Did you know that only about 6% of truck drivers are women? The average truck driver for small businesses will drive more than 3 million miles in their lifetime.
If you’re a truck driver, then you might wonder how to choose the right commercial trucking insurance. While choosing the right insurance might seem tough, there’s hope.
This article will go over different tips and actions you can take to find the right insurance for your needs. Read on to explore these different tips and actions in order to find the right insurance today.
The Different Types of Commercial Trucking Insurance
There are different types of commercial trucking insurance including motor carrier insurance, motor truck cargo insurance, mechanical breakdown insurance, and limited depreciation coverage. Along with these, there’s also on-hook coverage, non-trucking liability insurance, and optional downtime coverage.
Consider passenger accident insurance as well. This is where the driver receives coverage when an uninsured passenger is in a vehicle. Physical damage coverage will protect your vehicle when any physical damage occurs including theft, fires, collision, and comprehensive damage.
You can also add on clean-up and towing coverage as well. They’ll clean up any debris or other pollutants left over.
Trailer interchange agreement insurance will offer coverage when a non-owned trailer receives damage. On-hook coverage is where you’ll receive a replacement or repairs on vehicles that aren’t owned by your business. This can include damages from fire, theft, explosions, vandalism, or collisions while being hauled or towed.
What Kind of Coverage Will You Have?
First, determine what kind of coverage you’ll have for different policies such as hot shot trucking insurance. Depending on the trucker’s insurance you choose, it won’t have the same coverage options as others.
Find out whether it includes:
- Medical payments
- Loading and unloading liability
- Hired or non-owned auto coverage
- Labor costs and towing
- Property damage and bodily injury liability
- Comprehensive and Collision coverage for damage to your vehicle
Exploring Payment Options
While you can decide to pay your policy in monthly payments, it can cost you less by paying it in one lump sum. Insurance companies might offer you a discount by paying it all at once.
You can also find out if paying bi-annually is an option. Speak with your agent about finding the best deals and options for you and your business.
How Much Liability?
Decide how much liability you need for your policy. Speak with your agent about the cost of your business operations, and the business itself. This will help you determine how much liability coverage you need, and you can compare different insurance options.
Previous Claims Record
Before choosing commercial semi-truck insurance, it’s important to find out how they handled previous claims. They need to be transparent about previous claims, and if they try to evade the question, that can be a red flag. Find out if there’s a 24-hour response time, if the agent will be involved in the claims process, and how responsive they’ll be.
Price
Figure out what your budget is for commercial trucking insurance before taking a look at different options. Once you decide this, factor in the price when determining what insurance company is right for your needs.
Be wary of companies that seem much lower than the competitors. Find out about their quality of service and why the price is so low.
They should have industry-standard pricing for different covers as well. Find out if there any hidden fees as well. Do a cost vs value analysis first to see if the insurance coverage is worth it.
Financing Claims
Make sure that the insurance company you choose has the ability to guarantee your payment if you get into an accident. You’ll want to avoid ensuring your truck with a company that has questionable financials. You can reach out to a broker to compare the financial ratings of different insurance companies.
Specialization
Choose a company that has a specialty in trucking insurance. Find out if they have the knowledge necessary for various state agencies and carrier filing requirements.
Find out the process if they’ll hire an experienced adjuster to the scene of an accident. This includes an adjuster at all hours since an accident can happen at any time.
Experience
Next, find out how long the company has been around. Also, how long they’ve been specializing in trucks. Consider doing background checks to find out about the company.
Check out reviews online. While a bad review isn’t a red flag, if they have many, then you might not want to choose them.
Find out how many claims they’ve had in a period of time. If they have too many, and not enough experienced staff to go around, then they might not be able to meet your needs.
Lowering Insurance Costs
In order to lower the cost of your commercial trucking insurance, consider the safest working conditions for yourself and your drivers. Have the right coverage necessary for the cargo that’ll be hauled.
Find out if there are any discounts for different items such as secure storage or security systems. Certain certifications or classes may also qualify for discounts as well.
Choosing the Right Commercial Trucking Insurance
Now that you’ve explored how to choose the right commercial trucking insurance, you should have a better idea of what to expect. It should also help you pick out the right insurance for your needs.
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