Pay Attention To Your Drivers' Experience And Background If You Want To Reduce Your Commercial Truck Insurance Premium
If you own a commercial trucking company, chances are you have more than one vehicle to keep tabs on and this includes maintaining commercial truck insurance in addition to the regular maintenance and repair. If you want to keep your commercial truck insurance as affordable as possible, one of the most important things you can do is to pay close attention to the background of any potential new driver before you hire them. Here are some tips on what to keep an eye on if you want to keep your insurance premiums affordable going forward.
Age Can Make a Difference to Insurance Companies
A 16-year-old teenager is seen as a higher risk to auto insurance companies compared to an older adult when considering coverage for your personal vehicle. The same concept is true when talking about commercial insurance. An 18-year-old fresh out of truck school with no previous commercial experience may lead to your insurance premium going up once you bring them onto your staff and send in the information. Try and look for more experienced truck drivers who have at least a few years of experience under their belt instead of hiring fresh-faced trucking rookies.
Do a Full Background Check for All Driving Records
Of course, someone being older doesn't mean they are a safer driver just from their age alone. You should be conducting a full background check for all driving records for all potential new hires. A major accident on that record that is found by the commercial truck insurance firm's own background check instead of yours is going to cause your premium to go up. Look for drivers with a clean record from the previous five to seven years or preferably even longer before making any new hires.
Encourage Additional Training and Let the Insurance Companies Know About It
If you must go with a less experienced driver or someone with a black mark on their driving record out of necessity, you may be able to lower your insurance premium rate in other ways. There might be an additional certification your driver could go to school for or a class they could take which would allow the insurance company to view that driver as more experienced upon completion. When renewing your insurance policy every year, make sure you send in updated records showing that your drivers were safe out on the road for the previous 12 months.
For more information, contact a truck insurance company in your area.