Truck Insurance Claim: 5 Things You Need to Know

Most commercial vehicle insurance providers tell their customers to report even the most minor collision. However, understanding the commercial insurance claim process can be confusing for even the most veteran business owner. Before making your commercial insurance claim, there are several things that you should know about.

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the most important things you need to know when making a commercial trucking insurance claim. If you’re looking to be more prepared in the event you need to make an insurance claim, continue reading below.

What You Need to Know About Commercial Truck Insurance Claims

Understand How to File a Commercial Truck Insurance Claim

There are a few very quick and easy steps that every business owner should take to ensure the commercial truck insurance claim process goes as smoothly as possible.

First, the driver should always check for any injuries that occurred. Next, they will want to contact the proper emergency authorities. If any injuries require immediate attention, your driver may also need to tend to them, but only if they are certified and license to administer them.

Afterward, the driver should gather as much information as possible regarding the accident. This information is what you need to provide to the insurance company when making a truck insurance claim.

Understand When You Can File a Claim

To be eligible to submit an insurance claim, property damage, bodily injury, or damages to the commercial truck or another vehicle or driver need to occur.

You may also make an insurance claim for things such as vandalism, theft, and damages from non-accidental events, including fires, weather conditions, and falling tree branches. If any of the above instances occurred, you must contact your commercial insurance provider immediately to begin the process for the insurance claim for the damages insured.

Know All of the Required Information You Will Need to File a Claim

Immediately after contacting the proper authorities, your driver should also gather important information regarding the details of the accident. The driver should gather the following pieces of information:

• The names of each individual involved in an accident
• All vehicle information and license plate numbers
• Insurance coverage information from the other driver involved
• Any other additional information they can remember about the accident

Your commercial truck insurance company may request further personal information from you:

• Your valid driving license authorizing you to drive the semi-truck
• Valid insurance policy with the correct beginning and end dates
• Valid identification information with your names

To ensure your driver gathers the pertinent information, it’s recommended that they write down all of the information by hand or on their cell phone, smartphone, or tablet.

Know When It’s Okay to Not File an Insurance Claim

There’s no simple formula to determine whether or not you should make a claim with your insurance company. In most instances, you should use your best judgment to examine the situation and weigh it with your understanding of the costs associated with your comprehensive coverage.

While having commercial truck insurance is designed to protect your company from unaffordable costs associated with being found legally liable for property or vehicle damage, as well as bodily injuries to another party, there are potential ramifications that you could also face.

Submitting a claim will impact your insurance prices, and commercial truck insurance providers use several calculations to determine what insurance rates your company will pay. Filing too many insurance claims and having too many driving infractions on your company’s record will cause your insurance premiums to increase. In some cases, the insurance provider might even drop your coverage altogether.

Additionally, if the cost of the damage is lower than your insurance company deductible, it may make more sense for you to pay for the damages out of your pocket. Furthermore, if you are at fault in an accident with another driver, and the damage is less than a certain amount, you may want to attempt to ask the other driver/carrier company not to report the incident to their insurance provider.

Understand How to Prevent a Commercial Auto Insurance Claim

Ultimately, every business owner hopes to avoid filing a claim altogether. Not only will claim-free insurance records keep your insurance premiums low for many years to come, but it will also help you save loads of money in the long-term.

While you can’t always predict when accidents will occur, as a business owner you can be sure that all of your drivers understand all the safety precautions they should take while driving to avoid an accident. Here are a few quick tips you can use and relay to your truckers to keep them safe on the road at all times.

Require Each Driver to Complete Safety Training

One of the best ways to ensure that your drivers understand the rules of the road is by requiring them to take safety training courses before driving. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has several types of safety training programs such as Operation Safe Driver and the Driver Excellence Award Program, which not only promotes but rewards safe commercial truck drivers.

If you need more information regarding safety training courses and how to find them, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or commercial truck insurance provider to find out if any safety trainings are offered near you.

Review the Driving History of All of Your Truckers

Another great way to make sure you have only the best drivers on the road at all times is to review their driving history. Any employee with a bad driving record may not only be costly to insure but could be a potential liability on the road, as well.

Maintain a Safety Checklist in All Company Vehicles

Coach each of your drivers to keep a safety checklist in their vehicle at all times. This checklist can include several things, such as making sure seatbelts are buckled and ensuring they are using hands-free devices. While it may sound simple, it can potentially save your worker’s life, as well as other drivers on the road.

Ensure Your Company Vehicles Meet All Required Safety Standards

It’s just as critical to make sure your vehicles are also safe to drive. This includes having them regularly checked for things such as oil changes, filter replacements, and overall auto tune-ups. While it may seem like a daunting task if you have several company vehicles, it can help save you money from filing a claim in the future that could have been avoided.

How Strong Tie Insurance Can Help Your Commercial Truck Business

At Strong Tie Insurance, customer satisfaction is our top priority. With more than 20 years of experience in the commercial truck insurance industry, we know what it takes to find our customers the best commercial truck insurance coverage possible for their needs.

If you’re looking for commercial truck insurance with an insurance company you can trust to help you, contact Strong Tie Insurance right away to speak with a representative and get a quote for your commercial truck insurance policy today.

Navigate the process of filing truck insurance claims seamlessly with our comprehensive blog post. Gain valuable insights from our step-by-step guide, ensuring you’re well-prepared when it comes to truck insurance claims.