Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide: How Do They Compare for Inland Marine Insurance?

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names inland transit, motor-truck cargo and warehouse legal liability; Nationwide describes equipment, materials and construction property across transit, storage and jobsites. Ask each carrier how its wording treats your specific property and route. 5,9

What Is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?

BHSI provides commercial and specialty insurance in the U.S., with product-specific industry lists that include healthcare, energy and technology. Online quote and application submissions are nonbinding. 1,2,3,4

Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile

What Is Nationwide?

Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 6,7,8

Read the Nationwide profile

Read the Nationwide Inland Marine Insurance page

What Is Inland Marine Insurance?

If your business moves equipment between sites or ships goods, inland marine can cover those property exposures; installation and other forms address different property categories. Match the quote to what you own, rent or hold for others. 10,11

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Inland Marine Insurance

What the Published Offering Defines

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance explicitly groups inland transit, motor-truck cargo, warehouse legal liability, contractor equipment and installation risks in its marine catalog. Nationwide describes a broader setting—equipment, materials, construction projects and other property while moving, stored or at a jobsite—without naming those same categories in the reviewed overview. A logistics buyer can use Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s list to start a targeted submission; a Nationwide quote should identify which property classes and locations it will schedule. 5 9

Buying and Policy Details to Resolve

The available pages leave different underwriting details unresolved: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists target sectors including logistics, utilities and warehousemen, while Nationwide says exact eligibility is account-specific. Neither description supplies your deductible or the covered causes for a particular shipment. Present the same inventory, maximum values, storage locations and transit routes to both markets, then compare the schedules and exclusions rather than relying on the category labels. 5 9

What to Confirm in Inland Marine Insurance Quotes

  • For each shipment, which transit, loading and temporary-storage stages are insured? 5 9
  • What values, deductibles and covered causes will appear on the scheduled property? 5 9

Review Scores

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

-/ 10

Review Score

The public ratings for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance are low but thin: Trustpilot shows 2.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews and BBB shows 1 out of 5 from 6. Both mix travel and commercial customers, so we don't count them in a score.[5][7]

Read Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance reviews

Nationwide

7.8/ 10

Review Score

4 rated sources

Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]

Read Nationwide reviews

Offering Details

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide: Inland Marine Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCommercial Inland Marine products including inland transit, motor-truck cargo, warehouse legal liability, contractor equipment and floaters; separately cataloged from Ocean Marine cargo and stock throughput.Nationwide inland marine (official overview)
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

Nationwide describes offering inland marine for the audience stated on the cited product page. 9Company-reported. inland marine marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Who It’s For

For Inland Marine, BHSI lists developers, general contractors, logistics, transportation, oil and gas, utilities, and warehousemen as top targets. 5Company-reported. BHSI U.S. Inland Marine target-account list only. Material limitation: Target examples do not guarantee eligibility; do not substitute the separate Ocean Marine customer list or combine the products/forms.

Industries and risks named in the inland-marine page; exact eligibility is account-specific. 9Company-reported. inland marine marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Coverage Features

BHSI's marine catalog includes inland transit, motor-truck cargo, warehouse legal liability, contractor equipment and installation risks. 5Company-reported. US commercial marine and inland-marine products. Material limitation: These are separate scheduled exposures/forms; not all are necessarily available in one policy.

BHSI describes additional inland-marine risks such as exhibition property, scheduled articles, small tools and leased equipment. 5Company-reported. Commercial inland marine placements. Material limitation: Eligibility, deductibles, limits and geographic scope depend on the policy.

The cited product page describes specialized protection for equipment, materials, construction projects, and other property while moving, stored, or at a jobsite. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 9Company-reported. inland marine marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 9Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

The page directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 9Company-reported. inland marine marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Full Comparison

More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide Comparisons

Other Inland Marine Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

  1. At A Glance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; United States section, zero-based PDF pages 49–53 (viewer pages 50–54): product/industry lists on pages 49–50; U.S. disclosure/version footer on page 53 is 2026-8-03 A. The 2026-09-14 A footer is on preceding European page 48, not the U.S. section. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. About Us. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; About BHSI; company profile page re-opened through official site on 2026-09-28; company says it is part of National Indemnity group. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Terms of Service. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Important Information Concerning Use of this Web Site, paragraphs 2–4; nonbinding submissions, contracted-agent authority, state variation, product availability and policy-specific terms. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Public Disclosure — Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Singapore Branch. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Singapore branch public disclosure, Company Profile ¶¶ 1–2; direct page opened 2026-09-28. ¶ 1 identifies BHSIC as a Nebraska-domiciled direct P&C insurer; ¶ 2 states BHSIC is wholly owned by National Indemnity Company, itself wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Marine. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Inland and ocean marine product list, covered property classes and target businesses; lines 18-69. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Nationwide

  1. Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Insurance for Inland Marine – Nationwide. Nationwide; Key products and coverages; mobile/specialized property, equipment, materials, and transit. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Inland Marine Insurance Guide

  1. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Property Insurance; Commercial Property; Inland Marine; Boiler and Machinery. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Inland Marine Policy: Contractors’ Equipment. Markel American Insurance Company / American Association of Insurance Services; hosted by Florida Department of Management Services; PDF p.8 declarations; attached Contractors’ Equipment printed pp.1–13 (PDF pp.18–30); replacement-cost endorsement PDF p.34. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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