Why Choosing the Right Insurance Agent Can Make or Break a Trucking Company
Most trucking companies think about insurance only when the bill comes due or after an accident. But according to Jessica Howington of United Commercial Insurance, that way of thinking can cost carriers far more than money.
“The biggest mistake people make is shopping insurance instead of shopping for the right insurance agent,” Howington said during a recent interview. “The right agent can get you the right insurance if they truly care.”
For Howington, trucking insurance has always been personal.
She grew up in a trucking family and remembers watching relatives struggle to get answers from insurance agents who never answered the phone or returned emails. One moment changed her career forever.
Her cousin was supposed to attend his son’s first basketball game and a surprise birthday party. Instead, he was stuck at a customer because he couldn’t get a Certificate of Insurance after business hours.
“I remember being that kid because my dad was a trucker,” Howington said. “My birthday never fell on the day I was born. It fell whenever my dad could be there.” That experience convinced her to leave her previous career and become a trucking insurance specialist. “I felt like I could help more of the people I loved and cared about,” she said.
Today, Howington works only with commercial trucking insurance. She believes trucking companies deserve agents who understand the business instead of simply selling policies. “I’m not a transactional person,” she said. “Your insurance agent should be there for you. We work for our customers.” That relationship goes far beyond finding the cheapest premium. According to Howington, one of the first people a trucking company should interview when starting or growing a business is its insurance agent. “If your insurance agent isn’t asking you questions, that’s a red flag,” she said. Those questions should include what commodities a carrier hauls, where it operates, how it hires drivers, what safety policies it has in place and what future growth looks like.
One of the biggest mistakes she sees is carriers telling their insurance company they haul “general freight.” “General freight is almost like a cuss word to me,” Howington joked. “What are you really hauling?” She explained that insurance companies need specific information because different cargo creates different risks. “If you haul one car during the year, you’re a car hauler,” she said. “Cars are not general freight.” Leaving out those details can create major problems when a claim is filed. Both Howington and I agreed that honest communication between carriers and their insurance agents is critical. “It’s always better that your insurance agent hears it from you first,” Howington said. “Better that it comes from you than the underwriter asking questions later.”
Growth was another topic that came up during our conversation. Many owner-operators start with one truck before quickly adding more equipment and drivers. While growth is exciting, Howington said safety programs have to grow with the business. “I really like working with the companies that are growing from one truck to three or five trucks,” she said. “That’s when you need safety policies, hiring procedures and systems in place.”
She said insurance companies pay close attention to rapid growth because it often creates new risks. Documentation also plays a major role in protecting trucking companies. Howington didn’t hesitate when asked what every carrier should invest in. “Cameras, cameras, cameras,” she said. “The camera is always right.”
She encouraged drivers to take pictures after accidents, write down what happened while the memory is fresh and report claims quickly. “The first memory is your freshest memory,” she said. “Get it documented.”
The conversation also turned to workers’ compensation and occupational accident insurance. Many owner-operators believe that paying drivers as independent contractors eliminates certain responsibilities. Howington disagreed. “They are technically your employee regardless of how you choose to pay them,” she said. “Always have workers’ compensation when it’s required, and require your owner-operators to carry occupational accident insurance.” She called occupational accident coverage inexpensive protection that can save both drivers and motor carriers after a serious injury.
Another issue she frequently sees involves trucking companies trying to shop too many insurance agencies at once.
Most trucking specialists work with many of the same insurance markets. Once one agent submits an application, another agent may be blocked from quoting that same insurance company. “You do not need to sign anything just to get a quote,” Howington said. “Find an agent you trust.” She also believes trucking companies should work with specialists instead of general insurance agencies. “Your typical home and auto agent is not a trucking specialist,” she said. “There are too many moving parts in trucking.”
Throughout the interview, Howington kept returning to one message. Insurance agents should be part of a trucking company’s team, not someone drivers are afraid to call. “You should be comfortable calling your insurance agent when something goes wrong,” she said. “We should be the first call.” Whether a carrier is adding trucks, hiring drivers, hauling new freight or dealing with an accident, she believes communication should happen before problems become expensive. “Please talk to your insurance agent before making decisions,” Howington said. “You may not always like what we have to say, but you’ll have the information before you hit the brick wall.”
For trucking companies facing rising insurance costs and tighter underwriting standards, that advice may be worth far more than finding the lowest premium.
The cheapest policy isn’t always the best value. The best insurance agent is the one who understands trucking, answers the phone when it matters and helps keep your business moving safely down the road.
The post Why Trucking Companies Should Hire an Insurance Agent—Not Just Buy Insurance appeared first on FreightWaves.
