ShoulderCrew Helper Policies
Helper Insurance Requirements Policy, version 1.0. Applies from the ShoulderCrew Denver launch, expected mid-November 2026.
Last updated Oct 28, 2026. Subject to final legal review. This Policy may be updated before launch. Helpers will get 30 days' notice of changes under Section 13. Questions: freedomrcp@gmail.com.
Contents
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Required coverage
- 5. Optional coverage
- 6. Job-type requirements
- 7. Fees
- 8. Claims and incident reporting
- 9. Responsibility and indemnity
- 10. Lapse, notice and cure
- 11. Helper rights
- 12. ShoulderCrew's own coverage
- 13. Review and amendments
- 14. Effective date
- 15. Acknowledgement
1. Purpose
ShoulderCrew connects drivers who need roadside help with independent Helpers who choose to offer that help. Everyone on a job is safer when each Helper's vehicle and activities are insured. This Policy states the insurance standards a Helper meets to be given access to the platform. It is written to protect customers, Helpers and ShoulderCrew, and to be clear and fair to Helpers about what is asked and why.
These are conditions of access to the platform. They are not instructions about how, when or where a Helper performs work.
2. Scope
- This Policy applies to every individual or business who uses the ShoulderCrew platform as a Helper to accept roadside-assistance jobs.
- It covers insurance, related fees, incident reporting, and how access is paused and restored.
- It does not cover customer memberships, which are governed by the Member Terms (Terms of Service).
- It works together with the Helper Services Agreement. If the two conflict on insurance, this Policy controls.
3. Definitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Helper | An independent individual or business who uses the platform to offer roadside assistance |
| Platform | The ShoulderCrew website, app and related tools |
| Job | A roadside-assistance request a Helper chooses to accept through the platform |
| Standard Job | A jump start, fuel delivery, spare-tire help or similar light service |
| Tier 2 Job | A lockout, tire change or battery install |
| Towing | Moving a customer's vehicle by tow truck, flatbed, dolly or winch recovery. Helpers do not tow at launch |
| Partner tow company | An independent, permitted and insured towing business that works with ShoulderCrew to handle tows. It is not a Helper |
| Business-use endorsement | An endorsement or policy type that covers using a vehicle for paid services, such as commercial auto or a rideshare-style endorsement |
| Proof of coverage | A declarations page, certificate or insurer letter showing the coverage, limits and dates |
| Lapse | Required coverage ends, is cancelled, or no longer meets this Policy |
4. Required coverage
To use the platform, a Helper holds automobile liability insurance on the vehicle used for Jobs, in the Helper's own name, with a business-use endorsement or an equivalent commercial or rideshare-style policy that covers roadside-assistance work for pay.
| Coverage | Colorado minimum | Platform standard |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury per person | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Bodily injury per accident | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Property damage per accident | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist | Offered by insurer | Matching limits, or a signed rejection where Colorado law permits |
The Colorado minimums come from C.R.S. § 10-4-620. The platform standard is higher because roadside work puts a vehicle near live traffic and customer property. Many personal auto policies exclude driving for pay, so written confirmation of coverage is part of proof.
- A Helper may buy the policy from any insurer or agent. ShoulderCrew does not require a particular company.
- Proof of coverage is uploaded before the Helper's first Job. It must show the Helper's name, the vehicle, the limits and the policy dates.
- The Helper provides written confirmation from the insurer or agent that the policy covers roadside-assistance work, or shows a commercial or business-use policy that plainly does.
- ShoulderCrew is named as certificate holder so it receives notice of cancellation where the insurer offers that. ShoulderCrew is not an insured under the Helper's policy and does not pay its premiums.
- Coverage is re-verified once a year. ShoulderCrew sends reminders 30, 14 and 7 days before the policy expires.
- A Helper who replaces a policy mid-year uploads the new proof. A Helper tells ShoulderCrew within 24 hours of any cancellation or non-renewal.
5. Optional coverage
Occupational accident insurance pays medical and lost-income benefits when a self-employed person is hurt on the job. Colorado workers' compensation does not cover a true independent contractor, so this coverage is a protection for the Helper's own income and health.
- It is not mandatory. A Helper may skip it.
- Option A: enroll in a program ShoulderCrew makes available. The premium is passed through at cost, with no markup, as a deduction a Helper authorizes in writing and can cancel at any time for the next payout period.
- Option B: use the Helper's own occupational accident, disability or health coverage, and tell ShoulderCrew so it does not offer or deduct Option A.
- ShoulderCrew does not pay any part of the premium and does not decide what the Helper chooses.
- Published reference prices range from about $50 to $200 a month for contractor plans, and ShoulderCrew will show the actual price and benefits before a Helper chooses.
6. Job-type requirements
| Job type | Extra requirement |
|---|---|
| Standard Jobs | General liability is recommended, not required |
| Tier 2 Jobs (lockout, tire, battery) | General liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with ShoulderCrew as additional insured where the insurer allows it |
| Towing | Not available to Helpers at launch. A Helper cannot accept towing Jobs. Drivers who need a tow are connected with partner tow companies, which carry their own commercial and on-hook insurance. The Crew Plus $50 tow credit applies to partner tows |
A Helper without general liability can still accept Standard Jobs. Tier 2 Jobs are shown to a Helper once proof of general liability is on file. Public marketplace pricing for small-business general liability starts around $19 a month and a reported median is near $49 a month, so the cost of meeting this standard is modest. ShoulderCrew will give the reason in writing if it ever adds a job type.
7. Fees
| Fee | Amount | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Platform commission | 20% of the job price | Deducted from the job price and shown before the Helper accepts. Tips are not part of the job price and go 100% to the Helper. Founding Helpers (the first 100) pay 10% for their first 30 days |
| Platform & Protection fee | $2.00 per completed Job | Never more than 10% of the Helper's payout (the job price after commission, before tips). Not charged on cancelled Jobs. Shown as its own line on each payout statement |
| Onboarding and background-check fee | $29.99 | Covers the cost of the screening report: the criminal background check and driving-record (MVR) check every Helper must pass before taking Jobs. It is a one-time fee, not a subscription. Waived for the first 50 Helpers to sign up. Nothing is charged upfront: it is collected from your first payouts (up to 25% of each payout, before tips) until $29.99 is reached. Credited back after 10 completed Jobs within 60 days of your first completed Job; any part not yet collected is waived. Refunded in full if the check is not run or the report is wrong or incomplete. Not refunded after a failed screening |
| Optional accident premium | At cost | Only if the Helper chooses Option A. Revocable. No markup |
| Instant Pay (optional) | $1.99 per cash-out | Only if the Helper chooses an instant cash-out. Weekly direct deposit is free |
- Worked example: a $55.00 flat tire. Commission 20% = $11.00, so the payout is $44.00. The $2.00 Platform & Protection fee is well under the 10% cap ($4.40), so the Helper receives $42.00, plus 100% of any tip. With a $7.00 tip the Helper receives $49.00. On a job with a payout under $20.00 the fee is capped at 10% of that payout.
- Tow jobs: Tow partners are different: for 12 months from the ShoulderCrew launch (planned mid-November 2026) ShoulderCrew takes no commission and no Platform & Protection fee on tow jobs, so the partner receives 100% of the tow price. The Crew Plus $50 tow credit is paid by ShoulderCrew and does not reduce the partner's payout. Any later fee applies only after 30 days' written notice.
- The $10 late-cancellation fee is paid by a pay-per-use customer who cancels after the Helper has been on the way for more than 5 minutes. The Helper receives $8.00 of it.
- The Platform & Protection fee is a charge for using the platform. It does not make the Helper an insured under any ShoulderCrew policy and does not replace the Helper's own insurance.
- The onboarding fee is a one-time fee. It is recorded as owed and recovered from early payouts, never charged to a card. Example: a Helper who completes 10 Jobs within 60 days of their first completed Job gets everything collected credited back.
- ShoulderCrew deducts only amounts stated in this Policy or authorized by the Helper in writing, and itemizes each one.
- ShoulderCrew does not deduct damage costs from payouts. Damage claims go through insurance under Section 8, and any dispute goes to the process in Section 9.
- The fee levels above apply at launch and change only under Section 13.
8. Claims and incident reporting
- Safety first. A Helper or customer who is hurt gets emergency help before anything else.
- Report within 24 hours. The Helper reports any accident, injury or property damage connected to a Job through the platform.
- Notify insurers. The Helper notifies their own insurer promptly. ShoulderCrew notifies its insurers where its policies require.
- Share records. Both sides keep and share relevant photos, messages and Job records with insurers.
- Written review. ShoulderCrew sends the Helper a written summary of what it understands within 5 business days.
- Response. The Helper may respond or correct the summary within 10 days.
Insurers decide coverage under their own policies. Nothing in this Policy promises that a claim will be paid.
9. Responsibility and indemnity
- Each party is responsible for losses caused by its own negligence or willful misconduct.
- A Helper indemnifies ShoulderCrew only to the extent a third-party claim is caused by the Helper's own negligence, willful misconduct or breach of this Policy.
- ShoulderCrew indemnifies a Helper only to the extent a third-party claim is caused by ShoulderCrew's own negligence, willful misconduct, platform failure or breach of this Policy.
- Neither party is responsible for the other's share of fault. Where both contribute, responsibility is divided in proportion to fault.
- Each party's insurance responds first to its own responsibility. Where a Helper's policy covers a claim caused by the Helper's work, that policy is primary for that claim.
- This section applies only to the extent permitted by Colorado law.
10. Lapse, notice and cure
Driving without required insurance puts customers and Helpers at risk, so the platform pauses Job access when required auto coverage is not in force. The pause is a platform access step, not a penalty, and it is lifted as soon as proof is received.
- Reminder. ShoulderCrew sends reminders 30, 14 and 7 days before expiry.
- Pause on lapse. If required auto coverage lapses, new Job requests stop. A Helper with a Job in progress finishes or hands it off safely.
- Written notice. ShoulderCrew sends a notice the same day that says what is missing and how to fix it.
- Reinstatement. Access is restored within one business day after valid proof is uploaded. There is no reinstatement fee.
- Cure period. The account stays open for 30 days to cure a lapse. After that, the Helper may reapply by uploading proof.
- Other gaps. For a missing document other than auto coverage, such as general liability for Tier 2 Jobs, ShoulderCrew gives 14 days to cure before it stops showing the affected job type.
- Appeal. A Helper may ask for a human review of any suspension within 10 days and receives a written answer.
11. Helper rights
- A Helper is an independent contractor and runs their own business.
- A Helper chooses when and whether to be available, and may decline any Job without penalty.
- A Helper may work for other platforms and customers, including competitors, at any time.
- A Helper chooses their own insurer, agent and policy, as long as it meets Section 4.
- A Helper decides how to perform the work, including tools, methods and vehicle, within the law and the safety rules a customer's situation requires.
- A Helper may revoke any payout deduction authorization in writing.
- A Helper may ask questions about any fee, decision or deduction and receives a written answer.
- A Helper's pay, fees and deductions appear on an itemized payout statement for every payout.
12. ShoulderCrew's own coverage
ShoulderCrew intends to carry the following business policies at its own cost and to keep them in force while it operates in Colorado. Limits and carriers will be confirmed with ShoulderCrew's broker before launch and listed in the Helper handbook.
| Policy | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Commercial general liability | Claims against ShoulderCrew for its own operations |
| Hired and non-owned auto liability | ShoulderCrew's own liability connected to vehicles it does not own |
| On-hook coverage | Where available, for customer vehicles in a Helper's care |
| Cyber liability | Data and payment-information incidents on the platform |
| Errors and omissions | Claims about the platform's own services or dispatch |
- These policies protect ShoulderCrew. They are not a Helper's insurance, and they do not replace the Helper's own coverage unless a policy says so in writing.
- ShoulderCrew will give a certificate of insurance on request where its insurer allows.
- ShoulderCrew will tell Helpers promptly if a core policy lapses.
13. Review and amendments
- ShoulderCrew reviews this Policy at least once a year and when law or insurance availability changes.
- ShoulderCrew gives 30 days' written notice of any change to required limits, fees or process, except where a law or insurer requires a faster change.
- A Helper who does not agree with a change may stop using the platform without penalty before it takes effect.
- A change does not alter fees or deductions already earned or authorized for completed Jobs.
14. Effective date
This Policy takes effect on the ShoulderCrew Denver launch date, expected mid-November 2026 and to be confirmed in writing before any Helper accepts it. It applies to Jobs accepted on or after that date.
15. Acknowledgement
During helper onboarding, the Helper confirms they have read this Policy, understand it, and had the chance to ask questions and to consult their own advisers, by checking "I have read the Helper Policies". The Helper also provides the proof of coverage described in Section 4 (Helper name or business, vehicle, insurer and policy number). This acknowledgement is not a waiver of any right the law gives the Helper.
Questions about this Policy: freedomrcp@gmail.com.