Commercial Drone Fleet Insurance: How to Insure Multiple Drones

Quick TL;DR

• A fleet policy bundles multiple drones and pilots under one contract so you manage one renewal, one set of forms, and easier COIs. Good fleet programs also let you add and remove drones without issuing new policies.

• Key choices are named pilot vs. permissive pilot language, agreed-value scheduling for high-value payloads, and whether you need fleet limits or per-aircraft limits. These choices decide whether a claim will pay.

• Expect higher admin costs but lower per-drone premium once you scale. Underwriters price fleets by exposure, not just drone count. Safety systems, training, and documentation reduce rates.

Commercial Drone Fleet Insurance: How to Insure Multiple Drones

Executive summary

If you operate more than one drone, a fleet policy is almost always the better way to insure operations. Fleet insurance is built to handle administrative scale, named pilot rosters, and varied exposures across jobs. 

But fleets are not magical: underwriters still price risk based on use cases, pilot experience, payload value, and operations like BVLOS. 

This article explains fleet policy structures, the important endorsements to insist on, how insurers price fleets, practical tips for onboarding drones and pilots, and what to do when you need a COI for a client or venue. It ends with a sample email you can send to brokers to get quick, comparable fleet quotes.

What a fleet policy actually is

A fleet policy differs from single-drone coverage in three practical ways,

1. One policy, multiple scheduled drones and pilots - The policy lists each aircraft and usually the insured entity and often a named pilot roster. It can also include permissive pilot language to cover qualified temporary pilots.

2. Flexible limits and sublimits - Insurers can offer an aggregate liability limit for the whole fleet or per occurrence limits with per-aircraft hull limits. You must know which you have.

3. Administrative efficiency - Single renewal, consolidated COIs, and easier endorsement management for changing fleets. This reduces admin friction for large operators.

Bottom line: a fleet policy is an operational convenience and a pricing lever, but you still need to design coverage correctly.

Policy structures you will encounter

A. Per-aircraft scheduled hull + fleet liability

• Each drone is scheduled with its hull value and serial number. Liability is written as a fleet liability limit, often $1,000,000 per occurrence with an aggregate.

• Best for operators who want precise agreed-value coverage per drone.

B. Fleet aggregate policy

• Policy offers a single hull pool and aggregate limits. Underwriters treat the fleet as one exposure.

• Simpler to administer for many identical low-value drones, but can create payout competition if multiple losses occur in a short period.

C. Mixed structure - scheduled critical assets + blanket cover

• High-value drones and sensors are scheduled with agreed values. Lower-value units are covered under a blanket hull schedule.

• Recommended for mixed fleets that have a few high-value rigs and many inexpensive units.

Choose structure based on the value distribution in your fleet, typical claim scenarios, and cash flow needs.

Named pilots vs. permissive pilots - the real choice

Named pilot language is a common underwriting control. Two approaches,

• Strict named pilot

  • Only pilots listed on the declarations are covered. Good for tight control but operationally rigid. If a subcontractor lands the job and is not listed, the claim can be denied.

• Permissive named pilot

  • Policy covers any qualified pilot who meets stated requirements - Part 107, minimum hours, and training. More flexible for businesses with rotating staff or contractors. Many fleet operators insist on permissive language to avoid operational disruption.

Practical advice: negotiate permissive pilot language with conditions - for example, minimum logged hours and completion of your SMS or training modules.

Read: Agriculture Drones and Insurance: Parametric & Traditional Options

Important endorsements and schedules you must understand

1. Agreed-value hull schedule

   • For expensive airframes and payloads. Prevents depreciation disputes. Always schedule high-value cameras and LiDAR.

2. Named or permissive pilot endorsement

   • Decide and document who qualifies as a covered pilot.

3. Non-owned or rented equipment coverage

   • Covers rented drone equipment and third-party platforms. Critical if you rent rigs or borrow from partners.

4. BVLOS, night, and flights-over-people endorsements

   • These operations often require specific endorsements and documented mitigations such as detect-and-avoid and SOPs. Expect higher pricing.

5. Fleet umbrella or higher limits

   • For enterprise fleets, consider an umbrella layer to raise liability limits above the primary policy.

6. Cyber and data liability

   • If your fleet collects sensitive client data, buy cyber coverage for breach response and notification costs.

7. Pollution and chemical drift (if applicable)

   • For spraying operations, chemical liability is often required.

Get these endorsements written and not just promised verbally.

How insurers price fleets - what moves the needle

Underwriters price fleets the same way they price aircraft: by exposure, not by drone count. Major cost drivers:

• Use case and revenue exposure - Inspection and delivery carry higher risk than scouting. More jobs and more revenue often mean higher premiums.

• Geography and operation area - Urban and infrastructure-heavy zones increase third-party exposure.

• Pilot training and safety management - Documented safety programs, crew training, and SMS lower rates and make underwriters comfortable writing BVLOS or night endorsements.

• Claims history and loss runs - A clean loss history yields better pricing; multiple small claims can blow up premiums quickly.

• Fleet composition and payload value - A few high-value cameras will dramatically increase the hull component and may require agreed-value endorsements.

• Operational mitigations - Geofencing, detect-and-avoid, redundant comms, and real-time monitoring reduce perceived risk and lower premiums.

Expect brokers to ask for detailed fleet manifests, pilot rosters, maintenance programs, SOPs, and recent loss runs.

Practical workflows - adding and removing drones and pilots

• Adding drones - Provide serial numbers, purchase invoices, payload lists, and the intended operational use. Many fleet policies allow mid-term additions with pro-rated premium. Always add before commercial use.

• Removing drones - Notify the broker and keep documentation of sale or retirement to avoid duplicate exposure.

• Swapping pilots - If you use permissive pilot language you may need to keep training logs; if not, add pilots to the schedule before they fly commercially.

Tip: create a single "fleet onboarding packet" template containing the fields insurers always request; use it to speed quotes and endorsements.

Claims handling for fleets - admin and expectations

• One adjuster, many assets - Fleet claims often need a single adjuster familiar with fleet operations. Good brokers will advocate to ensure continuity.

• Salvage and repair workflow - Establish preferred repair shops and chain-of-custody procedures for damaged drones. Fast documentation - raw telemetry, SD cards, maintenance records - is critical.

• Reserve and aggregation risk - Multiple losses within a short period can hit aggregate limits fast. Plan for excess layers or umbrella coverage for business continuity.

Fleet discounts and where savings happen

• Per-unit pricing declines - As exposure stabilizes and loss history is proven, underwriters lower per-drone rates.

• Safety program discounts - Demonstrable SMS, recurrent training, and mitigations like detect-and-avoid reduce premiums.

• Bundled lines - Combining hull, liability, cyber, and professional liability into one program often lowers total cost versus multiple standalone policies.

Note: shopping purely on price is a false economy. Cheap fleets often hide bad limits, nasty exclusions, or narrow named-pilot language.

Sample broker email to get fleet quotes (copy-paste)

Subject: Fleet Quote Request - [Company Name] - [City, State]

Body:

Hi [Broker Name],

We are seeking fleet insurance quotes for [Company Name]. Summary:

- Fleet size: [number] aircraft (list make/model and serial numbers attached).  

- Typical operations: [inspection/real estate/agriculture/delivery] - include % of work in urban areas and % BVLOS or night.  

- Pilots: [number] pilots - include Part 107 certification and 12-month hours summary.  

- Desired coverage: $1,000,000 per occurrence liability; aggregate limits? agreed-value hull for specified assets; payload schedule attached.  

- Special endorsements: BVLOS, night ops, flights over people, cyber/data liability, non-owned rented equipment.  

- Loss history: attach loss runs for last 3 years.  

- Operations manual, SOPs, and maintenance program attached.

Please provide firm quote ranges and sample policy wording for named pilot or permissive pilot language. We need COI templates for client contracts. Target binder date: [mm/dd/yyyy].

Thanks,  

[Name, contact info]

Final checklist before you bind a fleet policy

• Verify agreed-value scheduling for high-value payloads.

• Confirm named pilot or permissive pilot wording in writing.

• Ensure COI templates meet client and venue wording requirements.

• Confirm whether limits are per occurrence, per aircraft, or aggregate.

• Provide SOPs, maintenance logs, and training records to the underwriter.

• Ask about excess umbrella layers and how aggregates are handled in multiple concurrent claims.

Read: Short-Term Event & Wedding Drone Insurance: How to Buy for One Day

Author

Svetlana - I am a Drone Insurance Writer and Researcher. I write about drone risk management and insurance for US pilots. Not a licensed broker. For policy advices contact a licensed insurance professional.