Insurance

Truck insurance might seem complicated and overwhelming, but that’s why our team is here. We’re transportation experts who help businesses insure their commercial vehicles all day, every day. We understand the risks you face and the coverages you need to protect your business from them. Our goal is to make truck insurance as easy as possible.

Part of that includes the articles below. The following articles explain different concepts and different coverages that your truck business might need. Commercial vehicle insurance might seem overwhelming, but that’s why we’ve broken down different topics into smaller, manageable articles. From deductibles to physical damage coverage, we’ve compiled useful information for any trucking business to have.

So, take some time to click through and read the posts below. They’re there for you to read at your leisure. We hope that you enjoy the content and find it helpful as you begin the process of getting coverage for your trucks.

DOT Monitoring Services with Truck Insurance Quotes

by
DOT Monitoring

The trucking industry is heavily regulated and one slip can cost your company more than a little money. The government expects you to know and keep track of every DOT violation that crops up. When do they expect you to run your business? It would be nice if your company had someone looking out for you to warn you when unaddressed violations are about to become your worst nightmare.

Guess what? That’s what Truck Insurance Quotes does for our customers. Keep reading to learn more.

How Does Truck Insurance Quotes Provide DOT Monitoring?

We’d like to start our relationship with a perk.

Our free DOT monitoring service tracks violations so that we can help our customers stay on top of their obligations. When you maintain a clean record with the DOT, it impacts your truck insurance in a positive way.

Nobody likes bad surprises. If you’ve had DOT compliance issues come up, it helps to know about it before the DOT comes knocking at your door. It doesn’t take much for things to go south if a driver thought they received a warning instead of a fine or the DOT officer wrote down the wrong information. No matter how careful you are, you can’t be everywhere at once.

Truck Insurance Quotes uses FMCSA’s DataQs system to provide DOT monitoring at no charge to our clients.

Who is authorized to use Clearinghouse?

What is the FMCSA?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was created as part of the Motor Carrier Improvement Act of 1999. The FMCSA falls under the Federal Highway Administration and works to reduce accidents and injuries involving commercial motor vehicles. The administration regulates commercial motor vehicles including half a million trucking companies, thousands of Interstate bus companies and over 4 million CDL drivers.

As part of this mission, the FMCSA carries out the following responsibilities:

  • Enforcing trucking safety regulations
  • Identifying high-risk drivers and companies
  • Innovating safety information systems
  • Maintaining equipment standards
  • Raising awareness

One of the ways the administration raises awareness is through the DataQs system.

What Do You Know About DataQs?

DataQs Provides a way for trucking drivers and companies to review federal and state data regarding pending violations. The system also provides a way to appeal violations with incorrect or incomplete information.

If you would like to challenge FMCSA roadside inspection reports or correct information in crash reports, this is the easiest way to do it. Although there is no direct impact on court cases, by fixing the information in DataQs, you can then challenge the court case backed by corrected FMCSA information.

Our DOT monitoring service alerts trucking companies when violations are recorded and notifies you so that you can act accordingly.

Are You Looking for Better Truck Insurance?

Choose the truck insurance company that can protect you and your drivers. Truck Insurance Quotes has knowledgeable transportation insurance agents to help you find the most comprehensive coverage for the risks you face every day. Give us a call or message us on LiveChat for fast answers and to get a free quote.

Getting the right hotshot truck insurance

by
Hotshot truck insurance

If you’re going to be driving hotshot, you’re in a unique insurance situation. It’s a unique line of work, after all, since you’re using a hefty pick-up truck to haul loads for a profit. So, it can be tricky to get your insurance all set up properly. One question you may have is whether you can work under someone else’s DOT, like an owner-operator. Now, that’s a great question, and we’ll explain why driving hotshot is different than being an owner-operator with a semi-truck. We’ll give you some helpful information about hotshot truck insurance.

Read more

How our team can help with your truck insurance during COVID-19

by
COVID-19 and trucking

The COVID-19 pandemic has, obviously, had a huge effect on the world and the country. A lot of businesses have been in upheaval, and trucking and towing businesses have not escaped the turmoil. Our team has been watching what’s been going on with the pandemic, and we’ve been doing our best to help our clients problem-solve. During this very worrying time, we hope to help truck businesses keep their finances stable. We’ve got a few things we can look into to see what options there are for us to help our clients during COVID-19.

Read more

Will a violation count against the driver, the motor carrier, or both?

by
Does a violation count against the driver or motor carrier?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) operates a program called the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to improve the safety of commercial drivers as well as the driving public. This program identifies drivers with unsafe driving behaviors and prioritizes them for intervention based on the number and severity of their violations. SMS operates under the authority of another FMCSA program called Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA). Motor carriers are entirely responsible for their drivers under the SMS program. That means a violation charged to a driver becomes part of the motor carrier’s record.

Read more

How can a carrier improve in the Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC?

by
Improve in the Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC.

Hazardous Materials is one of seven categories that inspectors from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) measure as part of its Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC). It’s like the other six BASICs in that the FMCSA compares drivers with a similar number of safety events to come up with a percentile ranking. The higher the percentage, the greater the likelihood the FMCSA will initiate intervention efforts with the driver. However, this category is unique from the others because it only applies to drivers who transport materials the FMCSA considers hazardous.

Read more

Can a Motor Carrier broker loads?

by
Motor carriers cannot broker loads without the proper authority.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) currently does not allow motor carriers to broker loads unless they first apply for and receive a license as a property broker. If you are a new broker, that means you must complete an application for broker authority using the Unified Registration System (URS) of the FMCSA. You will need to locate proof of insurance coverage to do so. The FMCSA also requires new applicants to submit Form BMC-84, also known as Surety Bond, and Form BMC-85, also known as the Trust Fund Agreement.

Read more

What is the SMS Insurance/Other Indicator?

by
It's important to know the Insurance/Other Indicator.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has prepared a program designed to enhance safety and to ensure that oversized commercial vehicles are as safe as possible on the roads. The SMS Insurance/Other Indicator is part of a wider initiative and designed to check for licensing, registration, reporting, and insurance issues.

Read more

How can I change from one type of truck operating authority to another?

by
It's important to make sure you have the right truck operating authority.

If you find that you need to choose a truck operating authority after being exempt in the past, or you need to change from one type of operating authority to another, you can do so using the process outlined below. A thorough understanding of how operating authorities work and what they require can help you save time and money during the process. Since your truck operating authority could impact the insurance you are required to carry, choosing the right model for your business is essential if you want to ensure you are getting the best possible rates on your insurance.

Read more

What do I do if I get a warning letter from the FMCSA?

by
Here's what to do if you get an FMCSA warning letter.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is responsible for making sure that commercial trucks and drivers are safe enough to be on America’s highways. To protect the public, the FMCSA completes regular inspections of equipment, driver log books, records of violations, and more. If your business is found to have a violation, the FMCSA will then notify the motor carrier of violations by mail in the form of a warning letter.

Read more

What does the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC cover?

by
It's important to review your insurance coverages as you grow your fleet.

Regular maintenance for your trucks and fleet vehicles does more than just prevent you from experiencing emergency repair work costs and downtime; it enhances your safety on the roadways, too. As a trucker or an organization that owns trucks, if you perform deliveries or shipping services, you are also required to comply with key maintenance and safety regulations from the FMCSA. One way to track how well you are doing is the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC program; learning more about this safety program will help keep your drivers and others safe on the roads and ensure you remain in compliance.

Read more