Movement around the depot, road testing and accidental damage while lifted may rely on different policy provisions.
Depot, workshop and roadside tyre work
Tyre Fitting Insurance
Tyre businesses combine vehicle custody, lifting operations, stock, mobile work and potentially high-consequence wheel-fitting errors. The description should cover the full job from arrival to final torque.
The fitting process creates a completed-work exposure
A wheel-detachment allegation may involve fitting method, torque settings, damaged components, equipment calibration and the information given to the customer. Written procedures, calibrated tools and recorded final checks can be important evidence.
Policies may distinguish accidental damage to the vehicle from the cost of correcting faulty workmanship. The relevant products or treatment-risk wording should be examined carefully.
Mobile work changes location and roadside risk
Roadside fitting can involve live traffic, poor lighting, uneven ground and lone working. The business should describe safety zones, vehicle positioning, high-visibility equipment, callout control and circumstances in which a job is refused.
Tools and compressors kept in vans may need cover away from the depot, with unattended-vehicle security conditions.
Tyres, wheels, racking, balancers, changers, compressors and tenants’ improvements need realistic replacement values.
Manual handling, inflation, lifting and public access create workplace and third-party injury exposures.
Specialist tyre work should be declared
HGV, plant, split-rim, agricultural, motorsport, run-flat and high-performance work can change the hazard. Wheel refurbishment, welding, alignment, mechanical repair or vehicle recovery should not be hidden inside a general “tyre fitting” description.
Prepare activity splits, maximum vehicle values, mobile-work percentage, staff experience, inspection records, tool calibration and claims details. This gives an insurer a clearer basis for terms than a turnover figure alone.
Focused commercial insurance guidance
Describe the complete wheel and tyre workflow
A tyre business should be presented as more than a retail stock risk. The insurer may need to understand vehicle reception, lifting, wheel removal, tyre fitting, balancing, torque control, road testing and the final handover. Mobile and roadside work adds traffic management, lone-working and equipment-security questions that do not arise in the same way inside a depot.
The exact work matters. Car and van fitting, HGV tyres, agricultural work, split rims, run-flats, wheel refurbishment, alignment and mechanical repairs can create different hazards. Written checks and calibration records may also be relevant when an allegation concerns a wheel fitted days or weeks earlier.
- Separate depot, mobile and roadside turnover
- Record torque and re-check procedures
- Declare specialist tyre and wheel work
- List compressors, changers, balancers and stock
- Explain how tools are secured in mobile vans
A detailed activity split gives a clearer picture than describing the business only as a tyre shop or mobile fitter.