Your toy shipments never go straight from your supplier’s factory to a shelf in a store. They’ve usually spent time on a container ship or sitting in a yard somewhere, then get loaded onto a trailer before making their way down the Parkway.
Toy companies in Tinton Falls face risk at every point where their product changes hands. York Jersey Underwriters, Inc. exceeds the insurance requirements of the nation’s leading retailers, and we’re here to help.
The Long Journey from the Port to the Warehouse Floor
Most toys sold in New Jersey and elsewhere in the country arrive through a container port, and for businesses in Monmouth County, that usually means Newark or Elizabeth. From there, shipments typically head south on the Turnpike before cutting over to the Parkway. Most loads come off around Exit 105 toward the warehouse space near Tinton Falls.
A lot can happen between the port and the warehouse, including issues that occur while your load is still at the dock. Cartons can get crushed, or a trailer roof can leak during a nor’easter, leaving your load of plush toys soaked and ruined. General liability insurance covers you if people are hurt by your product, but it doesn’t cover your freight.
Loads in New Jersey Disappear When Trailers Sit Still
Cargo theft in New Jersey has continued to rise sharply, but the groups behind it have become very selective about the loads they target. Freight rarely disappears while it’s moving. It’s when a trailer sits parked overnight in a yard, or is staged at a dock waiting for a driver, that things go missing.
That’s exactly when toy companies get hit hardest: in the fall, when trailers are full, and shipments are pushing toward the holiday season.
Product Liability Is Just One Layer of Toy Insurance
Product liability is probably the first thing that comes to mind, but your freight needs its own protection while it’s on the move, whether that means ocean cargo coverage or motor truck cargo coverage for the domestic leg of the journey.
York Jersey Underwriters, Inc. has spent four decades in toy insurance, and the simple fact is that transit questions come up far more often than product questions.
Give Your Transit Exposure a Good Look Before Peak Season
In the toy industry, a company is often at greater risk while its product is in transit than once a child is playing with it. Those weeks spent in a shipping container or sitting on a trailer in a yard off Route 18 carry real exposure that’s easy to overlook.
Get in touch with York Jersey Underwriters, Inc. today, and we’ll help make sure you’re covered during peak season.
