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› Specialty Insurance › 4 Secrets That Will Help Every Short-Haul Make More Money

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Does this story fit you?

You have a truck sitting at the dock but because your agent has not sent out a certificate you can’t get loaded. With every tick of the clock you lose money and get more and more frustrated. Running a trucking company is hard enough, especially short-haul, as it is without having to deal with this too. Is there a solution to this problem?

The answer is yes and here is how:

  • Make sure that your agent is a Trucking Specialist: Pretty much any licensed agent can sell trucking insurance but only a trucking specialist will understand your needs. Even better make sure your agent not only specializes in trucking but also your type of trucking: short-haul. While any commercial agent should be used to issuing certificates very few other business types need them as quickly as truckers.
  • Ask your agent what to expect for certificate turn around: So you have made sure the agent you are working with is a trucking specialist that focuses on short-haul, next ask them what to expect for certificate turn around. If the answer is anything other than “as soon as possible” you have an issue.
  • Send a certificate request to your agent as soon as you get the load: Sometimes a certificate is sent but the fax gets lost or the email does not go through. By requesting a certificate as early as you can it gives extra leeway to make sure your load doesn’t get held. Don’t wait till you are sitting at the dock to call your agent if you can avoid it.
  • Have your agent cc you a copy: It is always a good practice to ask your agent to email you a copy of the certificates that they send out for you. That way you will have easy access to them if needed and it also shows you that your agent did send it out and when so there is no guessing. Just set up a folder in your email inbox and store them there.

The bottom line is your agent works for you, not the other way around. While everyone makes mistakes if you are having consistent problems getting certificates completed on time you should strongly consider looking for another agent.