Tree surgeon fleet insurance for arborist crews, tippers and chippers
Chip tippers, towed chippers, pickups and crew vans for tree work, insured on one policy. A short form puts arborist businesses in touch with specialist brokers who understand the kit and the loads.
- Tippers towing wood chippers
- Roadside and off-road access
- Chip and log loads
Tree surgeon fleet insurance in brief
Tree surgeon fleet insurance is one motor policy for the tippers, pickups and crew vehicles an arboricultural business runs, including the chippers and stump grinders they tow. It is a specialised corner of fleet insurance for trades: insurers look closely at towing, heavy loads of chip and timber, vehicles parked on verges and tracks, and the high value of saws and climbing equipment.
Some insurers see tree work as a higher-risk trade, so accurate details about the vehicles, the kit and the crews tend to make a real difference to the terms on offer.
The arborist rig
Which vehicles does a tree surgery business run?
A tree crew rarely travels in one vehicle. Most set out as a convoy of a chip tipper, a towed machine and a second vehicle for extra climbers and kit.
Chip tippers
Caged or boxed tippers that the chipper blows straight into, often crew cab.
- Some are plated over 3.5 tonnes
- Tipping bodies are a declared change
- Load weight varies with wet or dry chip
Chippers and stump grinders
Road-towed wood chippers and stump grinders on trailers or their own axles.
- Towing must be declared
- Chipper theft is a known problem
- The machine usually needs its own cover
Pickups and crew vans
4x4 pickups for tracks and fields, and vans for climbers, ropes and saws.
- Off-road use is worth mentioning
- Climbing kit is high value
- Some pickups also tow log trailers
Motor or something else?
Chippers, saws and falling branches: which policy pays?
Tree work blurs the line between the vehicle and the job. The fleet policy covers the vehicles on the road, while the chipper, the saws and the work itself usually sit elsewhere. Crews of climbers and groundsmen usually need employers' liability insurance too.
| Incident | Motor fleet policy | Usual home for the cover |
|---|---|---|
| Chipper causes damage to another car while being towed | Yes | Usually under the towing vehicle's third party cover |
| Chipper stolen from the yard | No | Equipment or plant cover |
| Chainsaws taken from a pickup overnight | No | Tools cover, often with conditions |
| Falling branch damages a parked car during work | No | Public liability cover |
| Tipper damaged while reversing up a farm track | Yes | Accidental damage on a comprehensive policy |
A general guide only. Terms vary between insurers, so how each risk is handled is a question for the broker.
Getting to the tree
Roadside working and off-road access
Trees are rarely beside a tidy car park. Getting a tipper and chipper close to the work is part of what makes tree surgery fleets different.
- Parking on verges and laybys: Vehicles often stop on the roadside with signs and cones while a crew works overhead.
- Working beside live traffic: Roadside felling and clearance puts vehicles and people close to passing cars.
- Fields, tracks and private drives: Pickups and tippers leave the tarmac to reach trees on farms, estates and large gardens.
- Mud and soft ground: Getting stuck, sliding on wet grass and bringing mud onto the road are everyday hazards.
Some policies limit cover on private land or off-road. If vehicles regularly leave the road, it is worth asking how that is treated.
Chip and timber
Heavy loads, log sales and weight limits
Wet chip and green timber are much heavier than they look, so a tipper that is fine when dry can be overloaded after a rainy day. Tippers plated over 3.5 tonnes are goods vehicles and are usually insured on terms closer to HGV fleet insurance, and drivers may need extra licence entitlement.
Selling logs and chip
Many tree firms season and sell firewood or chip. Delivering your own logs to buyers is usually still own goods use, but it is worth describing so the policy matches.
Timber trailers
Log trailers behind pickups add weight and length. Each towing vehicle and trailer combination is worth declaring.
Securing the load
Loose rounds and branches can fall from open bodies. Caged sides and nets help keep loads on board.
How it works
One quote form, specialist fleet brokers
Insure Fleet is an information site, not an insurer or a broker. We link you to MyMoneyComparison.com, a comparison service that gives businesses a gateway to brokers who arrange fleet insurance every day.
Start your quote
Get my fleet quote takes you to our partner, MyMoneyComparison.com.
Describe the tree surgery fleet
The form asks about the vehicles, the work they do and who drives, so you can be matched with a specialist fleet broker.
Compare and decide
A broker contacts you with options, subject to insurers' acceptance criteria. There is no obligation to buy.
Before you buy
Questions worth putting to a broker about arborist vehicles
Tree surgery policies differ most on towing, off-road use and kit. These questions draw out the details.
- Is the chipper covered when it is unhitched?The motor policy usually stops at the tow hitch.
- Are tippers over 3.5 tonnes on the same policy?Some insurers rate them separately.
- Is off-road and private land use included?Tracks, fields and estates are common.
- What are the conditions for saws in vehicles?Chainsaws are a frequent theft target.
- Can groundsmen drive the tipper?Age and licence entitlement both matter.
- Does roadside working affect the terms?Worth asking how verge parking is viewed.
FAQs
Tree surgeon fleet insurance FAQs
What is tree surgeon fleet insurance?
It covers the tippers, pickups and vans of a tree surgery or arboricultural business under one motor policy. Every vehicle, towed machine and driver is set out on a single schedule.
Is the wood chipper covered by the fleet policy?
Only partly. Damage the chipper does to others while hitched up is usually treated as part of the towing vehicle's third party cover, provided the insurer knows the vehicle tows. Theft of or damage to the chipper itself normally needs separate equipment or plant cover.
Are chainsaws and climbing kit covered?
The motor policy does not cover them. Saws, ropes, harnesses and other climbing kit usually need a tools or equipment policy, often with conditions for kit left in vehicles overnight.
Is tree surgery treated as a higher-risk trade?
Some insurers see it that way, because of the towing, the loads and the roadside work. Specialist brokers know which insurers are comfortable with arborist fleets, subject to their acceptance criteria.
We also do mowing and garden maintenance. Which page fits us?
If tree felling and chipping is the main work, this page fits. If most of the work is mowing, planting and garden upkeep, landscapers fleet insurance covers that side.
We are a new tree surgery business with two vehicles. Can we get fleet cover?
Possibly. Some insurers accept fleets from two vehicles, and new business fleet insurance explains how a firm with no fleet claims record is assessed. A tipper, chipper and pickup can usually be combined on a mixed fleet policy.
Does Insure Fleet sell insurance?
No. Insure Fleet is an information site and an affiliate of MyMoneyComparison.com, a comparison service that gives businesses a gateway to specialist brokers. When you start a quote you continue to MyMoneyComparison.com, and we may be paid a small commission if you are matched with and speak to a broker.
Get your tree surgery fleet quoted
Tippers, chippers and crews: a specialist broker can talk through the options.