Do You Know What to Do After a Trucking Accident?
Truckers today face more challenges preventing losses, but having a post-accident protocol in place can help save your fleet money, time and aggravation during a scary moment. We encourage having tow assistance in all trucking policies to ensure the security of the truck and cargo. This alone could save you thousands depending on the severity of damage to the equipment.
According to Freight Waves here is a post-accident protocol list to assist drivers after a loss:
1- Make the Calls- Call the police to alert them of the situation, call your insurance provider to get assistance and instructions on what they will need to help with the claim. Notify the owner or employer of the company you drive for. Try to keep everyone on the same level of communication.
2- Document- If you are able to do so in a safe manner, start documenting what happened, gather photos of everything including other vehicles involved. This could be a vital key to help prove how the damages occurred. Secure all videos from on-dash camera systems and compile everything for ease of access.
3- Personal Belongings – It is advised to gather and remove any personal belongings of value. If it can’t be removed, inform the law officer on the scene to document the belongings to have proof of its presence. Trucks can change hands multiple times in the towing process and theft could be an issue after the accident occurred.
4- Secure towing company – Most trucking markets offer towing assistance and have specific towing vendors across the country that they work with. This saves on confusion, handling of the cargo and ultimately saves you money.
Protect your legal rights by avoiding common mistakes if you’ve been in a semi-truck collision
Having a post-accident plan in place is extremely helpful in the event of a loss, however, having the proper coverages in place is equally vital to your operation. Towing assistance, the proper amount of cargo coverages and rental reimbursement are key to keep your business operating after a loss. Owner-operators, that don’t have these 3-key coverages, are unfortunately one breakdown from potentially losing their business.
As always, the trucking insurance professionals at The Daniel & Henry Company are here to help our clients grow safely and with insurance costs in mind. If you need help executing your plan for growth, please call us today at 1-877-406-5915 or email us at ClaytonD@danielandhenry.com
