Telematics allows a trucking business to remotely monitor the locations and behavior of their fleet of trucks. Each truck has an installed wireless device that communicates information such as location, speed, acceleration, deceleration, motor rpm, time of day, and other data back to a trucking fleet manager. Because of the many things that can be monitored, telematics is immensely valuable to the companies that use it. It’s often used for maintenance purposes, monitoring driver hours, identifying the best driving routes, and changing driving habits to improve fuel efficiency.
Ultimately, the reason trucking businesses are using this technology is that it reduces their operating costs. One such cost that shouldn’t be neglected is rig insurance premiums. What’s the connection between telematics and commercial truck insurance premiums? The answer is that fewer claims translates to lower insurance rates, and telematics lets you monitor the safe driving behaviors of your truckers.
Knowing that one’s driving is being continually monitored is a powerful psychological inducement to obey traffic laws and drive safely. Drivers with risky driving habits are readily identified and can be given the appropriate feedback. It’s best to share this information with your drivers and use it as a coaching tool.
Reducing your rig insurance in South Carolina through safe driving works well with your other cost reduction efforts. Risky driving behaviors such as speeding and aggressive driving burns more fuel and places more wear on your trucks which means higher maintenance and fuel costs.
Even with rig insurance, an accident never serves the best interest of your business. Accidents delay shipments, damages your customer’s cargo, and can trigger lawsuits. Again, safe driving reduces the risk of accidents. Telematics is also useful in heading off potential accidents waiting to happen. For example, driver fatigue can be identified by a driver’s hours on the road as well as driving patterns such as inconsistent speeds and sudden steering corrections.
Thanks to improvements in technology, the cost of telematics is dropping so that even the owner operator can benefit. There’s no better feedback on one’s own driving than looking at the hard numbers provided by this technology. The owner operator gets the same benefits as the larger commercial operations including lower rig insurance rates from a safe driving record. He or she can adjust their driving to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle wear as well as identify the most cost-effective routes.
Whether you’re a large trucking business or an independent owner operator, you will benefit from getting the best rig insurance coverage at affordable rates at J.E.B. Insurance Services, LLC. Contact us today to learn more.
