Volumetric mixer cover
Volumetric mixer insurance for mix-on-site concrete
For lorries that carry dry materials and batch to order on site. One short form reaches specialist brokers.
- Six and eight-wheel volumetrics
- Owner-operators to small fleets
- Own concrete or supplier work
Quick answer
Volumetric mixer insurance is HGV cover for a lorry that carries sand, stone, cement and water in separate compartments and mixes fresh concrete on site, in the amount the customer needs. Insurers look at the value of the mixing body, the time the lorry spends working on site, who operates it, and whether you sell your own concrete or mix for a supplier. Many operators pair it with public liability (opens in a new tab) for spills, splashes and sudden wash-out incidents at the customer's property.
Volumetric cover at a glance
- The lorry travels with dry materials, so there is no setting deadline on the road, but the mixing body is complex and valuable.
- Much of the working day is spent parked on drives, plots and farm yards, pouring through a chute.
- Selling concrete you make yourself is usually declared as carriage of own goods, while mixing for a supplier is haulage.
- Insurers often ask about calibration records, operator experience and how the unit is maintained.
- Drum mixers and mobile batching plants are separate risks and are usually quoted on their own terms.
What volumetric mixer insurance covers
A volumetric policy starts as goods vehicle motor cover and then has to account for the mixing plant on the back. Comprehensive cover is the usual choice once the body is worth more than a basic rigid.
Volumetric mixer types and what insurers look at
Volumetric bodies come in several sizes and layouts. The chassis they sit on, and what is fitted to the back, tell an insurer what kind of work to expect.
| Volumetric type | Typical work | What insurers look at |
|---|---|---|
| Eight-wheel volumetric | Larger house slabs, farm yards and steady trade supply | Body value, weight when fully loaded, ground conditions on site |
| Six-wheel volumetric | Driveways, footings and part loads for builders | Reversing and kerb damage, access through narrow lanes |
| Compact volumetric on a smaller rigid | Small pours, landscaping and garden work | Licence held by the driver, overloading, domestic sites |
| Volumetric with a conveyor or extended chute | Placing concrete over walls or into back gardens | Value of the attachment, reach near people and property |
Delivering ready-mixed concrete in a revolving drum? See concrete mixer lorry insurance. A plant that batches on site from its own trailer is explained on the mobile batching plant insurance page.
Selling your own concrete or mixing for a supplier
Most volumetric operators buy the sand, stone and cement themselves and charge the customer for what is poured. Others run under contract to a concrete company whose materials are on board. Insurers treat these two set-ups differently, so the certificate needs to match the way the lorry earns its money.
Pay-for-what-you-use operators
An owner-operator or small firm selling concrete it has mixed from its own materials is usually insured for carriage of own goods. See own goods cover and owner-driver HGV insurance.
Mixing for a concrete supplier
Producing concrete from a supplier's materials and delivering it to their customers for payment is haulage, also called hire and reward. The supplier may set minimum cover in the contract. See haulier insurance.
Which class of use covers selling concrete you mix from your own materials?
- NoSocial, domestic and pleasureNot suited to a working volumetric.
- YesCarriage of own goodsYour own sand, stone and cement, mixed and sold to your customers.
- NoHaulage, or hire and rewardNeeded instead when the materials belong to a supplier you mix for.
Records that help a volumetric quote
Brokers may ask for the age and value of the mixing body, recent calibration sheets, servicing history and, where an operator licence is needed, its details. A restricted licence is for own goods only, so contract mixing for a supplier needs a standard licence. Having these ready makes it quicker to start a volumetric quote (opens in a new tab).
What affects the price of volumetric mixer insurance
A volumetric earns its living parked on someone else's ground, so insurers weigh the site work as heavily as the miles driven.
While producing concrete
Soft verges and new driveways under a heavy axle, chutes swung near cars and windows, and slurry reaching drains during wash-out.
Between jobs
A tall, heavy body on rural lanes, materials shifting in the bins, and keeping the loaded weight within the plated limit.
- Value of the volumetric bodyThe mixing plant can be worth as much as the chassis or more, which lifts the sum insured.
- Who operates itTime on volumetrics, not just years holding a C licence, is often what insurers ask about.
- Calibration and servicingRegular calibration and a maintained auger and hydraulics suggest a well-run unit.
- Type of customersDomestic drives and gardens bring different site risks from commercial plots and farms.
- Overnight parkingA locked yard or depot is usually viewed more kindly than a lorry left on the street.
- Past claimsEarlier motor and site claims both count. Two or more lorries may sit better on HGV fleet insurance.
Cover that often sits alongside volumetric mixer insurance
Motor cover deals with the lorry. Selling concrete direct to customers creates other risks that a vehicle policy is not built for.
Before you buy
Questions worth asking about volumetric cover
Volumetric policies can look alike on the schedule and still treat site work very differently. These are points brokers can clarify.
- Is the lorry covered while it is mixing?Or only while it is driven, with incidents during production left to a liability policy?
- Is the full value of the body insured?An agreed value for the bins, auger and conveyor avoids a shortfall after a write-off.
- What about mechanical breakdown of the auger?Mechanical and hydraulic breakdown is normally excluded from motor cover. Breakdown of the mixing plant usually needs separate engineering cover, if it is available.
- How are wash-out incidents treated?Some liability policies only respond to sudden pollution, not slurry that builds up over time.
- Are claims over faulty concrete included?Liability cover often excludes the cost of breaking out and replacing a pour that fails to set properly.
- Who may drive and operate the unit?Named operators, minimum age and time on volumetrics differ between insurers.
- Is a replacement lorry available?A like-for-like volumetric is hard to hire quickly, and without one the bookings stop.
- Does the class of use fit the business?Own concrete and contract mixing for a supplier are declared differently.
How it works
How to get a volumetric mixer insurance quote
HGV Insure is an information site, not an insurer or a broker. We link you to MyMoneyComparison.com, a comparison service that can match volumetric operators with brokers who handle concrete lorry risks.
- 1
Start your quote
Get my volumetric quote takes you to our partner, MyMoneyComparison.com.
- 2
Tell them about the volumetric
The form's body type for this is Concrete Mixer - Volumetric, followed by the weight, licence details, how the lorry earns its money and who operates it.
- 3
Compare and decide
A specialist broker contacts you with options, subject to insurers' acceptance criteria. There is no obligation to buy.
FAQs
Volumetric mixer insurance FAQs
What is volumetric mixer insurance?
It is HGV insurance for a lorry that carries concrete ingredients separately and mixes them on site. It covers the vehicle on the road and, depending on the insurer, the lorry and its mixing body while they work on a customer's site.
How is a volumetric different from a drum mixer for insurance?
A drum mixer collects concrete already mixed at a plant and has to discharge it before it sets. A volumetric carries dry materials and mixes only what is needed, so insurers focus more on the mixing equipment and the time spent on site. See concrete mixer lorry insurance for drum mixers.
Is a volumetric the same as a mobile batching plant?
Not for insurance purposes. A volumetric is a lorry that drives to each job and mixes from its own bins, while a mobile batching plant is usually set up on a large site for a longer spell. See mobile batching plant insurance.
I sell concrete by the cubic metre from my own materials. Is that own goods?
Usually, yes. Mixing and selling concrete made from materials you have bought yourself is normally declared as carriage of own goods. If a supplier owns the materials and pays you to mix and deliver, haulage use is needed instead. If you do both, haulage use is usually needed to cover the contract work. See own goods cover.
Does insurance cover a customer's claim that the concrete was the wrong strength?
Often only in part. A public and products liability (opens in a new tab) policy may respond to damage the concrete causes, but the cost of removing and replacing the pour itself is commonly excluded. A claim that a mix simply failed to reach its specified strength may also fall under a failure-to-perform exclusion. Calibration records can help show the mix was produced correctly.
What if slurry from washing out gets into a drain or watercourse?
Concrete wash water is highly alkaline and harmful to rivers, so it is normally kept out of drains. Pollution cover under a liability policy is often limited to sudden, accidental events, which makes it a point for the broker.
Is damage to a customer's driveway covered?
Cracks or ruts caused by a heavy lorry on private ground are treated differently by different insurers. Some motor policies respond, and others leave it to public liability (opens in a new tab), so the two policies interact.
What affects the cost of volumetric mixer insurance?
The value of the volumetric body, who operates it and their time on volumetrics, calibration and servicing records, the type of customers and sites, where the lorry is kept overnight and past claims all play a part. Whether you sell your own concrete or mix for a supplier also changes the class of use, and so the quote.
Can a new owner-operator insure a volumetric?
Some insurers accept new operators, usually asking more about mixing experience, the age of the unit and how the business will find work. See new operator HGV insurance.
Does HGV Insure sell volumetric mixer insurance?
No. HGV Insure is an information site and an affiliate of MyMoneyComparison.com, a comparison service that puts operators in touch with specialist brokers. When you start a quote you continue to MyMoneyComparison.com, and we may be paid a small commission if you are matched with and speak to a broker.
Ready to get your volumetric covered?
One form, specialist HGV brokers, no obligation.
Get my volumetric quote (opens in a new tab)