Insurance For Mobile Plant & Equipment
Protect your machinery with cover built around how you actually use it, get a fast, tailored quote today.
Call Us: 1300 900 207
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Complete the form to request a QUOTE. Call us at 1300 900 207 for an immediate response.
Protect Your Mobile Plant And Equipment
Mobile plant insurance covers heavy machinery and equipment such as excavators, forklifts, bobcats, and loaders against physical damage, theft, and third-party liability. It’s built for businesses in construction, mining, earthmoving, and agriculture, where machinery is a major capital asset and often the single biggest risk to project continuity.
Coverscope’s brokers work with plant owners, operators, and hire businesses across Australia to arrange cover that reflects how machinery is actually used, whether owned outright, hired in, or hired out to others.
What Can It Cover?
Most mobile plant policies combine the following sections of cover:
- Material Damage: Repair or replacement costs if your machinery is damaged by collision, fire, storm, flood, or vandalism, whether it’s working, at rest, or in storage.
- Theft: Covers stolen equipment, generally subject to security conditions such as fitted immobilisers or secured storage.
- Public Liability: Legal and compensation costs if your machinery injures someone or damages third-party property.
- Road Risk Liability: Covers registered plant while it’s driven or operated on public roads, separate from CTP, which covers personal injury only.
- Hired-In Plant: Protects equipment you hire from a third party while it’s in your care, custody, and control.
- Downtime / Loss of Use: A daily or weekly payment covering lost income or a replacement machine while your equipment is off-hire following an insured event.
Insurance Solutions For
- Construction and Building
- Mining and Resources
- Agriculture and Farming
- Earthmoving and Excavation
- Plant Hire Services
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Legally Required Cover
Mobile plant insurance itself isn’t a blanket legal requirement, but Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance is legally required once your plant is registered for road use. CTP covers personal injury only, so a registered machine still needs a separate road risk extension to cover property damage, such as a collision with a guardrail or another vehicle, since CTP alone won’t respond to that claim.
Contractually Required Cover
Beyond what’s legally mandated, principal contractors, government tenders, and equipment financiers frequently make proof of comprehensive cover a condition of getting on-site or securing finance. State safety regulators, such as WorkSafe Queensland, SafeWork NSW, and WorkSafe Victoria, also require businesses to manage the risks their machinery creates for workers and the public, without mandating a specific insurance product.
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Our team continues to work remotely but you are welcome to arrange an appointment with one of our consultants.
Find The Right Cover
Complete the form to request a QUOTE. Call us at 1300 900 207 for an immediate response.
Plant Cover Types Explained
Material Damage
Covers repair or replacement costs if your plant and equipment is damaged by fire, flood, storm, vandalism, or collision, whether your machinery is onsite, in transit, or stored away.
Theft Protection
Heavy machinery and tools are prime targets for theft, especially on remote or unsecured job sites. This insurance helps cover the cost of stolen plant and equipment, ensuring you can replace essential assets.
Hired-In Plant Coverage
If you regularly hire equipment, this cover protects you from liability if the machinery is damaged, stolen, or involved in an accident. Many equipment hire companies require proof of insurance, so having this policy in place keeps you compliant. If you hire equipment out to others rather than hiring it in, see our Dry Hire Insurance page for cover built around that side of the business.
Road Risk Liability
If your mobile plant is used on public roads, such as a grader, tractor, or backhoe, you’ll need road risk liability insurance. This helps cover accidents, third-party injuries, and property damage that could occur while driving on public streets.
Third-Party Liability
If your machinery injures someone or damages property, this cover helps with legal and compensation costs. For example, if an excavator swings too wide and hits a site office, or a scissor lift tips over and hits a work ute, you won’t be left covering the costs yourself.
Breakdown Cover
Unexpected mechanical or electrical failures can bring work to a standstill. This insurance helps cover the cost of repairs, call-out fees, and replacement parts, reducing downtime and keeping your projects on schedule. Downtime / Loss of Use cover is separate again, it responds to lost income while a machine is off-hire, rather than the repair cost itself.
What Usually Isn’t Covered?
What Usually Isn’t Covered?
- Wear and Tear: Gradual deterioration, rust, or age-related mechanical decline is treated as a maintenance issue, not an insured event.
- Overloading or Misuse: Damage caused by operating machinery outside the manufacturer’s rated capacity or specifications.
- Unlicensed or Uncertified Operators: Claims are typically declined if the machine was being operated by someone without the required licence or certification for that equipment class.
- Consequential Loss Beyond Downtime Cover: Broader loss of profit or contract penalties generally sit outside standard Downtime cover unless specifically extended.
What types of equipment are covered?
We cover a wide range of mobile plant and machinery, including excavators, forklifts, bobcats, graders, bulldozers, cranes, tractors, loaders, and drilling rigs. Cover is based on the machine’s value, use, and risk profile rather than a fixed equipment list, so if it’s central to your work, it’s worth asking us about.
Is hired equipment included in the coverage?
Yes. If you hire in plant and equipment, we arrange cover for damage, theft, and third-party liability while it’s in your care, custody, and control, which helps you meet hire company requirements and avoid unexpected out-of-pocket costs.
Do you offer coverage for equipment used in high-risk areas?
Yes. We tailor policies for businesses working in high-risk locations, including mine sites, remote areas, and other hazardous environments, where standard cover often falls short.
How are premiums calculated?
Premiums depend on the type and value of your machinery, where and how it’s used, your claims history, and whether the machine is owned or hired. Dry hire arrangements generally carry a higher risk loading than wet hire or own-use, since you lose direct control over how the machine is operated.
What happens if my equipment is stolen from a job site?
Theft cover responds to stolen machinery, generally provided any required security conditions, such as fitted immobilisers or secured storage, were met at the time of the loss. Reporting the theft promptly and providing evidence of the security measures in place helps the claim move faster.
Does mobile plant insurance cover mechanical breakdown?
Standard material damage cover typically excludes breakdown caused by normal wear and tear, since that’s treated as a maintenance issue. Breakdown Cover can be added to respond specifically to mechanical or electrical failure that isn’t caused by an accident.
Get in Touch
Simply fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch shortly, or feel free to call and tell us about your specific requirements.
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Suite 10B, Level 10, 2 Corporate Court, Bundall QLD 4217
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PO Box 7005, Mount Crosby QLD 4306
Our team continues to work remotely but you are welcome to arrange an appointment with one of our consultants.
Please complete the form to submit an enquiry.
