Insurer paid the claim. Carrier did not. Who pays next year?

A shipment of cosmetics was stolen in Spain.

The exporter called the trucking company. The trucking company’s advice was friendly and quick:

“Just claim from your cargo insurer. No need to involve us.”

Sounds reasonable. Especially when the trucking company’s CEO is your former classmate.

But here’s what that friendly advice actually costs.

The real price of “no need to involve us”

Your claims history takes the hit. Your insurer pays the insured loss above the deductible, and the claim goes on your record.

You pay the deductible. That’s €5,000 or €10,000 out of your pocket, every single incident.

Your loss ratio gets worse. And that shows up in your next insurance premium.

Now rinse and repeat.

Let’s do the Maths

Take an exporter with 14 cargo claims in one year and no recoveries pursued against the carriers responsible.

That’s €70,000 to €140,000 in potentially unrecovered deductibles. And that’s before we talk about higher premiums.

Meanwhile, how much did the trucking company pay? Nothing.

Congratulations. You’ve just become their favourite customer.

Insurance and recovery are not alternatives

This is what every exporter needs to understand:

Cargo insurance protects you against covered losses. It does not make the carrier’s liability disappear.

If a carrier is responsible for the loss, it should pay. Whether you are insured or not.

Insurance and cargo recovery work together. Your insurer may pursue the carrier after paying you (this is called subrogation). And you, as the insured, need to take an active role in it. That means keeping your documents, protecting your rights against the carrier and not letting the claim time-bar while everyone is being “friendly”.

And don’t forget your deductible. That’s your money, and it may be recoverable from the carrier too.

Why this matters right now

Insurance renewals are here. IUMI has already pointed to premium increases.

Every claim that stays on your record without a recovery behind it makes the next renewal harder.

So learn from someone else’s expensive mistake.

Having cargo insurance doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore recoveries.

Still think it does?

Check if your cargo claim qualifies with Recoupex.

If we don’t win, you don’t pay.