For transporters, peak season tests goods in transit (GIT) insurance like no other time of year: loads are fuller and more valuable, days are longer, ports are congested and trucks spend more time standing still. This checklist covers what to check on your cover before the rush.
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026, and the freight build-up has already started (PublicHolidays.co.za). On Black Friday 2025, PayInc processed an average of 934 card transactions a minute (IT-Online, December 2025), and Fastway Couriers reported parcel volumes up 33% from August to October 2025 compared with a year earlier (Hypertext, November 2025). South African online retail is forecast to reach about R159 billion in 2026, up 22.5% (Mastercard and World Wide Worx, September 2026).
Quick answer
Before peak season, check that your GIT insurance limit covers your highest-value load rather than your average one, that high-risk goods such as electronics, cellphones and alcohol are declared, and that you know how your policy treats loads parked overnight, delayed at ports or stored over the holiday shutdown. GIT is designed for goods on the move, so your policy may limit or exclude storage and long delays. Confirm the cover your subcontractors carry, keep to security conditions such as locking and secure parking, and ask your broker about increasing limits for November and December.
How peak season tests your GIT insurance
- Higher load values. Retailers stock up for Black Friday and Christmas, so a single truck can carry far more than usual.
- Longer days and more drops. Couriers extend hours and work weekends and public holidays; Fastway’s Christmas cut-offs ran from 16 to 19 December in 2025.
- Port delays. Saaff reports Durban Gateway Terminal delays of 18 to 21 days, with vessels averaging about 251 hours at anchor (Daily Maverick, 18 October 2026). In the first half of 2026, 44.8% of more than 58,000 truck visits missed the 90-minute turnaround target (Freight News, 5 October 2026).
- Crime. SAPS recorded 327 truck hijackings from April to June 2026, down from 414 a year earlier, and 349 from October to December 2025, with Gauteng the main hotspot. The Road Freight Association warns that many incidents go unreported (Freight News, September 2026). Tracker data from 2017 to 2022 showed fleet crime rising every October and November as stock and deliveries build (FIA, 2023).
- Busy roads. The 2025/26 festive season saw 1,172 fatal crashes, and the period from 15 to 28 December produced 43% of them. N3 traffic rose 6.9% to 4.1 million vehicles (RTMC, February 2026).
Cargo insight: Freight security specialists warn that a stationary truck is the easiest target. Peak season adds more of exactly that: queues at ports, overnight stops and loads waiting for customers who have closed.
Peak season GIT insurance checklist
| Check | Why it matters in November and December | Ask your broker |
|---|---|---|
| Load limit | Peak loads are often worth more than your normal maximum, and a load above the limit may only be paid in part | Can my limit be increased for the peak months, and at what cost? |
| Declared goods | Electronics, cellphones, tablets, alcohol and tobacco are often excluded, sub-limited or subject to extra conditions; one carrier’s own policy excludes cellphones, tablets, spirits and tobacco (Concargo) | Which goods on my peak loads are excluded or need special terms? |
| Parked and unattended vehicles | Theft from an unlocked or unattended vehicle is a common exclusion (MiWay, August 2026) | What are my overnight parking and locking conditions? |
| Storage and the holiday shutdown | GIT is built for movement, not storage, and cover for a parked load is often limited (Mont Blanc FS, December 2025); one sample wording allows temporary storage in the course of transit for up to 120 hours | How long are goods covered while stored in transit, and do I need a warehouse extension? |
| Port and border delays | Long waits at Durban increase exposure to theft and damage, and loss caused by delay is usually excluded | Are goods covered while waiting at the port, and for how long? |
| Subcontractors | Peak season means more subcontracted loads, and a carrier’s cover may not reimburse the cargo’s full value (MiWay, August 2026) | Does my policy respond if a subcontractor loses the load? |
| Security requirements | High-value loads may need tracking, approved routes or escorts | Which security conditions apply to my highest-value loads? |
For a fuller list of what standard policies leave out, see our guide to goods in transit insurance exclusions.
Does GIT insurance cover holiday shutdown storage?
Many depots and customers close between Christmas and New Year, and the RTMC flags industry closures around 15 December and from 25 to 28 December as high-risk periods. A load that waits for days in a yard or a parked truck may no longer count as being in transit. So check the temporary storage limit in your wording, avoid leaving loaded trucks standing over the break, and arrange warehouse or stock cover where you have to hold goods.
Driver hours and fatigue
Truck driver hours are set by the road freight bargaining council’s Main Agreement rather than the rules of the road. The 2024/25 agreement sets a maximum of 90 hours a week and 15 hours a day, a meal interval after five hours of continuous work, nine consecutive hours of rest in every 24 hours, and a logbook on journeys (MyWage). Plan rosters before the rush: tired drivers are more likely to have accidents and to make unsafe stops.
Security and route planning for peak loads
- Plan stops at secure, access-controlled sites, and avoid leaving loaded trucks standing overnight.
- Split very high-value consignments rather than carrying them on one vehicle.
- Use tracking with jammer detection, and agree routes for high-value loads.
- Vet temporary drivers and subcontractors before the rush, not during it.
- Verify collection documents and delivery instructions: false collections and load diversion are known tactics (see cargo theft in South Africa).
- Book port slots in advance and keep paperwork ready to reduce waiting time.
Claiming on GIT insurance after a peak season loss
- Report theft or hijacking to SAPS and get a case number.
- Notify your broker straight away, before arranging salvage or disposal.
- Keep tracking data, delivery notes, waybills and photos.
- Record the subcontractor’s details if you used one.
- Do not admit liability to the cargo owner until your insurer has assessed the claim.
Our guide to goods in transit insurance claims explains the process in more detail.
Get your peak season GIT insurance checked
Cross-Cover Insurance Solutions arranges goods in transit insurance for South African transporters, owner-drivers, couriers and businesses. Talk to us before November about load limits, declared goods and storage cover for the busiest months.
Frequently asked questions
Ask your broker before November. Policies can usually be endorsed mid-term, subject to the insurer’s approval and an adjusted premium, so you can raise your load limit for the busiest months.
Not automatically. GIT is designed for goods in transit, and storage is usually limited to short stops in the course of the journey. If goods will sit in a depot or truck over the shutdown, check the storage limit in your wording or arrange warehouse or stock cover.
They can be, but high-risk goods such as cellphones, tablets, electronics, spirits and tobacco are often excluded, sub-limited or subject to extra security conditions. Declare them to your broker before you carry them.
Usually only if the policy’s security conditions were met, for example that the vehicle was locked, secured and parked in an approved place. Theft from an unattended or unlocked vehicle is a common exclusion.
Check it carefully. If a subcontractor’s cover is limited or excludes the goods, the cargo owner may look to you. Confirm the subcontractor’s cover, and make sure your own policy responds when you subcontract.
Related reading
- How much is GIT insurance?
- Goods in transit insurance exclusions
- Truck hijacking trends in South Africa 2026
- Durban port delays and GIT insurance
- Proof of goods in transit insurance
Sources
- PublicHolidays.co.za: Black Friday in South Africa
- IT-Online: PayInc Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 transaction data (4 December 2025)
- Hypertext: Couriers are already seeing parcel volumes climb (20 November 2025)
- Mastercard: South African online retail to reach R159 billion in 2026 (2 September 2026)
- Daily Maverick: Port in peril: former Transnet workers recalled to cover for Durban Gateway Terminal (18 October 2026)
- Freight News: Transporters challenge congestion charges at Durban (5 October 2026)
- Freight News: Truck hijacking decline masks under-reporting (1 September 2026)
- Freight News: Hijackings may be higher than SAPS data (24 February 2026)
- FIA: Silly season fleet crime (13 November 2023)
- RTMC: 2025/26 festive season consolidated report (18 February 2026)
- Mont Blanc Financial Services: Goods in transit insurance (12 December 2025)
- MiWay: Goods in transit in South Africa: a safety checklist and insurance guide (7 August 2026)
- Concargo: Concargo cargo policy (effective 1 March 2025)
- MyWage: Road freight bargaining council Main Agreement 2024/25
This article is general information, not financial advice. Cover depends on underwriting and the policy wording. Cross-Cover Insurance Brokers is an authorised financial services provider (FSP 14628).