sorry to keep on, but i also been thinking…I guess a question to your agency like this would be an example to ask,You have a truck with the overall height indicator properly mounted inside the cab, you go out and hit a bridge with the truck,The tpt co says to agency, thats driver negligence and as such im not paying or claiming for it , im want the agency to pay or i will take you to court for it, what happens then, does the agency fight it, or do they pass it onto you to sort out ?Be interesting to find there answer and that will tell you if you need to get insurance or not.
Would a driver be even able to get insurance for a vehicle he did not own, as he could be in a different vehicle everyday , doubt you could find an insurance company that would offer cover.
richmond:
sorry to keep on, but i also been thinking…I guess a question to your agency like this would be an example to ask,You have a truck with the overall height indicator properly mounted inside the cab, you go out and hit a bridge with the truck,The tpt co says to agency, thats driver negligence and as such im not paying or claiming for it , im want the agency to pay or i will take you to court for it, what happens then, does the agency fight it, or do they pass it onto you to sort out ?Be interesting to find there answer and that will tell you if you need to get insurance or not.
Isn’t that down to the driver to check the height of his vehicle. How does he know some job stealing, agency working, immigrant scroat hasn’t changed the marker?
trailers are marked for height so it up to you to check! i drove a 14’6 7.5 tonner last week if you go by the indicator 
AFAIK its the operators responsibility to mark the height on a trailer, but it’s the drivers responsibility to ensure the in cab indicator is set correctly. This could open a whole can of worms whether the driver takes the height information provided by the operator to be correct, or should the operator provide suitable height measuring devices upon request by a driver so that he/she can fulfill their responsibilities.
However if the truck is a rigid does the driver take the setting of the in cab height marker to be correct?
peirre:
AFAIK its the operators responsibility to mark the height on a trailer, but it’s the drivers responsibility to ensure the in cab indicator is set correctly. This could open a whole can of worms whether the driver takes the height information provided by the operator to be correct, or should the operator provide suitable height measuring devices upon request by a driver so that he/she can fulfill their responsibilities.However if the truck is a rigid does the driver take the setting of the in cab height marker to be correct?
Unless it was OBVIOUSLY wrong, ie set at 8’ on a truck that’s clearly 15’, then why would you have reason to doubt it?
If it was wrong, I’m not sure what the outcome would be, but I’ve never checked a rigid except drop boxes, and then they only came in 2 sizes where I worked and you could see the different heights, one stuck over the cab, other was level. So 2 measurements when I started and I was fine.
As has been mentioned a million times on here, if you drive a Scumia (possibly others, but not sure) and have the lift axle up, add 3" to your height.
peirre:
However if the truck is a rigid does the driver take the setting of the in cab height marker to be correct?
Yes; but I also take the precaution of approaching the first bridge marked at the same (or slightly greater) height as the truck with EXTREME care. As you should anyway of course but that first time’s the most important.
Richmond.
If I want insurance for a vehicle, I have to give them a registration number. If I give them the number of your truck and one of your drivers have an accident, you will not be getting paid out as you cannot insure a vehicle twice, this has been done to stop fraud as people were insuring a motor with several companies, writing it off and doing multiple claims.
Traders policies even have to have the number of any vehicle that is in your name on them now, only sales cars are exempt.
So, who should insure it, you or every agency driver you won’t be using…?
So I feel you won’t be taking them to court and you certainly won’t be winning any cases about this one!
So then, its been a week now, has anybody been and clarified this with there agency or umbrella co, im still confused to the legalitys !
Yes, I did have a word with my agency and yes, I am covered by the insurance of the company that I drive for, on exactly the same policy and conditions as their own drivers. The only stipulation, supposedly imposed by the insurance company, is that all drivers, core and agency, must have an assessment when first driving for them and then annually - I know this is standard with most larger companies as well. There’s no mention of any deduction for excess should a claim be made, in either my contract with the agency (which hasn’t changed since I went S/E with them) or, I was told, the agency’s contract with the employer, but agency drivers don’t get the same bonus that their own drivers do for being ‘accident and infringement’ free.
I also, just out of interest, tried finding out what sort of insurances were available for agency drivers & the simple answer is ‘none’. Public Liability insurance doesn’t cover vehicle damage, though it may cover third party damage if I knock over a wall or something, and professional insurance, which I have for my main business, doesn’t seem too exist for drivers. Cover to drive any vehicle, much like a trader’s policy, also doesn’t exist - if you are an individual then you need to have the details of the vehicle you are driving.
Well it looks like i have got it wrong then, glad you have got it sorted and apolagies to anyone , regards rich