Finding the right truck insurance can be difficult because there are so many specializations in the world of commercial truck insurance.  The specialties exist for a few reasons.  Largely because commercial trucks are used in such varying capacities, and largely because the federal and state governments dictate coverage amounts to protect people from the capacities commercial trucks are used.

In simpler terms, a state like California will require you have a much higher coverage amount for hazardous materials haulers than they will for household goods haulers.

Household goods don’t tend to explode and shoot flames 60 feet in the air when they’re involved in a heavy accident—gasoline does. Hence the different cargo insurance amounts.

Specializations among commercial truck insurance exist for styles of trucks and their functions, as well as the cargo they carry.  Big truck insurance for large rigs will have fairly standard coverage amounts compared to regular semi truck insurance, but they’ll account for their capacity to carry oversize loads.

Additionally, tow truck insurance and dump truck insurance have their own special coverage amounts and characteristics because the capacities of the trucks are different than typical semi tricks—tow trucks obviously haul other vehicles and dump trucks unload in a unique fashion.

If all of this commercial truck insurance specialization confuses you, don’t sweat it.  Just remember, whatever your truck and situation, you really just need primary liability truck insurance and probably some type of trailer and cargo insurance.  If you need help figuring out what coverage amounts you need, just contact one of our agents to help clear it up!

Hail the tow truck, quite possibly the best vehicular metaphor for human existence and the perfect ying-yang in the world of commercial trucks (and commercial truck insurance for that matter).

Allow us to explain this a bit further. Some of us think of tow trucks as the large, metal white knights in shining armor of the road—the saviors of the street and the mountains in snowy conditions that save our helpless cars from the savage perils of dark and stormy roads.

Then again, others don’t exhibit quite the same emotion when they walk out of a place of business to find that their car was towed by the city for being illegally parked.  The knights in shining armor soon become petty extortionists, whose name we curse for charging exorbitant minimums and unreasonable per-day garage fees.

The tow truck, much like human beings and nature in general, is a paradox.  Sometimes good, sometimes evil—even when used in the same capacity.

Deep, huh?  Well, tow truck insurance doesn’t have to be that emotionally confusing. Insuring tow trucks is actually quite simple for us, because we provide tow truck insurance throughout the majority of the United States, for good or ill.  While the tow truck is usually operating in a similar capacity, tow truck insurance is specialized for the fact that the vehicles they tow can vary greatly in value.  Additionally, tow trucks are oftentimes picking up said “cargo” in pretty malicious conditions, whether it’s a snowy mountain road or in the middle of downtown Los Angeles gridlock traffic.

Still confused?  Just contact one of our truck insurance agents to clear it up.  We also cover car carriers insurance for bigger vehicular hauls.

We must say, we learned a lot getting licensed to sell truck insurance in North Dakota—much more than just the ins and outs of commercial truck insurance regulations of the state.

We also learned that Cambridge University thinks that North Dakota is the friendliest state in the Union, based on an official study they conducted. We’re still not sure if the study was based on manners or crime rates, but either way, it’s pretty cool if you ask us!

We also learned that North Dakota set a world French fry-serving record in 2006 at the Potato Bowl USA, firing up over 4,620 pounds of the delicious side (with 113 gallons of ketchup to boot).

We also learned that there is such a thing as the Potato Bowl USA.

While we may not be experts in everything North Dakota, for example the intricacies of the sacred albino white cloud buffalo that calls the state home, we definitely are the experts when it comes to North Dakota truck insurance.

Give us a call for anything commercial truck insurance related, whether it’s tow truck insurance in North Dakota, dump truck insurance in North Dakota, potato haulers insurance, sacred albino white cloud buffalo haulers insurance—whatever you need, chances are we can hook it up!

Let’s hear it for North Dakota!

But in reality, commercial truck insurance doesn’t have to be that confusing.  In essence, required commercial truck insurance varies based on the size of the truck, the cargo and type of carrier.

By definition, a motor carrier is transporter of some sort licensed by the FMCSA. They transport goods or even passengers on a for-hire basis of some kind. Oftentimes motor carriers will own their own commercial trucks and have insurance for trucks that they own.  Other times, they contract out independents that own and operate their own commercial trucks as needed.

All Motor carriers have to have general liability insurance to protect from damages to property or people that may be involved in accidents while the carrier’s trucks are on the job.  They’re also required by the FMCSA to carry cargo insurance. Within the cargo insurance category, policies vary and are specialized for things like general freight, building materials haulers and hazardous materials haulers.

Independent owner/operators are not required to carry general liability or cargo insurance, as they are covered by their carrier’s commercial truck insurance whenever they’re on the job. These drivers benefit from bobtail insurance or non-trucking liability for times they’re not on dispatch, and even carry their own cargo insurance sometimes when functioning independently.

Other forms of commercial truck insurance motor carrier’s find desirable are workers compensation policies to protect their employees, and physical damage policies and comprehensive coverage to protect their equipment.

Any other differentiations of these categories of commercial truck insurance are simply used to get more specialized in order to comply with state laws and provide optimal coverage.  For example, big truck insurance and semi truck insurance hold different coverage amounts and functional clauses than tow truck insurance, dump truck insurance and car carrier insurance.

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.

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!

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.