Commercial Truck Insurance - Upcoming Safety Technology

As commercial truck insurance premiums increase due to things like accidents and costs of replacing parts of the fleet or cargo, so too does the new technologies that are created to help prevent accidents from occurring and will greatly help to reduce premium costs. These technologies come out every so often and as of now there are quite a few that are available which you might not have on any of your fleet vehicles.
To start off with we have the electronic stability control which is an integral part of truck safety standards and while this is not exactly a new technology, it is newer then many of the trucks currently on the road. This particular accident prevention technology will actively select the brakes that are applied in order to slow the truck down faster and safer versus the traditional methods of braking.
Some of the newer and more expensive truck models now come with a pre-collision system where the system senses other nearby obstacles and determines if they are a threat to your vehicle or not. These systems will take a number of active measures to prevent accidents including the activation of the vehicle's brakes among many other available preventative measures.
The adaptive cruise control is capable of regulating a vehicle's speed and uses a built-in radar detection system to monitor obstacles in the road such as other vehicles and will accelerate or apply the brakes based on an advanced computerized calculation that has determined a potential threat and works to remedy the course.
You also have the lane departure warning system which uses specialized cameras to determine if you are leaving the lane you are in and makes the decision to alert you in the event that the vehicles turn indicators are not currently active. This system has proven to be successful at awakening drivers who become drowsy due to excessive hours behind the wheel.
From the brake assist that helps to stop a truck based on the pressure the brake pedal is pushed, to blind spot detection systems that prevent lane changes when a vehicle is hiding in the truck's blind spots. You can now even get night vision capabilities for those late night routes as well as sensors that can determine if the truck is unstable and could potentially roll over.
All of these intelligent systems and a whole lot more are available, and when used accurately, they can not only prevent accidents, but they can greatly reduce your commercial truck insurance premiums due to a decrease in the potential risk your fleet is on the roads. While some of the newer and more sophisticated vehicles have many of these already built into the truck, the large majority of older vehicles do not. However you can usually get these installed in virtually any vehicle if you want.
by Ray Baker

Tags: Truck Insurance, technology

Commercial Truck Insurance - Keep Your Cargo Safe

When it comes to owning commercial trucks, one thing that is very important for any company is making sure that the cargo is secure. This does not just include the possibility of damage as a result of bad stacking or placement, but also means preventing that cargo from being stolen because if you try to file a commercial truck insurance claim and they can prove the incident could have been prevented,. You might find yourself having to pay for the cargo instead of letting the insurance company pay for it.

Even if you are not being paid to actually load the truck, it is important that throughout the loading process that you are present. If you feel that the cargo is not loaded safely, you have a right to ask them to repack it because once the truck pulls away from the loading dock your company will be responsible for it arriving in the same condition it was loaded in. Keep things neat and clean. In the case you are dealing in the food transportation business, cleanliness is important as it helps prevent contamination.
Make sure that every single door and access panel to the cargo area is properly shut and secure. This may also include any seals on the doors and panels as well as locks to prevent access. Once all of this has been done, then go through your regular safety check-list before you even hop into the cab of the truck. While all of these seem to be common sense, these so far can actually prevent you from filing a claim if something turns up missing or damaged.
You will then need to determine a time and date in which the delivery of the cargo will be considered as over due and make sure your clients have a way of reaching the driver in the event that he or she is overdue. In most cases, theft of cargo usually starts less than a mile away from the loading dock with the criminals waiting for your departure and the perfect moment to make a move. This means you have to keep a look out for suspicious behaviors as well as the possibility of seeing the same vehicles over and over again.
Never make any unscheduled stops between the loading dock and the cargo's destination and in the event that suspicious activity is noticed, contact the local authorities immediately. Making sure that the truck is kept secured and that the driver and dispatch are in constant contact will help prevent any possible cargo theft.
Above all, remember that until the cargo has been completely off loaded from the truck and has been accounted for at its point of destination, you are responsible for it.
There are many factors that might prevent your company obtaining a cheap commercial vehicle insurance quote, and your insurance claims history is one of them, so make sure you keep everything safe.

by Ray Baker

Tags: Truck Insurance, transportation, cargo