Your gear is only worth anything when it is at the loss, not at the shop.

Inland marine exists precisely because standard property coverage is tied to a fixed location, while restoration equipment is defined by movement, at a loss, in a truck, on a site overnight. That mismatch is the gap a contractors equipment floater is built to close, and it is why your gear needs its own coverage rather than riding on the property policy.

Why moving equipment falls outside standard property coverage

Commercial property is built around a described premises: the building and what is inside it. Restoration equipment breaks that model, because its whole purpose is to be somewhere else, running at a customer loss far from your shop. A location-based policy can leave a stolen dehumidifier from a job site or a generator damaged in transit uncovered. Inland marine is designed for exactly that: property away from your premises and on the move, which is the normal state of restoration gear.

Scheduled, blanket, and how to structure it

There are two ways to write it, and most operations use both. Scheduled coverage lists specific high-value items, truck-mounted systems, large generators, at stated values, which suits the expensive units you cannot easily replace. Blanket coverage insures the pool of smaller gear, the many air movers and dehumidifiers, up to a limit without listing each one. We schedule the big items and blanket the fleet so both the costly machines and the everyday equipment are covered without gaps or wasted premium.

Rented gear, rental reimbursement, and the big loss

Restoration scales equipment up for a large loss, often by renting extra drying gear, and the right inland marine form can cover equipment you rent or borrow. Some forms also reimburse you to rent a replacement while a damaged unit is repaired after a covered loss, which matters because losing a machine mid-job can stall the work and the revenue. We confirm rented-equipment and rental-reimbursement wording where your operation depends on it.

What it costs, and keeping the limit current

Equipment coverage is priced off the total insured value of your gear, scheduled and blanket, and loss history, not a flat rate. It is a modest line next to the liability coverages, driven mostly by replacement value. The common failure is a limit set years ago that no longer reflects a grown fleet, which quietly leaves you partly self-insured on a total loss. We review the schedule and blanket limit against your current equipment so the coverage keeps pace with the business.

Territory, transit, and Oregon

We are based in Eugene, so Oregon is where we start, but equipment coverage is where geography matters most. Inland marine generally follows the gear wherever it goes, including out of state, which is essential for storm and catastrophe work. There is no special Oregon license for equipment coverage, so the question is simply whether the territory and in-transit limits match how far and how often you move gear. We confirm that against your deployments, and your state page has the local detail.

Questions worth asking before you sign

Ask whether your equipment is covered in transit and away from your shop, not just at a location. Ask whether high-value units are scheduled and the small-gear fleet is blanketed. Ask whether the total limit reflects current replacement values. Ask whether rented equipment and out-of-state deployments are covered. If your gear is only insured at a fixed address, it is not really insured for how restoration works.