Last Updated: 9/5/2025
If you’ve been told you need inland marine coverage for your food or beverage business, chances are you’re a little confused. What does “inland marine” mean, and what exactly does it do? Most importantly, does your business need it?
We’ll dive into both of those questions and more, so you can feel confident making decisions about your business’ coverage needs. Plus, we’ll show you how to get affordable inland marine coverage from FLIP today.
What Is Inland Marine Insurance Coverage?
Inland marine insurance is a type of property insurance for mobile businesses that covers your movable business gear and inventory if it gets stolen or damaged on the move.
Losses to your equipment and inventory can be costly and seriously hurt your bottom line. For example, the average inland marine claim for our food truck policyholders is over $2,000.
Why Is It Called Inland Marine?
The name comes from the term “marine coverage,” which refers to goods or equipment transported over waterways (like rivers) and oceans. Before trains and planes, shipping goods over water was one of the only options people had, and they’d buy marine insurance to cover their gear if it was damaged or stolen along the way.
Then the Industrial Revolution happened, and trains came along. Unfortunately, marine insurance wouldn’t cover their gear because it wasn’t being transported over water. So, inland marine insurance was born.
This odd term simply refers to goods and equipment transported across land rather than water. You may see inland marine called by a few different names, like business equipment protection. At FLIP, we like to call it tools and equipment coverage (makes more sense, right?).
What Does Inland Marine Insurance Cover?
Inland marine insurance is designed to cover repairs or replacements for your business’ rented or owned tools, equipment, and inventory, including:
- Food spoilage caused by stolen or damaged equipment (e.g., someone stole your generator and you couldn’t refrigerate your perishables, causing them to spoil)
- Freezers
- Inventory
- Merchandise inventory (e.g., T-shirts, mugs, etc.)
- Microwaves
- Office contents (e.g., legal papers, computer, printer, WiFi routers, etc.)
- Ovens
- Refrigerators
Your inland marine policy can only cover costs resulting from a named peril, or an event specified in your policy. This means the named peril must be the cause of your equipment or inventory breaking, being damaged/spoiled, or getting stolen.
Named Perils in FLIP’s Inland Marine Policy
- Fire or lightning
- Explosion (not caused by water)
- Windstorm
- Frost or cold weather
- Hail, rain, sleet, snow, or ice
- Smoke damage
- Vandalism
- Riot or civil commotion
- Items or contents damaged by the collision or overturn of your vehicle during transport
- Collapse of a building caused by the weight of snow, ice, sleet, or rain
- Breakage
- Theft (a police report must be provided to receive coverage)
- Leakage from an automatic sprinkler system
- Sinkhole
- Volcanic action
What Does Inland Marine Insurance Not Cover?
Inland marine only covers equipment that is not permanently installed at a specific location. The oven you use in your home bakery would not be covered by inland marine, but a generator you take with you to different vending locations could be.
Who Needs Inland Marine Insurance?
If you take any business tools, equipment, supplies, or inventory to various locations, you need inland marine coverage. Food and beverage businesses that need this insurance include, but aren’t limited to:
- Caterers (including alcohol caterers)
Our insurance agents recommend you get this coverage if you answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions:
- Does your business sell products online and ship them to customers?
- Is your business mobile in nature?
- Do you do business away from your base of operations, where you take your equipment or inventory with you?
- Do you participate in fairs, festivals, and other events as a vendor?
Why Should You Get Inland Marine Insurance?
Let’s face it: you can’t run your business without your equipment and inventory, and recovering from those losses isn’t cheap.
If your gear gets damaged or stolen, you’re looking at hundreds or even thousands of dollars in surprise expenses. That’s on top of the time you may need to halt operations while you pay to repair or replace it.
Inland marine coverage is designed to have your back in these situations, covering some or all of the cost, so you don’t have to.
Inland Marine Claim Examples From Real FLIP Customers
Let’s look at some examples of inland marine claims faced by different food and beverage businesses insured by FLIP.*
*Names, identities, and specific business details have been altered for privacy. These claims are provided as examples only and do not guarantee coverage. Always refer to your policy for an exact list of exclusions.
Inland Marine Claim 1: Thief Targets Food Trailer ($5,524)
In the dead of night, a thief broke into Richard’s food trailer while it was parked overnight at a multi-day music festival. The person stole many of his high-value equipment, including appliances, merchandise, and generators.
Covered by FLIP? Yes! ✔️
Inland Marine Claim 2: Failed Generator Causes Food Spoilage ($2,366)
When Carley’s generator stopped working while she was vending at an event, she didn’t notice at first. When she came back from her lunch break, she noticed the problem and had to throw out all of the stock in her fridge and freezer because they weren’t safe to eat anymore.
Covered by FLIP? Yes! ✔️
Inland Marine Claim 3: Stolen Hot Dog Cart ($1,682)
Lynn was devastated when she woke up one morning, ready to set up her hot dog cart at the local Little League ballpark, only to find it gone without a trace.
Overnight, someone had stolen not just her cart, but her propane tank and generator, too. Suddenly, what should’ve been a profitable day at the park turned into a costly nightmare.
Covered by FLIP? Yes! ✔️
Inland Marine Claim 4: Catering Van Broken Into ($6,126)
Oliver thought his catering van was safe in the venue’s parking lot while he went inside the building to discuss set-up plans with the wedding planner. Unfortunately, while he was away, the van was broken into.
In a short amount of time, the thieves managed to steal several appliances, all of his chafing dishes, and his portable bar equipment.
Covered by FLIP? Yes! ✔️
Inland Marine Claim 5: Fire Destroys Storage Facility ($6,926)
When Derrick wasn’t using all of his baking equipment for his home-based bakery, he used to keep it safely tucked away in a storage facility.
Unfortunately, when the storage facility caught fire and burned down, his equipment was destroyed along with it, costing him thousands in unexpected expenses.
Covered by FLIP? Yes! ✔️
FLIP’s Inland Marine Coverage Explained
The way FLIP’s inland marine coverage works is that you can add it to your general liability policy as one of our optional coverage add-ons. This gives you the freedom to select the coverage limits that best fit your needs.
The cost of inland marine insurance depends on which coverage limits you select. Choose from:
- $11.17/month for $5,000 per item/$10,000 per year
- $20.75/month for $7,500 per item/$25,000 per year
- $33.33/month for $10,000 per item/$50,000 per year
Your “per item” limit is the most your policy will pay for any one piece of equipment, and your “per limit” year is the maximum it will pay for all inland marine claims in one year.
How to Choose Your Coverage Limits
Like any other insurance policy, some businesses need higher limits than others. If you aren’t sure which limits are best for your business, follow these tips:
- Assess the value of your business equipment and inventory: Create a list of your mobile business property (e.g., your generator, the branded T-shirts you sell, your portable stove, etc.). Include the value of each item to get an idea of how much your gear and supplies are worth.
- Estimate your maximum loss: Chances are, you aren’t bringing all of your equipment with you every time you hit the road. Do your best to calculate the maximum value of the gear and inventory you’d bring with you at any given time.
- Evaluate your risk factors: If you constantly take your business on the road, you face a higher chance of damage or theft than a business that mostly stays in one place. The higher your risk, the more likely you are to need higher coverage limits.
- Ask an agent: If you aren’t sure or just want a second opinion (smart!), call 844.520.6992 to speak with one of our licensed, U.S.-based insurance agents. Our agents don’t work on commission — they want to make sure you get the right coverage for your business so you’re protected and satisfied with your policy.
How to Get Inland Marine Insurance From FLIP
Getting tools and equipment insurance for food vendors with your base FLIP policy is super easy. There are two options to buy, depending on whether you already have a FLIP policy or not. In both cases, you’ll have an instant Certificate of Insurance after purchase!
Get a FLIP Policy + Inland Marine
Simply follow these steps and you’ll be all set:
- Start your application
- Select your primary business activity (e.g., catering, farmers market vendor, etc.)
- Choose your desired inland marine coverage limits
- Provide your gross annual sales
- Get your free quote and finish checking out
Add Inland Marine to Your Existing FLIP Policy
- Log in to your account
- Go to “Manage Policies” and select “Change Policy Options”
- Select the inland marine option and choose your desired limits
- Hit “Purchase Policy” at the bottom of the page to check out
Ready to give yourself peace of mind? Get tools and equipment insurance from FLIP today for as low as $11.17/Month per month!
FAQs About Inland Marine Insurance
Is Inland Marine Insurance the Same as Equipment Insurance?
Yes, FLIP’s inland marine insurance policy is the same as equipment insurance. The term equipment insurance is most often used in the construction industry.
Can I Get Inland Marine Coverage for My Event-Based Business?
Yes! Event-based businesses like food vendors, caterers, and mobile bartenders are all eligible for inland marine coverage if they have an annual general liability policy from FLIP.
What’s the Difference Between Inland Marine Insurance and General Liability?
General liability insurance is designed to cover damage your business does to others or their property. It also covers product liability and personal and advertising injury, and is considered the most basic liability coverage all businesses need. It does not cover any damages or theft to your business equipment or inventory.
Inland marine is a supplementary coverage you can get in addition to a general liability policy. You cannot buy inland marine on its own — think of it as another layer of security on top of your base general liability coverage.
By Alex Hastings
Alex is a Marketing Copywriter at Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). In her free time, she enjoys reading, birding, traveling, and finding any excuse to get brunch.