Moving companies in Canada need three coverages at minimum: commercial general liability, commercial auto insurance, and cargo insurance.
Most movers also add commercial property, tools and equipment coverage, warehouse legal liability if they store client goods, and cyber liability. Commercial auto is legally mandatory in every province. The rest are effectively mandatory in practice, because property managers, condo boards, and commercial clients won’t let your crew through the door without a certificate of insurance.
And late August through October is when movers are busiest, crews are stretched, and claims are likely to spike. Most Canadians relocate between May and September, and the late-summer stretch drives business for three reasons: university turnovers, families moving between school years, and summer real estate closings.
One dropped cabinet, one backed-into garage door, or a truck rear-ended on the 401 – and the difference between a rough week and a business-ending one is what’s in your moving company insurance policy.
What Is Moving Company Insurance?
Moving company insurance is a customized commercial policy that protects professional movers against vehicle accidents, customer injuries, damaged or lost belongings, property damage, and equipment theft. It typically bundles commercial general liability, commercial auto, cargo insurance, and commercial property insurance, with add-ons based on the services you offer.
There’s a distinction worth clearing up: moving company insurance protects your business. It’s not the same thing as the valuation or declared-value protection you sell customers for their goods. Those are separate products, and confusing the two is a common source of customer disputes.
Is Moving Company Insurance Mandatory in Canada?
Partly. Here’s the breakdown:
- Commercial auto insurance is legally required for every vehicle your business operates, in every province and territory. Minimum third-party liability limits vary by province.
- Provincial workers’ compensation is mandatory for most moving companies with employees – WSIB in Ontario, WorkSafeBC in B.C., and equivalent boards elsewhere.
- Commercial general liability isn’t required by law, but it’s required by nearly everyone you’ll do business with. Condo corporations and property managers routinely demand a certificate of insurance showing $2 million or $5 million in commercial general liability limits before a move-in date is approved.
- Cargo insurance isn’t legislated either, but commercial contracts, and most tender processes expect it.
- If you operate heavier vehicles or cross provincial borders, you’ll also need the appropriate safety fitness certificate – such as a CVOR in Ontario, or the equivalent in your province.
Who Needs Moving Company Insurance?
Any business that moves, packs, or stores other people’s property needs a policy. That includes:
- Residential movers
- Commercial and office movers
- Industrial movers
- Local movers
- Long-distance and interprovincial movers
- Cross-border movers
- Household goods movers
- Specialty movers handling pianos, artwork, antiques, safes, or lab and medical equipment
- Movers offering short- or long-term storage
- Movers using subcontractors, owner-operators, or rented and leased vehicles
- Packing-only and junk removal businesses that handle client property
What Liability Risks Do Professional Movers Face?
There are five common liability risks professional movers in Canada face. These can lead to financial losses, legal issues, and damage to a company’s reputation:
- Third-Party Property Damage
Accidental damage to your clients’ property happens during packing, loading, unloading and transport – and it isn’t limited to their belongings. Scuffed hallway walls, cracked hardwood, a dented elevator door, or a damaged driveway are all common claims, and building owners will come after you for them. Client property can also be lost or stolen during a move. - Third-Party Bodily Injuries
Your crew’s work can injure a client or a passerby. A client trips over the ramp on your truck, a neighbour’s kid runs into a stack of boxes on the sidewalk – either can turn into a claim for medical costs and lost income. - Auto Accidents
Every kilometre driven carries collision risk to your vehicle, other vehicles, property, and people. Moving trucks make it worse: high centres of gravity, tight residential streets, tired drivers on their fourth load of the day, and backing up in driveways with no spotter. - Damage to Client Property While in Storage or Transit
Goods can be damaged while sitting at a temporary storage facility or in transit between locations. Note that cargo insurance and warehouse legal liability handle these two scenarios differently (see below for details). - Professional Negligence
A client who believes your crew was careless, or that you didn’t deliver the service you promised, can sue, even if nothing was physically damaged. Missed delivery windows and botched inventories are frequent triggers.
What Does Moving Company Insurance Cover?
A comprehensive moving company insurance policy can include:
- Commercial general liability insurance covers third-party bodily injury and property damage that happens on your premises or through your operations. Most clients and property managers will ask for $2 million in limits; commercial contracts often want $5 million.
- Cargo insurance – also called motor truck cargo insurance – covers loss, damage, or theft of client property in your care, custody, and control while in transit or briefly held at a third-party facility. Limits are usually set per load, so match yours to the value of your largest typical job.
- Commercial auto insurance covers the costs of an accident involving your moving van or truck, including third-party injuries and property damage when you’re at fault, plus repairs to your own vehicle. Personal auto policies don’t cover commercial use. If you’re moving goods for money, you need a commercial policy.
- Warehouse legal liability insurance covers client goods stored at your own facility – the gap cargo insurance leaves once property stops moving. If you offer storage of any kind, ask a broker about this specifically.
Your policy can also include tools and equipment insurance, professional liability insurance, commercial property insurance, commercial crime insurance, and cyber liability insurance. Here’s how they compare:
| Coverage | What It Protects | Typical Limits |
| Tools and equipment insurance | Your dollies, ramps, straps, blankets, lift gates and rigging against theft, vandalism, fire and water damage | Based on the replacement value of your gear |
| Professional liability insurance | Claims of negligence or failure to deliver as promised, missed delivery windows, botched inventories | $1 million to $2 million is common |
| Commercial property insurance | Your office, its contents, and your storage facility against fire, water, theft and vandalism | Based on replacement costs of buildings and contents |
| Commercial crime insurance | Employee theft, forgery, and dishonesty, including seasonal and temporary employees | $25,000 to $100,000 is common |
| Cyber liability insurance | Recovery from a data breach or cyberattack exposing customer data | $1 million is common for most moving companies |
If you have questions about what your moving company’s policy should contain, including what the coverage limits should be and what exclusions are in your policy, speak to a licensed Zensurance broker. We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of insurance and ensure you have the right coverage for your business.
What Moving Company Insurance Doesn’t Cover
Knowing the gaps is as important as knowing the coverage. Standard policies typically exclude:
- Injuries to your own employees. That’s what provincial workers’ compensation is for.
- Goods packed by the owner (PBO). If a customer packs a box themselves and something inside breaks, most cargo policies won’t pay.
- Cash, jewellery, and high-value documents unless specifically in your policy.
- Wear and tear or pre-existing damage to furniture and appliances.
- Mechanical breakdown of your trucks is a warranty or maintenance issue, not an insurance claim.
How Much Does Moving Company Insurance Cost in Canada?
Premiums vary by insurer, but the factors that drive your price are consistent:
- Where you operate
- How many trucks and vans you run, and their year, make, and model
- Crew size, how many employees drive, and their driving records
- Which services you offer – packing, loading, unloading, storage, long-distance, specialty items
- Years in business
- The tools and equipment you own, rent, or lease
- Annual and projected revenue
- Your claims history
The only way to know your number is to get a free quote. Our online application takes under five minutes to fill out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving Company Insurance in Canada
Does moving company insurance cover customers’ belongings?
Yes. If a customer’s possessions are in your care, custody and control, they can be protected by cargo insurance. This coverage is designed to safeguard items against loss or damage resulting from an insured peril during the loading, transit, or unloading phases of a move.
Are customers’ belongings covered while in storage?
Not always. Cargo insurance often stops once goods reach a warehouse or after a set number of days. If you store client property short- or long-term, you likely need warehouse legal liability insurance. Confirm the cutoff in your policy wording with your broker.
Does moving company insurance cover injured employees?
No. Commercial general liability doesn’t cover your own employees’ injuries. Moving companies need provincially administered workers’ compensation coverage for work-related injuries and illnesses. You can add employers’ liability insurance for claims that fall outside workers’ comp, including lawsuits alleging employer negligence.
How much moving company insurance do I need?
Most residential clients and property managers ask for $2 million in commercial general liability. Commercial and government contracts commonly require $5 million. Set your cargo limit to cover the full value of your largest typical load, not your average one.
Can I get a certificate of insurance the same day?
Usually, yes. Condo boards and property managers often ask for a certificate of insurance on short notice, sometimes days before a scheduled move-in. Zensurance can typically issue yours the same day you’re bound.
Get Moving Company Insurance Online in Minutes
Peak moving season doesn’t wait for paperwork.
Fill out our online application for a free moving insurance quote.
Let our brokers shop 50+ insurers to find coverage that fits your trucks, your crew, and your budget. We’ll customize your policy and issue your documents – including your certificate of insurance – often the same day.
– Updated August 26, 2026.
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