Pestend is a pest control business - we deal with rats, mice and insects so we carry a range of pesticides in the vehicle.
Our van insurance renewal came with a note saying that, as of next year, they would no longer cover anyone carrying 'hazardous materials'. I called them up and they decided that pesticides were 'hazardous materials' (interesting: there's no legal definition for hazardous goods in transit but there is one for 'dangerous goods' - but I doubt we'd win a legal dispute with them over that!
This might cause a number of tradesmen an issue. Decorators, gardeners, builders, plumbers: all might carry something that an insurance company might claim is 'hazardous' which would then have an effect on any claim.
After calling round a few other insurance agents, it seems this is a recent change that several companies have enacted and one that could catch people out if you don't read the documents carefully.
Thankfully, there are still companies that will happily insure for this kind of thing but if you carry anything that could be considered dangerous, do check it won't void your cover!
