Royalty Truck Insurance Preps for the 2010 Great West Truck Show
Coming soon this June is the Great West Truck Show, and we couldn’t be more excited about attending since it promises to be “the greatest truck show Las Vegas has ever known!” This summer’s event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in halls n2 through n4 on June 17, 18 and 19.
The most fun attractions will be flooding the entire perimeter of the convention; a slew of customized trucks that are entered in the Custom Rigs Pride and Polish Beauty Contest will be on display throughout the show. Participants will have their rigs lined up surrounding all of the booths and seminar rooms, showing off some of the coolest rigs with fully customized finishes and appointments, competing for a number of awards and prizes given by Custom Rigs Magazine.
Royalty Truck Insurance will also be checking out the hundreds of trucking industry exhibitors, ranging from companies that specialize in everything from highway safety to truck communications systems. Pretty much every corner of the trucking industry, including commercial truck insurance, will be represented, and seminars will be given on everything from employee illness and injury prevention to leadership skills to how to pass a DOT audit!
With all of the industry reps and the magnificent custom rigs that will be on display, the Great West Truck Show should be packed with educational seminars, tons of opportunity to meet new friends, to work with new business partners and maybe even take part in a little late night Vegas activity if we all play our cards right!
The trade show promises tons of opportunity for the independent owner/operator and will even host a slew of employment opportunities. Royalty Truck Insurance actually just launched a special site dedicated to bobtail insurance or nontrucking insurance to help independents save on non-trucking liability rates while getting them better coverage.
Here at Royalty Truck Insurance, we’ll be skipping the booths this year, but we’ll definitely be walking around visiting and carrying tons of promotional materials that describe our expanded services, better rates and our new easy-to-navigate web site.
We hope to see all of our friends there and to make some new ones along the way, so look for us and don’t be too shy to say hi! We’ll definitely be writing another blog with some pics and write ups regarding the best parts of the show when we return!
California Court of Appeals Decides Workers Compensation Negligence Lawsuit
The California Court of Appeals has just dropped the gavel on a four-year-old case that could have been avoided altogether with better customer service from a truck insurance company serving California.
The ruling was in favor of the commercial truck insurance company, who defendant and Los Angeles resident Roland Polanco accused of negligence that resulted in his arrest that allegedly triggered a seizure and cost him further medical bills. The commercial truck insurance agent allegedly failed to call Polanco’s bank to verify his identification after receiving call from Polanco’s girlfriend and learning the bank had authenticity concerns regarding a check they had issued to him.
Polanco suffered a neurological disorder and is currently receiving checks from a workers compensation insurance policy the truck insurance company covered him under. Only later, after Polanco was arrested and suffered a seizure, did the insurance agent call Los Angeles police to verify the authenticity of the check.
According to the published reports of the court, the justices ruled in favor of the commercial truck insurance company, stating the agent had no specific legal obligation to place the call to the bank. Though the case was dismissed in favor of the insurance company, it seems the entire incident could have been avoided with better customer service regarding the claim.
If there is always an open line of communication between insurance agents, claimants and insurance providers, situations like these can be completely avoided. All it takes is a little personal service—in this case, one simple phone call in real time to the bank would have prevented the Polanco’s unnecessary arrest and possibly even his seizure. It certainly would have prevented a four-year court case that was ultimately dismissed by the Court of Appeals.
When choosing a commercial truck insurance company, always make sure you trust your agent to provide you with expedient and detailed service in the case of a claim. Without reasonable customer service, truck insurance claims can be a lot more difficult on both insurance companies and customers alike than they really need to be.
Hazardous Materials Hauler Explodes on California’s 91 Freeway
A fuel tanker hauling almost 9,000 gallons of gasoline overturned, spilled and burned on the eastbound 91 freeway in Corona, California on the Friday morning before Memorial Day weekend. The blast sent 3 people to a local hospital for minor injuries, but the driver was uninjured and no one was killed.
The 91 freeway is one of Southern California’s most congested and populated freeways, serving as the only major road from Riverside to Orange County. According to the California Highway Patrol, over 300,000 trips are made on the 91 in this area daily. Lanes were closed for roughly eight hours while authorities dealt with safety hazards that were present in both east and westbound lanes.
According to a story published in the Los Angeles Times, CHP officers said the crash was the result of a chain reaction accident that started with two cars. According to officers, the driver who was hauling the fuel tanker took evasive action to avoid further collision, but lightly struck another vehicle and overturned, causing an explosion and a large fire after the truck overturned.
According to the Los Angeles Times, witnesses reported that flames reached about 100 feet and smoke could be seen from as far as thirty miles away. Authorities let the fire burn itself out over the course of several hours before clean up crews could even begin working on the scene’s wreckage.
As amazing as it is that this accident occurred relatively injury-free on such a congested freeway, it really demonstrates why California law requires a single limit liability of $1-$5 million woven into the commercial California truck insurance in of fuel tankers hauling compressed gas or other compressed hazardous materials.
Simply hauling the truck remains away and cleaning up the un-burned fuel would cost a tremendous amount of money, much less the damages associated if anyone was seriously injured or killed.
The lesson? Drive defensively and be extremely mindful of trucks on the road. One little two-car fender bender may seem insignificant—until it ruins almost a half a million vacationer’s start to their Memorial Day weekend!
Economy Improving for Truckers?
Royalty Truck Insurance knows that the truck driving industry represents one of the largest work forces in the United States. There are over 3.2 million truck driving jobs in the country according to the US Department of Labor statistics and the industry is projected to grow steadily in the coming years higher than the rate of new drivers are developing.
With over three million drivers that need commercial truck insurance out there, we at Royalty have come to understand the business pretty well. Unfortunately the trucking industry was no exception to layoffs and job closures at the dawn of our current recession—the biggest in this country since the Great Depression. Shipping needs dropped by about 20% almost immediately with the recession, but recent statistics and quarterly business earning published by the big shipping conglomerates seem to suggest that the industry is picking back up, so much so that they are suggesting a current shortage of truck drivers.
While it’s no cause to throw a parade yet or call the recession over by any means, this is a great sign, as the earnings of trucking companies tend to go hand in hand with the fluctuation of transportation needs, and increased transportation needs tend to go hand in hand with a spiking economy.
According to an article published by Reuters this past month, UPS, CSX Corp, JB Hunt Transport and Landstar System all reported higher than expected earnings for the first quarter of 2010 that reflect improved shipping demands.
Additionally, the logistics firm FTR Associates seemed to hint at a shortage of truck drivers at a trade forum earlier this year.
“As the marketplace expands, even slowly as we are forecasting, there will be a driver shortage,” said FTR Associates representative Noel Perry. He went on to forecast a driver shortage of 180,000 truckers in 2010 and upwards of 500,000 in 2011 if the economy rebounds as expected.
A spokesman for JB Hunt alluded to experienced driver competition increasing between companies, as all major trucking companies seem to be hiring at a much higher rate than they have in the past year and a half.
“While masked by a poor economy in recent years,” JB Hunt rep Greg Smith told Reuters, “these factors, combined with fewer new entrants coming through driving school and carrier training programs during the recession, will limit the ability of the industry to add capacity.”
New safety regulations imposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will take effect in 2010 as well and also affect the pool of capable truckers. Programs are in place to monitor trucker’s driving records and history, threatening fleet suspension if the company’s drivers aren’t up to par with new standards. The plus side is that safe drivers will definitely have an impact on commercial truck insurance rates and of course, overall highway safety.
Additionally, UPS is projecting some 25,000 drivers will retire in the coming five years. So make sure your truck insurance policy is up to date and keep your driving record safe, because all signs are pointing to increased available opportunity for a slew of qualified truck drivers in the coming months. With an unemployment rate of about 10% still in the US, the news for truck drivers couldn’t come at a better time.
Dump Truck Thief Gets Off With Probation
If ever there was an example of a dump truck owner needing top quality commercial trucking insurance, it comes in a recent sentencing of a Wisconsin man named Michael Frambs. Frambs, a resident of the small Northern Wisconsin town of Eau Claire, stole a dump truck in June of last year and took it on a parade of destruction in the front yards of the residential suburb Lake Hallie, slamming it into two houses and three parked cars at 11:00pm while the families were occupying their homes. Not only that, but an Eau Claire police officer had to physically jump into the dump truck passenger door to stop Frambs from causing any more damage. Initially, Frambs tried to push the officer out of the truck, but he was eventually overpowered and cruised to a stop.
All of this racked up 18 different charges to the Wisconsin man, but after cooperation with the law, plea bargaining and given the fact he had no prior record, a judge sentenced him to a mere 360 days of jail time, some of which was served awaiting his trial, and seven years probation. Frambs, a young man at the age of 24, was also required by law to pay back $90,000 in damages for his dump truck rampage. It is speculated that he will be released from jail before his sentence is served because of good behavior and cooperation.
A good commercial truck insurance policy with full comprehensive coverage would likely pay for all of the damages that Frambs or any other delinquent might have caused with the truck. Luckily, the damages in this case only equated to a truck insurance payout of less than $100,000, which is roughly the average damage amount associated with hefty truck insurance claims after accidents. The damages could have been infinitely worse, as a dump truck has the power to crush through entire houses, and certainly could have injured or killed anyone in its path.
Wisconsin may take the cake for the most forgiving and understanding residents in the world, as many neighbors who were affected by the dump truck rampage told Wisconsin’s WEAU news that they were okay with the compassionate sentence since no one was injured in this particular instance.
“I think it’s probably fair,” said neighbor Becky Van Nortrick to the WEAU news team. “I mean, hopefully he’s learned a valuable lesson on this.”
And hopefully the owner of the dump truck had a great commercial truck insurance policy!
Mobile Truck Billboards Go 3D
Just as the current trend in American cinema is to take advantage of 3D technology to give films a greater impact on audiences and garner them more overall attention, so has the 3D concept begun to permeate the marketing and advertising world.
Mobile billboards have been a popular form of advertising for years, as they allow trucking companies to gain some extra revenue and are usually a lower cost to advertisers than traditional billboards, as installation and maintenance of vehicle-sized ads are substantially less than their building-sized counterparts. Studies have also shown that mobile advertising is effective, gaining a significant amount of consumer attention that’s in line with that of traditional billboards.
Advances have been made in printing and imaging that allow advertisements to be replaced or changed fairly inexpensively. And now, designers are beginning to get a little more creative by implementing ads on all sides of trailers to create the illusion of a 3D image.
Check out these pictures which reportedly came from a European advertising contest; they’re actually Photoshop-generated entries of the same blank truck with contestant’s designs layered on top that were judged in the contest.
The first is an ad for a European beer, seemingly poking out of the trailer when viewed from the back corner. We hope the driver’s truck insurance policy has an alcohol clause! The second is a stack of Pepsi cartons that seem to defy gravity and the third is a mobile library for a bookseller ad. The fourth makes us at Royalty Truck Insurance cringe, depicting a driver on the road backwards. (We hope he gets a corrective lens examination before renewing his truck insurance policy!) The driver in the Pringles ad better have been covered with primary liability and a good hazardous materials hauler policy, because they’re going to need a new trailer after this delivery!
According to sources, these were all notable entries that received significant attention at the contest, and allegedly the Pepsi and Pringles advertisements actually made it to trailers in Germany—hopefully they won’t detract drivers on the road too much! Remember, these are all in good fun and in the interest of effective marketing, but don’t take your eyes off the road for mobile advertisements! Driver safety is the number one way to avoid having to make commercial truck insurance claims and we at Royalty Truck Insurance always say good driver safety is good business!
Safety: The First Line of Defense against Commercial Truck Accidents
At Royalty Truck Insurance, we do our best to make sure that all of our carriers are covered in the event of an accident. But accidents involving large trucks can be extremely serious, and though covering you and your trucks with liability insurance is essential, your insurance should only be your second line of defense against accidents; prevention and safety should be the first. Truck safety is of the utmost importance in avoiding serious injury or fatalities associated with commercial accidents, and it is imperative for all companies and drivers to ensure they are not putting themselves in compromising positions that can increase the risk of crashes.
If you check out some of the statistics posted by the US Department of Transportation, you’ll notice that it’s shocking how many commercial truck accidents that have occurred in recent years could have been prevented. In 2005 there were over 5,000 deaths and over 90,000 injuries reported as a result of commercial truck-related accidents. In recent years with similar statistics, it has been estimated that over 20% of these accidents occurred while excessive speeding was involved. It is important for truck drivers to obey traffic laws at all times, but probably more important for them to recognize that many drivers on the road will not. Always be attentive to the other drivers on the road around you, and if you notice reckless drivers or speeders, drive defensively and avoid them rather than reacting toward them aggressively.
To add to the speeding statistic, roughly 5% of drivers involved in large truck accidents were excessively fatigued, and another 2% were using alcohol or controlled substances. We always have pressure to hit deadlines and meet demand, but using substances to stay awake or trying to push through fatigue is extremely dangerous to driver awareness.
While you may think you need to make a quick delivery to get another job or handle another account, recognize that safety is much better business than risking accidents. Of all the accidents in 2005 that resulted in a fatality, the average cost of the truck crash was $3.6 million. The accidents that resulted in injuries averaged a cost of almost $200,000 per crash. The average cost per crash for all accidents combined was about $90,000. No amount of business able to be gained from rushing or pushing the limits of drivers outweighs the financial risks of a crash—not to mention the priceless loss of life that occurs far too many times per year.
So being up to date with a quality truck insurance policy that covers liability is essential, but don’t let the peace of mind it grants detract from your usual safety measures. Follow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidelines and standards for safe driving, and always make sure that you’re staying alert and defensive while on the road. For a truck insurance qute please contact us to visit us online for a quick truck insurance quote.
Valentine’s Day For Every Truck Driver
Valentine’s Day is approaching and truck drivers are reaping the rewards of being on the road, afterall, Valentine’s Day is just a commercial holiday to boost diamond sales right? Valentine’s day, regardless of if you’re saving money or not, invoke thoughts of love, be it good or bad. We’ve put together a survival guide, if you will, for every driver.
For the Single Driver
- You’ve got a CB use it! Take advantage of your tools, in love, communication is everything… so take a moment and write a poem or rehearse a song and then belt it across the CB. The opposite sex is on the other end and you may just get the opportunity to “woo” him or her into having dinner with you.
- Place Classified Ads! You know what cities you’ll be visiting, so why not place local classified ads in the cities newspaper or online website? Who knows, maybe that perfect person that meets all of your demands is in one of the cities. Not only that, they’ll know the best places to eat outside of the truck stops.
- Date online! Everything has gone from paper to internet, even dating! Yes, we said dating! Instead of handing a girl a “Check yes, no, or maybe” note, we send email or do things like… Sign up for online dating! It’s become so popular that now dating websites are specialized… And YES, that includes specialization towards truckers. Here are some of the sites:
Trucker Passions
Truckers Love Connection
We know some of you are simply enjoying the single life on the road… You too, however, can get love by becoming a Trucker Buddy. OK, we know what you’re thinking, another dating site… NO! It’s actually a program in which truckers are teamed up with teachers in various schools and become pen pals with a classroom of students! It’s sort of like being a big brother or sister to a room of kids, and trust us, you’ll feel the love from the students who are captivated by the stories you tell them. Through writing letters about your job, where you’ve traveled and your experiences on the road, you help them learn map skills, letter writing skills, geography, and many other important lessons.
For The Married Driver
Being on the road is difficult on any marriage, even the strongest ones, so take advantage of Valentine’s Day with your wife or husband. Strategically plan a series of events to happen during Valentine’s Day, and with each thing, make sure there is a personalized note explaining why they are getting the surprise… here’s an example:
9AM — breakfast delivered to your love
10AM — flowers arrive to your love
11AM — massage therapist arrives for a 1 hr. relaxing
massage
12PM — lunch delivered
1 PM – nail and hair stylists arrive at the house
3 PM – Package arrives with presents galore
5 PM – Limo picks up your lover and takes them to a
you meet them…if not, send a DVD to the
limo company of you reciting a poem to your
loved one and telling them how much they
mean to you.
If you can’t be there, make it a day they’ll never forget!
We’ve Got You Covered Over the Holidays!
Bad road conditions that come with the holiday winter months like snow, ice, wind, fog and rain can all be unwanted additions to your route. Preparation and awareness can help ease your mind during your journey through winter wonderlands. Making sure that your insurance is up-to-date is one of the first things you should assess going into the winter months, especially when traveling through areas where you’ll be inclined to tackle the poor road conditions.
We want to make sure that you are fully covered and prepared to conquer any road and weather condition you may encounter. The last thing you want is to be unprepared, uninsured, or worse under-insured in an emergency situation. Give us a call today or get a new quote, so that we may evaluate your insurance plan and make sure that you are efficiently covered in all necessary aspects of your insurance.
Ways To Get Into The Holiday Spirit… In Your Truck!
Traveling through the holidays can be a total bummer! However, being in your truck has its advantage…just think, you’ve got your own private karaoke stage, where you can sing “Santa, Baby” and “Jingle Bell Rock” as loud and obnoxiously as you want! The best part is no one can boo you!
Not to mention, you get to see a million light shows along the way to your destination! Who wouldn’t love being able to see all the beautifully lit houses, nativity scenes, and outdoor Christmas trees! Better yet, nearly every restaurant has holiday food and drink specials complete with festive names.
The best football games and parades come on this time of year too, check the times, and plan your stops so that you can catch all the action! Looking for something new to listen to, try picking up some stand-up comedy cd’s, we’d recommend David Arnold’s “Cause I Gotta Go To Work In The Morning”, Steven Wright’s “I Have a Pony”, Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be a Redneck If”, and our favorite, George Carlin’s “Jammin’ In New York”, these are all sure to keep a smile on your face and your spirits up during your drive.