Inland Marine & Tools Insurance

An HVAC contractor in Riverside arrived at his truck one morning to find the back window smashed. Someone had cleaned out everything. Manifold gauges, vacuum pumps, refrigerant recovery equipment, hand tools, power tools. Over $28,000 in equipment gone. His commercial auto policy covered only $1,000 for tools. His general liability policy covered nothing. Without inland marine coverage, he paid out of pocket to replace the equipment he needed to work.

Inland marine insurance, sometimes called a contractor's equipment floater or tools insurance, protects your equipment wherever it goes. At job sites. In your truck or trailer. In storage. In transit between locations. Standard property insurance covers items at fixed locations. Contractors work everywhere. Your coverage needs to follow you.

General liability doesn't cover your own property. Commercial auto covers the vehicle, not the contents. Property insurance covers your shop, not the job site across town. Inland marine fills these gaps with coverage designed for mobile assets. It protects hand tools, power tools, mobile equipment, scaffolding, temporary structures, and materials in transit.

Coverage can be written for scheduled items, listing specific pieces of equipment with individual values, or as a blanket covering all equipment up to a total limit. Larger contractors often use a combination, scheduling expensive items like generators and scissor lifts while blanketing smaller tools. The right structure depends on your equipment profile and risk tolerance.