TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY INSURANCE
POLLUTION EXPOSURE DOES NOT STAY IN ONE PLACE. SOME OF THE MOST SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL LOSSES HAPPEN WHILE MATERIALS, WASTE, FUEL, OR CHEMICALS ARE BEING MOVED FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER — ON PUBLIC ROADS, ACROSS JURISDICTIONS, AND IN FRONT OF EVERYONE.
SPECIALTY HAULERS, WASTE HAULERS, FUEL HAULERS, HAZMAT TRANSPORT OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT CONTRACTORS, TANKER OPERATIONS, TRUCKING COMPANIES MOVING POLLUTION-SENSITIVE MATERIAL, CONTRACTORS WHO TRANSPORT CONTAMINATED OR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL, AND OPERATIONS WITH MOBILE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE.
A FIXED-SITE ENVIRONMENTAL LOSS IS SERIOUS. A MOBILE ENVIRONMENTAL LOSS CAN BE WORSE. WHEN THE LOSS HAPPENS IN TRANSIT, THE PROBLEM MAY AFFECT ROADWAYS, PUBLIC AREAS, PRIVATE PROPERTY, WATERWAYS, MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS, AND MULTIPLE THIRD PARTIES ALL AT ONCE — IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY IS DIFFERENT FROM FIXED-SITE POLLUTION COVERAGE AND DIFFERENT FROM PURE CONTRACTOR POLLUTION COVERAGE. IT NEEDS ITS OWN LANE, ITS OWN EXPLANATION, AND ITS OWN DECISION PROCESS — NOT JUST AN ASSUMPTION THAT AUTO AND GL WILL COVER IT.
A TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION EVENT — STEP BY STEP
TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION EVENTS DO NOT DEVELOP SLOWLY. CLICK THROUGH THE TIMELINE TO SEE HOW A ROUTINE HAUL CAN BECOME A MULTI-PARTY ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIM IN MINUTES.
ROUTINE HAUL BEGINS
A TANKER OR CARGO VEHICLE DEPARTS WITH A LOAD OF FUEL, WASTE, CHEMICALS, OR OTHER POLLUTION-SENSITIVE MATERIAL. STANDARD ROUTE. STANDARD PROCEDURES. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY — AT FIRST.
AN EVENT OCCURS
A COLLISION. A ROLLOVER. A VALVE FAILURE. A LOADING OR UNLOADING INCIDENT. A SLOW LEAK THAT WENT UNNOTICED FOR MILES. THE SPECIFIC TRIGGER CAN VARY — BUT THE RESULT IS A RELEASE OF HAZARDOUS OR POLLUTION-SENSITIVE MATERIAL ON A PUBLIC ROAD OR IN A PUBLIC AREA.
THE RELEASE SPREADS
WITHIN MINUTES OR HOURS, MATERIAL ENTERS STORM DRAINS, ROADSIDE DITCHES, SOIL, OR NEARBY WATERWAYS. NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES, BUSINESSES, OR PUBLIC AREAS ARE AFFECTED. EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ARRIVE. THE INCIDENT AREA EXPANDS.
MULTIPLE PARTIES ENTER THE PICTURE
PROPERTY OWNERS CLAIM DAMAGE. BUSINESSES CLAIM ECONOMIC LOSS. REGULATORS OPEN INVESTIGATIONS. CLEANUP CONTRACTORS ARE MOBILIZED. MULTIPLE THIRD-PARTY CLAIMS ARE FILED ACROSS DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS. THE EVENT IS NOW A MULTI-PARTY ENVIRONMENTAL LOSS.
THE AUTO POLICY GAPS APPEAR
THE HAULER'S COMMERCIAL AUTO POLICY MAY RESPOND TO THE VEHICLE DAMAGE AND SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE — BUT THE CLEANUP COSTS, ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY, AND THIRD-PARTY POLLUTION CLAIMS MAY FALL OUTSIDE ITS COVERAGE. WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY, THE GAP IS THE HAULER'S PROBLEM.
WHAT ARE YOU HAULING? SELECT YOUR MATERIAL TYPE.
DIFFERENT MATERIALS CREATE DIFFERENT TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION RISK PROFILES. SELECT THE TYPE OF MATERIAL YOUR OPERATION MOVES TO SEE THE SPECIFIC EXPOSURE PICTURE.
FUEL & PETROLEUM TRANSPORT
FUEL AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND WELL-RECOGNIZED TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION EXPOSURES. RELEASES FROM TANKERS, FUEL TRUCKS, OR DELIVERY VEHICLES CAN CREATE IMMEDIATE SOIL CONTAMINATION, WATERWAY IMPACT, AND SIGNIFICANT CLEANUP COSTS — OFTEN TRIGGERING STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATORY RESPONSE SIMULTANEOUSLY.
WASTE & HAZMAT TRANSPORT
WASTE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIAL TRANSPORT IS ONE OF THE MOST REGULATED AND MOST CLAIM-SENSITIVE TRANSPORTATION CATEGORIES. RELEASES CAN INVOLVE COMPLEX REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, MULTI-JURISDICTION RESPONSE, AND HIGH CLEANUP COSTS. THE COMBINATION OF WASTE CHARACTERIZATION, MANIFEST REQUIREMENTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY MAKES THIS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION CONVERSATIONS.
CHEMICAL TRANSPORT
CHEMICAL TRANSPORT CREATES POLLUTION EXPOSURE THAT DEPENDS HEAVILY ON THE SPECIFIC SUBSTANCE BEING MOVED. SOME CHEMICALS CREATE IMMEDIATE HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS FOR NEARBY RESIDENTS AND RESPONDERS. OTHERS CREATE LONG-TERM SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION. IN EITHER CASE, A RELEASE IN TRANSIT CAN CREATE MASSIVE CLEANUP AND THIRD-PARTY LIABILITY VERY QUICKLY.
CONTAMINATED MATERIAL TRANSPORT
TRANSPORTING CONTAMINATED SOIL, IMPACTED MATERIAL, OR REMEDIATION WASTE CREATES A DISTINCT TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION EXPOSURE. THE MATERIAL IS ALREADY KNOWN TO BE CONTAMINATED — MEANING ANY RELEASE, SPILL, OR CONTAINMENT FAILURE IN TRANSIT IMMEDIATELY CREATES AN ENVIRONMENTAL INCIDENT INVOLVING KNOWN POLLUTANTS AT AN UNCONTROLLED LOCATION.
GENERAL OR MIXED TRANSPORT
GENERAL HAULERS AND MIXED-CARGO OPERATIONS MAY NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES AS BEING IN A HIGH-RISK CATEGORY — BUT EVEN ORDINARY CARGO CAN CREATE POLLUTION EXPOSURE DEPENDING ON WHAT IS MIXED IN A LOAD, WHAT RESIDUE EXISTS IN CONTAINERS, OR WHAT LIQUIDS ARE INVOLVED IN THE TRANSPORT. THE RISK MAY BE LOWER, BUT IT IS NOT ZERO.
WHAT COMMERCIAL AUTO COVERS VS WHAT TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY COVERS
THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT DISCUSSIONS. UNDERSTANDING WHERE ONE ENDS AND THE OTHER BEGINS IS WHERE MANY HAULERS GET SURPRISED.
TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION EXPOSURES THAT MATTER
THESE ARE THE SPECIFIC EVENTS AND CONDITIONS THAT CREATE POLLUTION LIABILITY FOR TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS — FROM THE MOMENT MATERIAL IS LOADED TO THE MOMENT IT IS DELIVERED.
TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY — RELATED PAGES
USE THE LINKS BELOW TO MOVE INTO A SPECIFIC HAULER PAGE, A PETROLEUM OR STORAGE TANK PAGE, OR A BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL INSURANCE PAGE THAT FITS YOUR OPERATION.
COMMON QUESTIONS — TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY INSURANCE
WHAT IS TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY INSURANCE?
WHO NEEDS THIS TYPE OF COVERAGE?
IS COMMERCIAL AUTO ENOUGH?
WHEN DOES THIS BECOME IMPORTANT?
WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM FIXED-SITE POLLUTION COVERAGE?
REQUEST HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY INSURANCE
USE THE FORM BELOW IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION LIABILITY, A SPECIFIC MATERIAL OR HAULING OPERATION, A CONTRACT REQUIREMENT, OR A GAP IN YOUR CURRENT PROGRAM. IF YOU WOULD RATHER TALK IMMEDIATELY, CALL / TEXT (412) 212-2800.