Great West Casualty Company Blog

When an equipment failure occurs or another emergency forces you to pull off the roadway, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators are required under Part 392.22 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) to follow specific rules to alert other motorists of your situation. Below is a simple graphic and additional safety tips to keep in mind should you need to make an emergency stop. Read the information below and refer to the regulations to ensure you meet compliance requirements and protect yourself from harm.

HAS THE DEFINITION OF AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY CHANGED? Yes: On November 24, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a notice in the Federal Register clarifying the meaning of three terms used in the definition of “agricultural commodity” for the purposes of the agency’s Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. The three terms that were revised include “any agricultural commodity,” “livestock,” and “non-processed food.” The revised meanings of these terms went into effect on December 9, 2020; the revisions ensure that the HOS exemptions are utilized as Congress intended.

Screening driver applicants is one of the most crucial functions for any motor carrier. Selecting the right person requires due diligence because the consequences of making a bad hire could scar the organization for years to come. Taking the time to thoroughly vet applicants by investigating their backgrounds, evaluating their skills, and interviewing them to ensure they are a good fit for the company culture are necessary steps on the front end to save the company time and money on the back end. For this reason, Great West created the Safety Road Map, a simple tool to help motor carriers develop their own driver screening and selection processes.

Properly managing the truck’s speed requires skill and good judgment. Failure to do so could have tragic consequences. To help avoid this, drivers must recognize the hazards that can lead to a crash, know the defense, and react properly. Read the information below and ask yourself how you can improve your driving style in any of the hazard categories.

WHY IS ON-TIME REPORTING OF PHYSICAL DAMAGE CLAIMS IMPORTANT? On-time reporting of physical damage claims allows Great West Casualty Company to begin the investigative process while all of the details are still fresh in the minds of those involved. Prompt claim reporting is important for several reasons, including downtime and claim processing. If the Property Damage Cargo (PDC) Adjuster can respond in the first 24 hours, he or she can take steps immediately to minimize the insured’s downtime, assist with towing, control costs, and get the equipment back on the road more quickly. Additionally, on-time reporting can affect the severity of a claim. Great West’s PDC Adjusters work with wrecker services and body shops every day. They specialize in resolving claims promptly to minimize losses and reach a fair and accurate settlement. Experience shows, however, that the longer it takes to report a claim, the higher the claim’s cost.

Truck stops, rest areas, and parking lots are used by criminals to prey upon unsuspecting drivers. Protecting yourself from physical harm is your primary concern, of higher priority than the security of your vehicle and cargo. The key to your safety is to be able to recognize the hazards that can put you in harm’s way and know how to defend against these dangers.

Finding the right talent, especially drivers, is a challenge for all motor carriers. Competition is fierce, and with a driver shortage making finding good drivers even more difficult, motor carriers need to find creative ways to attract and retain drivers. One important aspect of the recruiting process is the image your company presents to prospective candidates. A motor carrier’s brand can differentiate itself from the competition and help itself land top talent. To do so, motor carriers should embrace technology. Drivers are using the internet, social media, and other means to do their homework on employers the same way motor carriers screen drivers. Below are four ways motor carriers can leverage technology to boost its recruiting efforts.

Summer driving presents many challenging conditions for drivers. Avoiding potential losses requires drivers to recognize the hazards that can lead to a vehicle crash, know the defense, and react properly. Read the information below and ask yourself how you can improve your driving style in any of the hazard categories.

Skip-level meetings are an excellent leadership tool for a manager’s manager to get in touch with rank-and-file employees. In essence, a skip-level meeting can be a one-on-one with an employee or a one-to-many with a number of employees, depending on the size of the organization. The purpose is to give employees a chance to meet with their boss’s boss—without the manager in attendance—and have an unfiltered conversation about what is really happing in their departments and the company as a whole. Skip-level meetings provide an opportunity to discuss employee concerns, share ideas for improvement, discuss upward mobility options, and provide insights employees may not be aware of into how the organization operates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults ages 18 and up require a minimum of seven hours sleep per night.  The problem is that many factors can disrupt a person’s ability to get even the minimum amount of quality sleep. These factors include stress, working irregular hours, and practicing unhealthy lifestyle habits. Read the information below and decide how you can better improve your sleep habits.