Why does OTSL check the OCP policy with the insurer rather than from a scan?

Because a scan only proves that a policy once existed. With the insurer or agent we check whether it is valid, the sum insured, territorial scope, exclusions and deductibles. These clauses decide whether a claim is paid. The most common fraud on exchanges is impersonating an honest company, so we do not trust documents without confirmation.

Can a partner carrier pass an OTSL load on to another haulier?

Not without the forwarder's consent. When the vehicle arrives OTSL compares vehicle, trailer and driver details with the order and rules out undisclosed subcontracting. If a different truck turns up from the one declared, loading does not start until the forwarder has confirmed the change and checked who actually performs the carriage.

Haulier vetting documents: OCP, Community licence

Q: Which documents does a haulier send OTSL before the first order?

The Community licence with certified copies for every vehicle, the OCP policy together with its general terms of insurance, company registration documents, contact details matching the registers and a vehicle list with registration numbers. The required OCP sum and payment terms are set individually by the owner of OTSL.

Before the first order you send OTSL a vetting set: Community licence with certified copies, carrier liability insurance policy (OCP, the Polish CMR insurance) together with its general terms, company registration documents, contact details matching the registers and a vehicle list. We check the OCP policy at source, with the insurer or agent: validity, sum insured, territorial scope, exclusions and deductibles, because these decide whether a claim will be paid. The required OCP sum and payment terms are set by the owner of OTSL and are not published.

What does OTSL check in the OCP policy and why at source?

A scanned policy only proves that a policy once existed. That is why OTSL confirms it with the insurer or agent and checks five things: whether it is valid on the day of carriage, the sum insured, the territorial scope, the exclusions and the deductibles. An OCP policy that excludes theft from an unguarded car park or limits cover to the European Union looks fine on paper but pays nothing after a loss in a lorry park in England. These conditions are set out in the general terms of insurance, which is why we ask for them together with the policy.

The second point is the CMR limit. The carrier's liability under the CMR Convention is capped at 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight, so with expensive, light goods the OCP policy will not cover the loss however well chosen it is. On such jobs OTSL adds cargo insurance and tells the customer at quotation. As the haulier you do not arrange this, but you should know where your liability ends.

Which licence is enough and when are extra permits needed?

The Community licence authorises international carriage of goods for hire or reward within the European Union. With your application you attach certified copies of the licence for every vehicle that will run OTSL jobs. Outside the EU different rules apply: an EU haulier enters the United Kingdom after Brexit under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and Switzerland and Norway have their own regimes. If you apply for destinations outside the EU, the OTSL forwarder checks with you whether your authorisations and policy cover them.

When the vehicle arrives OTSL compares vehicle, trailer and driver details with the order and rules out undisclosed subcontracting. A partner carrier does not pass the load on without consent. If the truck that turns up for loading does not match what you declared, loading does not start until the forwarder has confirmed the change.

Haulier vetting at OTSL step by step

Application. Contact form with the subject "Carrier cooperation": base, fleet, destinations, OCP insurer.
Document set. You send the licence with certified copies, the OCP policy with its general terms, registration documents, contact details and a vehicle list with registration numbers.
Policy check at source. OTSL confirms validity, sum insured, territorial scope, exclusions and deductibles with the insurer or agent.
Company check. We compare register data with what you provided, review company history and check that phone numbers and e-mail addresses match the registers.
Agreeing the terms. The required OCP sum, payment terms and the list of contract documents are set by the owner of OTSL in conversation with you; we do not publish them.
Check on arrival. On the first and every subsequent order OTSL compares vehicle, trailer and driver details with the order.

Definitions

OCP (carrier liability insurance): the Polish policy under which the insurer pays for damage to goods in transit, within the sum, scope and exclusions.
General terms of insurance: the document setting out what the policy covers, what it does not and which deductibles apply; a policy cannot be assessed without it.
Deductible: the part of a loss the insurer does not pay and which stays with the haulier.
Community licence: the authorisation for international carriage of goods for hire or reward within the EU; a certified copy is the counterpart assigned to a specific vehicle.
SDR (Special Drawing Right): the International Monetary Fund's unit of account in which the CMR Convention states the carrier's liability limit of 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight.
Cargo insurance: insurance of the goods themselves, independent of the carrier's liability, which OTSL adds for expensive, light loads.

Checklist of documents before the first order

Community licence and certified copies for every vehicle put forward for OTSL jobs.
OCP policy with its general terms and the insurer's or agent's details for confirmation.
Company registration documents consistent with the public registers.
Phone numbers and e-mail addresses that can be tied to the company, not to a private SIM card.
List of vehicles and trailers with registration numbers and of the drivers who actually drive.
Information on destinations outside the EU, if you apply for them, so that policy scope and authorisations can be checked.

When is vetting not enough?

Vetting lowers the risk but does not remove it. A correctly checked OCP policy does not cover losses excluded in its general terms, and the CMR limit of 8.33 SDR per kilogram does not depend on how good your policy is; with expensive, light goods only cargo insurance closes the gap. The Community licence does not cover destinations outside the Union unless you hold separate authorisations for the country in question. OTSL does not run investigations or debt recovery after a theft, so the documents serve to prevent a theft, not to settle one afterwards.

The OTSL role

OTSL checks the haulier before the first load and every time a vehicle arrives, and is answerable to the customer for the job. How this check works is described on the service page vetted carriers and OCP checks, and what we do when OCP is not enough on cargo insurance. Which policy clauses most often block a payout is explained in when carrier insurance does not pay, the liability cap in the 8.33 SDR/kg limit, and carriage outside the EU in CEMT permits and road transport. See also: Mobility Package for a partner haulier: driver return, CJEU ruling.