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Reduce Commercial Vehicle Insurance Rates with Better Maintenance

Posted by David Ross on Wed, Aug 20, 2014

Commercial vehicle insurance can be affected by how well you maintain your vehicle fleetWhether your company owns one commercial vehicle or an entire fleet of vehicles, regular vehicle maintenance is one of the best things you can do to protect your employees, your property, and your business.

As a bonus, any time you reduce risk you reduce the chance of incurring an insurance claim, which ultimately can help lower your commercial vehicle insurance and other business insurance rates.

Here's How:

  • Regular maintenance can help prolong the life of your vehicle and allow it to operate more efficiently. 
     
  • Regular maintenance also helps ensure the safety of your employees and can help cut down on insurance claims.
     
  • Many state and U.S. regulations require a preventive vehicle maintenance program, including a structured record-keeping system.  Non-compliance of these regulations can lead to strict penalties, including hefty fines. 

 

Commercial Vehicle Compliance

Before initiating an internal vehicle maintenance plan, you should understand federal commercial vehicle requirements. Every year, the Commercial Safety Vehicle Alliance (CSVA) conducts approximately four million commercial motor vehicle inspections throughout North America.  These inspections focus on vehicle mechanical safety, traffic enforcement, cargo securement and regional rules and regulations.  Any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, including the weight of a trailer, may be subject to these random road checks. http://www.cvsa.org/programs/nas.php

Developing a Better Commercial Vehicle Preventive Maintenance Program

In addition to complying with federal regulations, it’s also a good idea to create a formal preventive maintenance program that includes a daily pre- and post-drive checklist.  This helps insure that drivers share some of the vehicle maintenance responsibility and that the day-to-day safety requirements are met. 

Where to Begin

A good place to start is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website.  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ FMCSA’s “A Motor Carrier’s Guide to IMPROVING HIGHWAY SAFETY” is a great resource.  It includes lots of information and record-keeping forms. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/ETA-Final-508c-s.pdf.

With a preventive maintenance plan in place and knowledge of federal and state regulations, your one commercial vehicle or your entire fleet will be ready for the road. 

Reduce Risk & Save Money with the Right Commercial Vehicle Insurance

American Insuring Group’s independence and high standards allow us to provide the best commercial vehicle insurance rates and high-quality insurance protection for your commercially used car, van, truck, or fleet.  Contact us at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848 to learn more.

 

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