Just wondering how teams are handling insurance with their trailers. I know that some teams are “owned” by their non-profit, and are insured through their non-profit. That would mean the trailer would be titled in the name of the non-profit.
I assume other teams’ trailers are titled through the school system, but that would mean the trailer is “owned” by the school, which may or may not cause a loss of control of the trailer.
We would like to understand what teams are doing in this regard. Liability when the trailer is on the road in case there is an accident, or possible loss of trailer due to damage or theft would be of concern.
We are purchasing a trailer this week or next week, going with the school district option so we have been working closely with the purchasing and transportation departments at central office to make sure we do it right.
It also makes the issue personal property taxes a non-issue, for those that live in states that have personal property taxes like Virginia.
The other group of people near you that you may wish to consult with is Boy Scouts of America troops near you with a trailer and how they handled it.
Our trailer (and indeed everything we ‘own’) belongs to the school – thus, the school transportation department handles registration, inspection, and insurance.
Our trailer is plated and insurances as a part of the school fleet. The car pulling the trailer has some coverage but the school covers the contents up to a determined dollar amount. It doesn’t cost the school a lot to do add it. I would confront your superintendent about supporting the team. If the trailer is over 2500 lbs it will need a title.
I purchased a trailer earlier this year and it has been a great thing to have! Usually the insurance of the vehicle that is pulling the trailer covers the trailer too. Since I own the trailer and it lives at my house, my homeowners covers it when not on the road.
We turned over title to our trailer to the school district, so it is covered by their fleet insurance, and gets a district fleet license tag which is free to us.
You are right to be concerned… back in 2010 at Atlanta I remember 1730 (Team driven) had a large trailer and it was stolen from their hotel parking lot. Luckily, some fellow FIRST members saw the trailer parked at a junkyard and called the cops and the team got their trailer back.
Off topic: In addition to good insurance, I also suggest buying a wheel boot or the like as an anti-theft measure…
A mentor purchased our trailer for us as we did not want to have the school own our trailer. With recent financial struggles we were concerned they would choose to liquidate the trailer, though we pruchased it with sponsorship money. Our mentor purchased it and has donated it to our non-profit group that is setup through our local Community Foundation. They require us to pay insurance on the vehicle through their provider and then when towing most peoples insurance will cover the trailer. Our non-profits insurance poilcy, which was obtained as we are no longer working int he school, covers the contents when we are at an event.
In Canada anyway, the liability coverage of the tow vehicle extends to the trailer. However, if desired, you would need to purchase additional coverage to insure the contents and trailer itself for damage. But on a $4000 trailer, why even pay insurance? Over a period of a few years you will be paying more than the trailer is worth. I really don’t see why any team needs a trailer. You can go out and rent a enclosed Uhaul box trailer for $19.99 a day. Why even bother with shelling out thousands of dollars and then paying for the registration, maintenance, legalities etc only to use it a couple times a year? $4000/3($19.99) = 65 competitions!
Since acquiring our trailer in July, just prior to IRI, we have used our trailer to transport robots to at least 6-8 different events. Off-season competitions, demonstrations at FLL tournaments, sponsors, and other activities. Once we get our logos and sponsors listed on the trailer, they are an excellent way to promote FIRST, your team, and sponsors.
Since acquiring our trailer in July, just prior to IRI, we have used our trailer to transport robots to at least 6-8 different events. Off-season competitions, demonstrations at FLL tournaments, sponsors, and other activities.
So in 6 months you have used your trailer 8 times. Extrapolating that to a year that would be 16 times in a year. Assuming you paid $4000 for your trailer and a Uhaul rental is $19.99 for every time you use it, it means your trailer will have paid for its use in 12.5 years :ahh: . How long does a typical enclosed trailer last? 12 years is a stretch- especially if you live where there is salt. This does not take into account the maintenance- repacking bearings every year, new tires, sorting out lighting issues, MOT fees and insurance (if applicable). If your maintenance and insurance costs are more than $384 a year then for your team, assuming you use the trailer 16 times a year, it will never be worth it and you have wasted $4000 or whatever the cost of the trailer was. If you want advertising, then make up a set of magnetic graphic banners for your vehicles. I don’t mean to be a critic- if you have the money, go for it but it isn’t the most economical or hassle-free option by far.
We had a trailer donated to the team (not the school) and it is registered to the team using my home address (as the lead mentor). The insurance is covered by my personal auto insurance because anything hooked to my vehicle is covered as a part of the vehicle. I did however take out a rider on my insurance to cover the trailer when it is parked and not attached to the vehicle and to cover it’s contents, this rider was not horribly expensive and is my donation to the team.
They’re probably going to at least one regional at $5,000 each year, probably spending at least a couple of thousand on their robot and another couple of thousand on travel, shirts, buttons, etc, for a total of around $10,000 per year.
If a trailer lasts 10 years, I don’t consider the cost of a trailer at $4000/10 years = $400/year plus $100/year in maintenance for a total of $500/year to be unreasonable for having the convenience of your own trailer. It’s much nicer if the inside is customized to hold all your paraphernalia rather than just tossed into a U-haul.
Our trailer is a rolling billboard for FIRST and Cyber Blue, and I would rather advertise us than U-Haul.
We have also customized it so there are shelves and connection points to hold everything in place.
Back to the OP, we purchased our trailer with team funds, but the title and insurance is through the school corporation. It has a school plate. It has liability coverage through the school corporation and can sit on school property when we don’t use it (another good advertisement for the team.).
When it is being towed, it is an extenstion of the tow vehicle so it is covered by that insurance as well as the school corporation liability coverage.
The trailer was $2000 brand new, so it does not have replacement insurance.
I would much rather advertise FIRST and the team versus U-Haul.
Before the trailer when we used U-haul, even at a discounted rate we never spent less $30 and it could be as high as $50 depending on the length of time we had the trailer.
