Amazon DSP Insurance Program vs an Independent Broker
Amazon offers Delivery Service Partners a ready-made insurance program, and partners can also buy through an independent broker. This guide compares the two routes side by side.
Two routes to the same requirements
Amazon selected Marsh to manage an insurance program built for Delivery Service Partners, with Old Republic Insurance Company as the carrier. The program bundles commercial auto, cargo legal liability, hired and non-owned auto, general liability and workers’ compensation into one application aimed at the coverages Amazon’s DSP agreement requires.
An independent broker takes that same requirement schedule to the insurers it works with and assembles the package from separate quotes. Amazon’s own brochure says a delivery company is not required to use the third-party deals Amazon negotiated, insurance among them, so both routes are open. The real question is which one suits your company now and at each renewal.
We place fleet auto for DSPs, so we meet owners at both stages: launching inside the program, and reviewing it later once the fleet and the claim record have grown. Our overview of Amazon DSP insurance explains each coverage on its own.
How Amazon’s program runs day to day
The program is wired into Amazon’s systems. Marsh receives vehicle data from the Amazon Fleet Portal and uses it to set the monthly vehicle count it bills, so a van added or retired in the portal changes the auto policy without a separate request. Marsh asks partners to check that data regularly, because a stale entry means paying for a van that has already left the fleet.
Premium is drafted from your bank account on the 25th of each month, with no down payment and no finance charges. Workers’ compensation runs pay-as-you-go: each month’s premium is based on the prior month’s payroll, and a final installment after expiration collects the balance for the term. Evidence certificates for active policies download from the online platform, while certificates for a specific holder or an additional insured go through Marsh’s service team.
For a new owner juggling vans, hiring and route launches, that integration removes a lot of paperwork. The startup cost figure in Amazon’s brochure also assumes the owner takes up the negotiated deals, insurance included.
What an independent broker adds
A broker’s main advantage is choice. Instead of one carrier’s pricing and forms, you see quotes from several insurers, and you can split lines where that helps, for example placing workers’ compensation with a carrier that rates your injury record well and the fleet with another. When the market shifts, the broker can move the account at renewal rather than leaving you with one option.
A broker also looks past the DSP contract. Owners who run other delivery work, own the lot they park in or hold several companies can bring all of it under one review. Lines outside the program’s core, such as a commercial umbrella above the auto and general liability limits, or employment practices liability for a large hourly workforce, can sit in the same account.
The trade-off is administration. Outside the program, you report vehicle changes to the broker yourself, and payment plans vary from carrier to carrier. Marsh points out that some business insurance programs ask for a 20 to 30 percent down payment, which is cash a growing DSP notices.
Questions to put to both quotes
Lay the two offers against the insurance exhibit in your DSP agreement, item by item. Check the auto liability limit, the uninsured and underinsured motorist limits for each state you serve, the cargo limit and how a load is valued, the physical damage deductibles, and whether hired and non-owned auto sits inside the auto policy.
On workers’ compensation, compare the class codes and payroll split, the experience modifier applied, how the audit is handled and whether pay-as-you-go billing is offered. On general liability, check the limits and how quickly Amazon or a landlord can be added as additional insured when one of them asks.
Then ask about service: who answers when a van ends up in a ditch at 7 p.m., how fast a new van gets onto the policy, and who produces certificates and ID cards. A lower premium that leaves gaps in that list costs more after the first serious accident.
Switching at renewal without a gap
Most DSPs that move do so at renewal. Start 60 to 90 days ahead and request loss runs for every line, a current vehicle list and payroll reports by class, because any new insurer prices from those records.
Set the new policies to start on the day the old ones end, then send Amazon and any other holder new certificates before the effective date. For vans leased through Amazon, confirm with both sides which auto ID card each driver should carry after the change, since the program issues a company card and a master policy card for those vehicles.
Cancel the old program policies in writing for the same date and watch the next bank draft. Pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation has a final installment after expiration, so expect one more charge once the last month’s payroll is reported.
Which route fits your company
The program suits an owner in the first year, when Fleet Portal integration and a plan with no down payment matter most and there is no claim history to shop with. A broker earns its place once the company has a few renewals of losses to show, runs work outside Amazon or wants limits and coverages beyond the core package. Watch for the signals that it is time to look: a renewal increase nobody can explain, a jump in fleet size, a new station in another state, or a serious claim that changes how you think about limits.
Nothing stops an owner from getting both sets of numbers each year. Our part in that comparison is to show what each quote contains, line by line, and leave the decision with you. Marketplace sellers have their own rules, gathered on our Amazon seller insurance hub.
A broker also works your side of a claim. When a disputed accident or a contested injury drags on, the broker presses the insurer for a decision and helps you gather the dashcam footage, route records and witness details the adjuster asks for. For an owner with a van parked and a driver off work, that follow-through counts as much as the premium.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Is Amazon's DSP insurance program mandatory?
No. Amazon’s DSP brochure says owners are not required to use the third-party deals it negotiated, including insurance. The coverage you carry has to meet the requirements in your DSP agreement either way.
Which insurer writes Amazon's DSP program?
Old Republic Insurance Company is the carrier, and Marsh manages the program on Amazon’s behalf.
What records should I request before leaving the program?
Loss runs for auto, general liability and workers’ compensation, your current vehicle list from the Fleet Portal, payroll reports by class and your declarations pages. A new insurer prices from those documents.
Can Mithril1 quote my DSP fleet against the Amazon program?
Yes. We place fleet auto for Delivery Service Partners along with workers’ compensation and general liability, and we set our quote beside your program renewal line by line.
Does an independent broker bill monthly like the program?
Payment plans vary by insurer. Some take a deposit and then monthly payments; others bill in a few larger installments. Ask for the payment schedule with each quote so you compare cash flow as well as premium.