Dump truck insurance is more popularly called Dirt, Sand & Gravel haulers or DSG haulers by insurance insiders. When shopping around for this coverage there are a few things that are very important to keep in mind.
The first, most insurance agents don’t have any experience writing these types of risks. There are fewer commercial trucking agents, and even fewer who have special markets for aggregate haulers. These trucks include, dump trucks, bobtail dump trucks, super 10 (super ten dump trucks), boosters, bottom dumps, semi bottom, belly dumps, end dumps, transfer trucks, side dumps, and a few other specialized trucks. It is important to make sure you agent knows what kind of truck they are dealing with first. If they don’t know what a booster is, you should find another agent. One resource to start with is finding a local agent that knows what they are doing, find an agency that specializes in commercial trucking and has been in business for 15 or 30 years.
Second, how many markets do they have for your type of business. Ask them who they write with, listen for big names that you are familiar with such as Progressive Insurance, Nationwide, Geico, if they don’t have a contract with these places chances are they cannot offer the type of services that you will want. Ask what the rating of the company is, and if they are and “admitted market.” Admitted will only apply to some states, specifically California.
Third, direct bill or agency bill. Agency bill means there will be additional finance charges that most agencies do include in their quotes. We will cover this in later blogs.
Lastly, ask how long it will take for your agent to send evidence of insurance or additional insured endorsements. Experienced commercial agents understand that you cannot get loaded until the broker receives this important document. If the agent doesn’t have the authority to issue this form himself, it can take several hours to fulfill this request. Other agents with direct appointment can issue these forms within minutes. It doesn’t do you any good to save $100 on insurance if you lose a day of work because your agent cannot get the evidence out fast enough. Another important question for those that have double trailers or a set of bottom dumps is whether or not they can offer you a combined deductible. In the event of a claim this could save you over $2,000. To be discussed further in the future.
