Insurance for excavation and grading contractors.

General liability checked for collapse and underground exclusions, workers’ comp, auto for dump trucks, and equipment coverage, for excavation, grading, trenching, and site work.

What excavation contractors usually carry

General liability, $1M / $2M
Workers’ comp
Commercial auto
Contractor’s equipment
Rented equipment
Contractor’s pollution liability
Umbrella

Watch for these in an excavation policy

Explosion, collapse, and undergroundMany carriers add an exclusion for explosion, collapse, and underground damage. For an excavator, that one endorsement takes out the claims you are most likely to have.
Machines on public roadsA loader or dozer driven on a public road may be treated as an auto. Make sure either the auto or the general liability policy picks it up there.
Rented machinesRental agreements make you responsible for the machine, and often for its lost rental income. Many equipment floaters cap rented equipment below what a large excavator is worth.
Hauling for othersHauling dirt or aggregate for other contractors for pay can require operating authority and a trucking policy, not just commercial auto.
Mud and runoffSediment that washes off your site into a neighbor’s yard or a creek can be treated as pollution, and pollution is excluded on most general liability policies.

What GCs, owners, and developers ask excavation contractors for

Contractor’s pollution liabilitySite work contracts increasingly require it, because digging can turn up contaminated soil or rupture a fuel line.
Railroad protective liabilityWork near tracks usually requires a separate policy naming the railroad, bought before you mobilize.
Equipment lessor as additional insuredRental yards ask to be named, commonly on CG 20 28, and for proof you cover their machine.
Additional insured and waiverFor the GC, owner, and developer, ongoing and completed, with a waiver on every line.

Questions excavation contractors ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

Does my policy cover a trench collapse?

Injuries to your crew are workers’ comp. Damage to a neighbor’s foundation or a street depends on whether your policy excludes collapse, which many excavation policies do. Read that endorsement first.

Do I need pollution coverage just to dig?

On commercial jobs, often yes. General liability excludes most pollution, and hitting contaminated soil or a fuel line can start a pollution claim. Contractor’s pollution liability fills that gap.

Is the excavator I rent covered?

Only if you carry rented equipment coverage with a high enough limit. The rental contract makes the machine your responsibility from delivery to pickup.