Tips

Getting the right truck insurance for your business can feel like a monumental task. Maybe you’re not quite sure where to start. This section of our blog has articles that feature tips for buying truck insurance and tips for understanding various coverages. Insurance might seem overly complicated and impossible, but we strive to make insurance as easy as possible. That’s why these articles break down various topics into easy-to-understand tips and explanations.

The “Tips” section also includes articles that focus on ways to improve safety at your business. Though you face many risks as a trucking business, there are things you can do to minimize those risks and lessen the chance of something bad happening. The articles take various topics and create manageable steps that you can follow to boost safety at your business. The safer your business is, the fewer claims you may have. And that can help your insurance rates.

So, take some time to check out the topics that appeal to you.

5 signs that you need to compare truck insurance quotes

December 5, 2018December 5, 2018 by truckinsurance

Here are five signs that you might need to compare truck insurance quotes.

The point of having truck insurance is to save you money. If you are in an accident, having the right truck insurance can save you from expensive lawsuits or having to pay out thousands to fix your truck. However, your current policy may not be the best one for you. There are many good reasons to compare truck insurance quotes, but how do you know when it’s time to do that? Here are some signs that it’s time to compare truck insurance quotes.

4 tank truck insurance coverages you should know about

November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 by truckinsurance

Whether you use your tank truck to haul staples like milk or water or fuel for retail gas stations, you need the right kind of insurance coverage. Tank trucks are not easy to drive. The liquid sloshes back and forth, which can make it harder to control a tanker compared to a box truck or tractor-trailer. Plus, tankers have a really high center of gravity.

Guide To International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) Registration

November 21, 2018November 22, 2018 by truckinsurance

The International Fuel Tax Agreement, or IFTA for short, is an agreement between states in the U.S. and provinces in Canada to collect fuel use taxes. The IFTA agreement includes 48 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces.

How does my trucking business’s SAFER score affect my insurance rates?

November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 by truckinsurance

How does your SAFER score affect your insurance rates?

Your SAFER score may not only signal issues within your trucking business. It can directly impact your truck insurance rate. Learning more about how this score works and how an insurer views this score will help improve audit performance and keep insurance premiums low.

Here’s what you need to know.

4 tips for selecting the best long-haul truck drivers

October 29, 2018October 29, 2018 by truckinsurance

If you are a fleet owner, then you probably know that there is a truck driver shortage. You might try to solve this issue by lowering your hiring standards or using quick or aggressive recruitment strategies. However, this strategy will likely lead to poor driver retention.

How to recruit and keep good truck drivers

November 27, 2018October 25, 2018 by truckinsurance

It can be difficult to recruit and retain truck drivers.

Recruiting and keeping good truck drivers is difficult for most fleet owners. There is currently a shortage of qualified truck drivers. According to the American Trucking Organization, the trucking industry needs to hire at least one million truck drivers over the next decade to meet the current demand

So, how can you recruit and keep talented and safe truck drivers? Here are some of the best tips and tricks for finding new truckers and reducing turnover.

How to properly load your truck for safe transport

October 24, 2018October 24, 2018 by truckinsurance

Securing your truck's cargo properly can help you avoid accidents.

Imagine looking in your rear review mirror and seeing your cargo spill onto the roadway. A scenario like this could result in a serious accident. A vehicle might swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting the cargo. Or, perhaps a car runs over your spilled cargo, which causes the driver to lose control. Either of these scenarios could happen if you fail to properly secure your load.

Aside from causing accidents, improperly secured loads can hurt your vehicle’s performance. It can affect your braking, speed, and steering control. It can make loads shift or roll back and forth in your truck. We’ll go over some common loading problems and how to properly secure your load.

7 Steps To Take to Protect Your Trucking Company After An Accident

October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 by truckinsurance

If one of your drivers is in an accident, these steps can help you protect your business.

When’s the worst time to find out that your company isn’t prepared for a major truck accident? Right after that accident, of course.

You may have to provide documents. You, managers, and the driver may be called to testify. Understanding what to expect and how to prepare will help protect the trucking company you’ve built.

If one of your drivers has been in an accident, take these 7 steps to protect your company from further damage.

4 ways to identify that your driver is distracted

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 by truckinsurance

Identify distracted driving at your business.

People get distracted. Sometimes it’s a clever billboard or a person in a costume walking down the street. Sometimes it’s a non-urgent need to use dispatch equipment. They may be reaching for a map or using a cell phone – either talking or texting and driving.

It’s all distracted driving. And it leads to over 25% of truck accidents. A fleet owner, on average, will be out of pocket around $70,000 per event. Some studies show this average even higher. The effects of distracted driving on trucking businesses can be huge. It’s also dangerous, which is why the FMCSA has banned handheld cell phone use for commercial vehicle drivers

Preventing distracted driving is important. But you can’t prevent what you don’t know about.

5 Soft Skills to Look for When Hiring a Fleet Manager

October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 by truckinsurance

Look for these skills when hiring a fleet manager.

When you’re interviewing for a fleet manager position, you know immediately how well they understand the industry. It’s in the words they use. You hear it in the confidence they show when answering questions. You can see from their resume whether they’ve been in fleet management positions before.

But soft skills don’t often find their way onto a resume or into the interview room. These are those skills that are harder to define, like “being a problem solver”. These less technical skills determine a fleet manager’s long-term success.