Why Choosing the Right Insurance Agent Can Make or Break a Trucking Company

Most trucking companies think about insurance only when the bill comes due or after an accident. But according to Jessica Howington of United Commercial Insurance, that way of thinking can cost carriers far more than money.

"The biggest mistake people make is shopping insurance instead of shopping for the right insurance agent," Howington said during a recent interview. "The right agent can get you the right insurance if they truly care."

For Howington, trucking insurance has always been personal.

She grew up in a trucking family and remembers watching relatives struggle to get answers from insurance agents who never answered the phone or returned emails. One moment changed her career forever.

Her cousin was supposed to attend his son's first basketball game and a surprise birthday party. Instead, he was stuck at a customer because he couldn't get a Certificate of Insurance after business hours.

"I remember being that kid because my dad was a trucker," Howington said. "My birthday never fell on the day I was born. It fell whenever my dad could be there." That experience convinced her to leave her previous career and become a trucking insurance specialist. "I felt like I could help more of the people I loved and cared about," she said.

Today, Howington works only with commercial trucking insurance. She believes trucking companies deserve agents who understand the business instead of simply selling policies. "I'm not a transactional person," she said. "Your insurance agent should be there for you. We work for our customers." That relationship goes far beyond finding the cheapest premium. According to Howington, one of the first people a trucking company should interview when starting or growing a business is its insurance agent. "If your insurance agent isn't asking you questions, that's a red flag," she said. Those questions should include what commodities a carrier hauls, where it operates, how it hires drivers, what safety policies it has in place and what future growth looks like.

One of the biggest mistakes she sees is carriers telling their insurance company they haul "general freight." "General freight is almost like a cuss word to me," Howington joked. "What are you really hauling?" She explained that insurance companies need specific information because different cargo creates different risks. "If you haul one car during the year, you're a car hauler," she said. "Cars are not general freight." Leaving out those details can create major problems when a claim is filed. Both Howington and I agreed that honest communication between carriers and their insurance agents is critical. "It's always better that your insurance agent hears it from you first," Howington said. "Better that it comes from you than the underwriter asking questions later."