International haulage is the fleet world's heavy industry: trucks on the roads of several countries, under different rules. Transport law and permits are a specialist field in their own right – this article sticks to the insurance basics: what it takes to keep your fleet's cover in order once it crosses the border.
- The Green Card is international proof of MTPL cover – you can request it from your insurer, and it's worth checking before you set off.
- Casco's territorial scope isn't automatically worldwide – the country list set out in the policy terms is what governs.
- Cabotage and haulage permits belong to transport law – on the insurance side, the key is stating the activity precisely.
- For a claim abroad, on-the-spot documentation and the language-independent fields of the European Accident Statement are your lifeline.
The Green Card: an international passport
The Green Card proves that MTPL cover is in place in the countries covered by the Green Card system – you can request it from your insurer, and it's worth checking its validity and country list before setting off. The system and its format change from time to time (as electronic versions become more common) – for the current details, your insurer's and MABISZ's guidance is the reference point. Good fleet practice: track Green Card status in the vehicle list, with expiry dates monitored – for international routes, that's part of keeping the list up to date.
Casco and territorial scope
The MTPL system is internationally coordinated to protect injured parties – casco, though, is a contractual matter: the territorial scope set out in the policy terms determines which countries the cover applies in, and whether any regions are excluded. For international haulage, we treat this as a priority line when comparing quotes, checked against your route profile. The territorial scope of assistance cover belongs in the same conversation: handling a technical breakdown abroad comes down to towing distances and getting the vehicle and driver home.
Cabotage and declaring your activity
Cabotage – haulage carried out on another country's domestic transport market – is bound by licensing and transport-law frameworks; the details belong to transport law and change from time to time. On the insurance side, the point is simpler: you need to state the nature of the activity precisely when requesting a quote (international haulage, destination countries, cabotage practice), because the risk profile and pricing depend on it. Accurate disclosure here is in your interest, not a burden – at claim time, a mismatch between reality and what was declared is the worst possible combination.
A claim abroad: routine is worth even more
In a foreign country, in a foreign language, a claim situation is more stressful – which is exactly why routine is worth its weight in gold: the fields on the blue-and-yellow European Accident Statement are the same regardless of language, photo documentation works the same way everywhere, and the emergency number and assistance number should be saved in the driver's phone. The full process is set out in the claims-abroad article; as part of driver briefing, an international add-on to the on-the-scene checklist is recommended.
The international fleet's annual routine
For an international haulage fleet, the annual round gains two extra items. The first is a Green Card audit: every relevant vehicle's card is valid, the country lists cover the actual routes, and expiry dates are tracked in the vehicle list. The second is a route update: if new destination countries or new routes have come up, re-check the territorial scope of cover and the assistance coverage area – the country lists in the policy terms don't update themselves. The transport-law side (permits, cabotage frameworks) is the territory of the relevant authorities and industry bodies – the insurance side runs in parallel with that, but separately.
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