Commercial Insurance
Inland Marine & Equipment Insurance — Coverage That Follows Your Property
Your commercial property policy covers what's at your listed location. Inland marine covers everything else — tools at job sites, equipment in transit, structures under construction, and property wherever your business takes it.
What is Inland Marine Insurance?
Despite the name, inland marine has nothing to do with water. It covers property that moves — contractor tools and equipment at job sites, goods in transit, mobile equipment, and property temporarily at a location away from your primary premises. Standard commercial property policies only cover property at your listed location, leaving a major gap for any business that takes equipment or inventory off-site.
Contractor's Tools & Equipment
Covers tools, equipment, and small machinery owned by contractors and tradespeople — whether at a job site, in a vehicle, or in storage. One of the most commonly written inland marine coverages.
Property in Transit
Covers goods, equipment, and materials while they're being transported — from your warehouse to a job site, from a supplier to your facility, or between locations.
Installation Floater
Covers materials and equipment during installation — from the time they leave your warehouse until they're fully installed and accepted by the owner. Critical for contractors and specialty trade subcontractors.
Equipment Floater
Covers specific mobile equipment by schedule — cranes, excavators, compressors, generators, and other high-value equipment that moves between locations.
Builders Risk
Covers buildings and structures under construction from the groundbreaking to project completion. Separate from an equipment floater — builders risk covers the structure itself, not the equipment building it.
Inland Marine expertise across industries
We write contractor's tools floaters, equipment floaters, installation floaters, and builders risk policies across construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and more.
The gap your commercial property policy leaves
Your commercial property policy covers what's at your listed location. The moment equipment or inventory leaves — to a job site, in a vehicle, at a temporary location — you're typically unprotected.
- Contractor tools at a job site
- Equipment being delivered
- Materials at a staging area
- Goods in a hired vehicle
- Property at a trade show
Inland Marine Coverage Types We Write
Inland marine is one of the most diverse lines in commercial insurance. Here are the most common coverage types we place.
Contractor's Tools Floater
Covers hand tools, power tools, small equipment, and job-site property for contractors and tradespeople — at job sites, in vehicles, and in temporary storage.
- →Theft from job sites and vehicles
- →Accidental damage to tools
- →Coverage follows the tools wherever they go
- →Blanket or scheduled options
Equipment Floater
Covers larger mobile equipment by schedule — cranes, excavators, forklifts, generators, air compressors, and other high-value equipment that moves between locations.
- →Scheduled equipment coverage
- →Replacement cost or ACV options
- →Rented equipment options
- →Breakdown endorsements available
Builders Risk
Covers a structure under construction or renovation — materials on site, work in progress, and the completed portions of the building — until the project is accepted.
- →New construction and renovation
- →Materials on site and in transit
- →Soft costs and delay coverage
- →Owner, contractor, and lender interests
Installation Floater
Covers materials, equipment, and fixtures during installation — from the time they leave your facility until they're installed and the work is accepted by the project owner.
- →HVAC, plumbing, electrical installs
- →Millwork and specialty fixtures
- →Coverage during transport and installation
- →Theft and accidental damage
Commercial Floater
Broad inland marine coverage for businesses that regularly transport goods, equipment, or materials — covering property in transit regardless of which carrier is used.
- →Retail goods in transit
- →Manufacturing components
- →Medical equipment transport
- →Scientific and research equipment
Miscellaneous Property Floater
Covers miscellaneous business property — cameras, drones, musical instruments, medical devices, fine art, and other specialized items that need coverage beyond what a standard property policy provides.
- →Professional cameras and AV equipment
- →Medical and diagnostic equipment
- →Scientific instruments
- →Fine art and collectibles
Common Questions
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Typically not — or only very limited. Most commercial property policies cover business personal property at the listed location. Once tools or equipment leave that location for a job site, a vehicle, or another temporary location, they're generally no longer covered. A contractor's tools floater or equipment floater fills that gap.
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They cover different things. Builders risk covers the structure under construction — the building, materials on site, and work in progress. An equipment floater covers the mobile equipment being used to build it — cranes, excavators, compressors. Many construction projects need both.
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You cannot rely on the general contractor's builders risk policy to protect your materials and work. GC policies vary significantly in how much protection they extend to subcontractors. As a sub, you should carry your own installation floater for your materials during installation, and confirm in writing what the GC's policy covers before assuming you're protected.
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Inland marine policies typically exclude wear and tear, mechanical breakdown (unless endorsed), employee dishonesty, and property that is not specifically scheduled or described in a blanket limit. Flood and earthquake are usually excluded as well. We'll review the exclusions carefully for any policy we place.
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Pricing depends on the type of property, its value, how it's used, where it travels, and your claims history. Contractors' tools floaters for small contractors can be very affordable. High-value equipment floaters for heavy construction equipment are priced based on the scheduled values. We'll get multiple quotes to find the right fit.