so that every broker can get what they need from us, as soon as they need it.
ERS eTrade can provide quotes for standard named single vehicle risks and risks for up to 5 vehicles, offering ‘any driver terms’ for these multi vehicle opportunities, giving courier or commercial vehicle policyholders the flexibility to operate either full-time or ad hoc delivery services as needed. Furthermore, we have expert underwriters on hand and able to support our brokers around more complex risks or modified vehicles.
From major logistics providers to taxi drivers, thousands of commercial vehicle owners have put themselves on the frontline throughout the pandemic. And, as the nation returns to a period of lockdown and enhanced restrictions, we can expect these drivers to step up to the plate once more and help meet the incredible demand for home delivery services.
Get in touch with the team If you have a commercial risk you’d like to discuss commercialquotes@ers.com or sign-up to ERS eTrade to start trading today
