What is inland marine insurance?
No boats involved — it's the coverage for the tools and gear you haul from job to job.
The name throws everyone off. Inland marine has nothing to do with the ocean. For a small business, it's the coverage generally intended to protect your movable property — the tools, equipment, and gear you take to job sites, clients, and events.
The gap it fills
Your other policies leave a hole here:
- General liability covers harm to other people, not your own equipment.
- Commercial property usually covers items at a fixed location, not while they're in your truck or on a site.
Inland marine — often sold as "tools and equipment" coverage — is generally intended to address loss or damage to that property while it's on the move, subject to the policy terms.
Who tends to need it
Contractors and tradespeople, landscapers, cleaners, photographers and videographers, mobile fitness trainers, DJs and event pros — anyone whose livelihood depends on equipment that doesn't stay in one place. A stolen tool trailer or a dropped camera rig can be a business-ending loss without it.
How it's typically structured
Carriers commonly let you schedule higher-value items individually (with a stated value each) and set a blanket limit for smaller unscheduled tools. Keeping a current inventory with model numbers and values makes claims faster and settlements more accurate. Coverage terms, eligibility, and pricing are determined by the carrier and vary by state and individual circumstance.
Frequently asked questions
What is inland marine insurance?
Inland marine is a category of coverage generally intended to protect movable business property — tools, equipment, and gear — while it is in transit or away from a fixed location. For most small businesses it functions as "tools and equipment" coverage.
Why is it called "marine" if it covers tools?
The name is historical. Coverage for goods in transit started with ocean shipping ("marine"), and the inland version extended that idea to property moving over land. The name stuck even though it now mostly covers tools and equipment.
Does general liability cover my tools?
No. General liability is generally intended to respond to third-party injury and property damage, not damage to or theft of your own equipment. That gap is what inland marine is generally intended to fill.
How do I make sure my equipment is covered?
Most policies ask you to schedule (list) higher-value items and set a limit for smaller unscheduled tools. Keep an up-to-date inventory with values so a claim can be settled accurately.
Protect the gear your business runs on
Get a quote and ask about adding tools & equipment (inland marine) coverage.
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