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› Specialty Insurance › One Simple Step To Save Money On Short-Haul Trucking Insurance

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As a trucking company your costs are high. You pull a load today and the broker doesn’t want to pay you for sixty days. You start putting new tires on your rig and by the time you get done it’s time start over. Then there is insurance which is one of your biggest expenses every year. Have every wished there is was just one way to make your premiums lower? Well good news, there is:

1 Step: Keep A Clean Driving Record

Surprised?

I hear it all the time talking to trucking companies, “why is my premium so high when I have not had any claims?” Then I see a copy of their motor vehicle record (MVR for short) and the reason become clear. Here a few things to keep in mind:

  • Your MVR most of the time effects your premium more than anything else: Even if you have had no claims if your MVR has a lot of activity, especially “moving violations” such as speeding or illegal lane change, your premium is likely going to higher.
  • Violations in your personal vehicle do count: It is a common misconception that only violations in a commercial vehicle effect your insurance but that is not correct. The speeding ticket in your personal car is looked at the same way as one you get while under dispatch.
  • Some Violations Can All But Put You Out of Business: Every insurance carrier has different driver guidelines but most are consistent in that major violations such as DUI, hit-and-run and reckless driving are not insurable for at least five years and some as much as ten. While it is true that there are insurance companies that will still offer coverage even with violations like these the premiums will be extremely high; past the point of what you may able to afford.

The bottom line: nothing is more important to your career as a commercial driver than your MVR. If you want to be a doctor you need to earn a doctorate, if you are a professional driver you need a class A license and a clean MVR; they are your livelihood.

I hope these tips help. For more information on how to help your operation be successful check out my article on certificates of insurance: