Every shipment that leaves your dock or crosses your dock is someone’s merchandise, and someone’s livelihood. Cargo insurance — also called freight or inland marine insurance — protects the value of goods in transit against damage, theft, and loss, no matter who’s responsible for the carrier. For shippers, carriers, and logistics businesses in Florida, it’s the coverage that makes sure a bad delivery day doesn’t become a business-ending one.
What Does Cargo Insurance Cover?
- Physical damage to goods in transit by truck, rail, or air
- Theft during loading, unloading, and transit
- Loss resulting from collision, rollover, or traffic accident
- Water damage from sprinkler systems or weather exposure during transport
- Temperature-sensitive cargo damaged by refrigeration failure
- Misdelivery and goods lost during transit
- Warehouse-in-transit coverage while goods are temporarily stored
- Third-party liability when cargo is damaged while in your care, custody, or control
Carrier Liability Is Not the Same as Cargo Insurance
Federal law limits trucking carrier liability to a fraction of the cargo’s actual value — often as low as $0.60 per pound for general freight. That means a $50,000 shipment of electronics damaged in a wreck might recover only a few hundred dollars from the carrier. Cargo insurance covers the full commercial value of your goods, not just the carrier’s limited liability.
Who Needs Cargo Insurance in Florida?
If you move, ship, or store goods that belong to others — or that you’ve sold but not yet delivered — you have cargo exposure. Importers, exporters, freight brokers, and manufacturers with significant interstate shipping volumes all need cargo coverage. Florida’s position as a major logistics and trade hub means that cargo policies here often need to address both domestic trucking exposure and international marine transit.
Get Cargo Insurance in Orlando, Florida
Insure USA, Inc. is an independent agency serving Orlando and all of Florida. We compare Cargo Insurance options from multiple top-rated carriers — finding the right balance of coverage and cost for your specific operation. Call (321) 235-7377 or request a free quote online.