The Importance Of Truck Insurance

Having truck insurance is something that is required by law today; that is, it is mandatory.

In addition to the fact that a vehicle must be insured to circulate legally, cargo and transport trucks also require civil liability insurance.

Another reason why having the best truck insurance is crucial is the cost of a trucking company. In a company, there are usually several trucks. Dangerous goods are sometimes transported and generally with different drivers.

When we add vehicle maintenance, repairs, and mishaps, the best option for a company with a large fleet of trucks is good coverage.

What is the Most Common Truck Insurance?

Depending on the type of company and the cargo you transport, some needs or others may arise. To give you a little idea, we will mention some of the most common insurances in transporting goods.

Cargo Insurance

It covers any damage that may be present in goods transported by trucks. Regarding the price, it will depend on the transported load, according to the volume or risk it entails.

Comprehensive Insurance

This is the most expensive insurance, but it can meet all your needs if there is a problem. In this case, the insurance covers the coverage of third parties, cargo, drivers, and trucks.

Trailer Exchange Insurance

This insurance is already a bit more specific, as it only applies to trucks with trailers. If the trailer is damaged, stolen, or lost for any reason, this is the best insurance for such freight.

Civil Liability Insurance

As we discussed earlier, this type of contract is mandatory. It is well-known third-party insurance. This may be the cheapest truck insurance. It covers the damage that your vehicle can cause to anyone in all types of accidents.

Collision Insurance

This is another type of insurance with broad coverage, for example, not only in the event of an accident but also in the event of a fire, vandalism, or natural causes such as floods.

Necessary Data to Hire Truck Insurance

When hiring Truck Insurance, we must complete and deliver a series of requirements and documents so that everything is in order. On the one hand, our data, and on the other, the respective ones that serve to ensure the truck itself.

Personal Data

In the personal data section, the insurance company will need the following information:

Personal Data of the Policyholder

The essential data for any paperwork process are the following: name, surname, ID, date of birth, sex, address, and profession. Therefore, when you go to sign insurance, this is the primary information required of you.

Personal Data of the Owner of the Insured Truck

If the policyholder is not the owner, they must provide the same information mentioned above.

Personal Data of the Vehicle Driver

The truck driving license will be added to this data. The insurance company will want to know other information, such as whether the driver’s license has ever been withdrawn and even the age of the driving license itself.

Finally, to contract insurance for the transport of goods, some additional data is added to the truck, such as the vehicle’s brand, its registration and registration date, and the use that we will give the transport, among others.

Truck Data

When contracting truck insurance, the insurance company requests a series of data necessary to carry out the corresponding procedures.

Type of Truck

First, we have to indicate the type of truck that we are going to insure. This can be rigid or tractor head. Next, we will see what the differences are.

Rigid Truck

These are those in which its structure consists of a single piece.

In this case, the insurance company will also request your cargo, which can range from four to more than 35 tons. This parameter is relevant since it largely determines the final price of the policy and, as such, is one of the main factors when evaluating it.

Tractor Head Truck

These are articulated trucks whose primary purpose is to drag one or more trailers to carry the load.

Use of the Truck

Another aspect that must be indicated is how the truck is used, whether public or private, that is, private. The public refers to the fact that the goods transported are for third parties, and in this particular case, the transport would be with their interests.

Scope of Circulation

In the same way, it must be detailed where the truck’s driving will take place, that is, what will be the scope of its circulation. This scope can be differentiated into the following categories:

  • National scope.
  • National and Portugal.
  • Within the European Union.
  • TIR (International outside the EU framework).
  • Insularly.

This is another parameter to consider since it also determines the final price of the insurance, whose absolute value varies depending on the area where the truck will circulate.

Type of Goods to Transport:

Likewise, the goods to be transported in the vehicle must be specified. They differ between general, arid, and dangerous.

Regarding general merchandise and dry goods, it is not necessary to consider anything special. However, in the case of dangerous goods, you should remember that the insurance company may ask you to provide other information about them to guarantee their quality.

Truck Age:

Obviously, the older the vehicle, the more expensive the policy can be, and some insurance companies may not even consider insuring trucks that are older than specific years.

Finally, the estimated value of the truck must also be specified.

How to Protect Your Trucking Business

How do you know that your trucking business isn’t ready for a major accident? In many cases, people get the answer to this question when it’s already too late. The police call you and the driver involved, ask you to show some documents and shoots endless questions. It is then that you realize how crucial it is to protect your trucking business. Even the smallest mistake may result in a catastrophe, leading you to shut down the business once and for all. But you wouldn’t want to do that. Therefore, you need to know the different ways to protect your trucking business. From talking to the police to handling insurance matters, you need to do everything step by step. Here’s a guide that can help protect your business.

1. Take care of the driver

It’s crucial to save your employee first. Don’t go into the legal complications as soon as you find out that one of your trucks met with an accident. Reach the accident scene and make sure your driver is safe. Call paramedics for immediate medical help. Also, don’t forget to secure the cargo in the truck. It’s best if you already keep an accident kit in each truck to stay prepared for such unforeseen events. The kit should include the following:

• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Identification cards
• Vehicle registration
• Road flares
• Basic tool kit
• Dashcam
• Pen and paper

Train your drivers beforehand on how to react if they meet with an accident. They should know how to use the above things in emergency cases. Also be sure to have adequate truck insurance in place to reduce unforeseen expenses due to vehicle accident

2. Don’t say anything that can go against the driver in court

Remember, you are the manager. It’s your responsibility to keep calm in the situation and not say anything that the opposing lawyer may use in court. You and the driver should insist on talking to your lawyer instead of talking to the police. Make sure you train all your drivers to keep a calm head when the police interrogate. They shouldn’t say things like “I’m sorry,” “I wish I would fix the wiper (or any part of the car), or “If only I did this and that, I could have avoided the accident.” These are strict no-nos. Prepare mock situations to prepare the drivers about what questions they can expect and how to answer them tactfully until the lawyer arrives.

3. Maintain your trucks

Precaution is better than cure. Why take the risk of meeting with an accident when you can avoid it in the first place? One of the best ways to save your trucks and your trucking business is to maintain the trucks every month. Take them to the nearest service center. Service centers usually provide 20 or 25-point checks to inspect various parts of the vehicle to rule out problems. This would eliminate the risks of your trucks being the cause of an accident. You can’t control the reckless driving of other motorists on the road. But you can certainly maintain your trucks so that they don’t malfunction during a trip and cause an accident.

4. Contact the insurance company

Don’t wait for days to call the insurance company. Remember, your business is at stake, and you wouldn’t want to go bankrupt because of an accident. Sometimes, insurance companies guide you with what to do after an accident so that the incident doesn’t tarnish your company’s reputation. They will cooperate with you to reduce your financial impact on your trucking company.

Apart from dealing with car insurance, you should also check the cargo in the truck. You should take a look at whether the cargo was damaged or not. If it was, you should talk to the insurance company about the possible coverage you can get. Every trucking business should have accident damage coverage to protect against such significant losses. Imagine carrying a truck full of medicines, and there was an accident. It resulted in a fire that destroyed the entire cargo. Imagine how much money you would lose if you don’t have insurance coverage. You may end up liquidating your assets or your business to make up for the lost money of your client.

5. Talk to your clients

Apart from insurance and truck maintenance, your clients can also help protect your trucking business. If you have offered top-notch services so far and the accident was a genuine mistake, you can ask your clients to speak about your quality of service on your behalf. They can vouch for your company to the judge or the police to save your business. But make sure you keep a good rapport with your clients even when they don’t hire your services. Small things matter, like calling and asking their whereabouts, whether they need to shift anything in the next few days or not, and requesting them to provide reviews about your services on social media.

6. Gather records

Always try to keep your records ready before the police interrogate. It becomes easier for you to answer the questions and your lawyer to set up the case. These records act as supporting documents while defending a case against one of your drivers. Keep the following records ready before you talk to your lawyer or the police:

• Disciplinary history of the driver
• Driver records
Logbooks that mention the working date and duration
Electronic monitoring of the trucks
• Training program documents, if any
• Proof that you had implemented the training before appointing the drivers to work
• Proof that you occasionally checked whether the drivers follow the rules discussed in the training program

It takes months of planning to start a trucking business. In fact, you also need a significant amount of money to start this type of business because you need to buy trucks, hire drivers, and keep the trucks safe. Don’t let so much hard work go to waste because of one accident. Learn to protect your trucking business by following the tips above. You can talk to a lawyer to get an idea of what you should and shouldn’t do to keep your business reputation intact.