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Over the past 3 years, the amount of Trucking Insurance claims has skyrocketed and made insurance a bigger expense as a result! And all of this can be traced back to a recent increase in monetary verdicts that are continually growing larger as time goes on!

With an increase in online shopping we will start to see more and bigger trucks on the road! And with more truckers on the road, there is more of a risk for accidents with these larger vehicles to occur! Also, due to a recent shortage of truckers around the country a lot of truckers are being worked to their limits in order to get their shipments to their destinations! These two elements are a large reason why we have been seeing more mind-boggling monetary judgements appear!

Another big reason for the increase in judgements also lies in the courts themselves. Since courts usually work off of precedence of other cases, it is natural for judges to look at another case and see the amount that a victim was paid and try to top it—while this is not exactly fair in all cases, it does show a big reason why this is occurring!

Since these judgements are getting out of control, it’s a smart move to get Trucking Insurance with an insurance company that you trust! Be sure to call up your Insurance agent to see what kind of coverages are available to you and your truck!

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Each Earth Day it is great to do things that show your appreciation for our planet and all that is around us each day! Since Earth Day was founded in 1970, it has become a globally recognized holiday that is celebrated in many different ways all around the world! For this Earth Day we have put together a list of things you can do this year’s Earth Day at home!

Pick Up Litter

In just about every city street, park, and even out in nature you will see litter sticking around in places that will make you wonder “How could that get there?”. Like the story of deep-sea scientists going to the deepest part of the ocean and finding a Coca-Cola can on the ocean-floor, you can find litter everywhere! This is why picking up litter, even if it’s just a small amount can be a great thing!

Plant a Tree

Like many holidays and their specific traditions, Earth Day does have a tradition of its own of planting trees! If you have children this can be a great memory for them, especially if you plant the tree in your yard where they will see it grow over the years! You can plant your tree anywhere, but know that wherever you do plant a tree, it’ll help the environment grow stronger!

Build a Birdhouse or Bird Feeder

Bird houses and bird feeders (Maybe even a bird bath!) can be a great way to show your appreciation to nature while giving birds a good safe place to enjoy themselves! There are birdhouse building kits that can be bought at the store, but if you wanted to be a true conservationist you can make any one of these out of recycled household materials! This is a great time to be creative and you can even decorate them for fun too!

Each and every year there are billions (Yes, billions with a B) of dollars in losses in the US that occur due to theft of commercial trucking vehicles and their cargo! Although attaining comprehensive insurance is always the first and most essential thing to do—there are more practices you should consider doing in order to prevent your truck and cargo from being stolen!

Most crimes happen out of an opportunity for a criminal, and usually the most basic of things such as leaving a door unlocked with your back turned can create a golden opportunity for a thief! It is a great rule of thumb to always be vigilant and on your toes when you leave your cab or trailer unlocked! Simple things such as these can be the crucial factor in preventing thieves from making off with cargo, valuables, or worse off—your entire truck!

Also, if you leave your trailer detached and unattended you are playing a very risky and unnecessary game! While there are systems to use such as an Air Cuff Lock, or GPS technology—these all can be bypassed by savvy thieves who can and will get through anything if you give them the chance! Try to keep detaching your trailer to a minimum if you do it at all, as it might save your cargo and ultimately your job one day!

Educate yourself on common scams that you may run into as a trucker, as well as always be on the lookout for new scams since they are always changing! The first step is prevention when it comes to protecting your truck and cargo—and remember, prevention is much better than having to find a solution when it comes to the potential theft of your commercial truck!

Drowsy driving is an issue for drivers of all vehicles on the road, but it can be an even bigger issue for those that are driving commercial vehicles! Since commercial drivers are making a living on the road for long hours, the risk is definitely real! But with these few tips this whole situation can be avoided!

Things to look for when detecting drowsy driving:

1. You cannot remember the last few miles you have just driven
2. Drifting in and out of lane
3. You missed an exit you were supposed to take
4. Blinking a lot, as well as yawning frequently
5. Other drivers honking at you constantly

If you experience any of these symptoms of drowsy driving you should pull over and take a nap! Also you need to be sure to get a full night of sleep as well! Do not take medicine that will make you drowsy either! If you have a sleeping disorder you might want to speak with a doctor to see if there are any treatment options that will help you sleep better!

While your Truck Insurance might cover the damages of a potential drowsy driving accident, it will not prevent or protect you from the loss of your reputation or the guilt of accidentally injuring someone! Be smart and if you feel drowsy at all it’s a good idea to pull over and rest up!

Now that Old Man Winter is going down south to make places like Sydney and Lima frosty these next few months, we will start to see thermometers rising—and with that it becomes time to do a safety inspection on your vehicle! While in some places changing tires from snow-tires to all-seasons is probably sufficient for the Spring, if you live in a hotter environment you’ll definitely want to keep these tips in mind!

Check Your Tires!

Each Spring season it’s always best to check your tires for any cracks, tears, bulges, low air pressure, or excessive wear! A good trick for excessive wear is to get a penny and put it into the tread of your tire with Lincoln’s head towards the tire, if Abraham Lincoln’s head disappears into the tread your tires tread is still acceptable! If you see any defects in your tires please do not drive on them until you get them changed out!

Check your Coolant Levels!

Overheating cars is always a huge issue when it gets warmer in the spring and summer! A good way to mitigate this is to check your coolant levels or go to a shop you trust, and ask them to take a look for you! Usually when you do this you’ll be able to ask for an oil and transmission fluid check too—it never hurts to ask and some shops might even do this for free!

AC System Test!

Like the last tip, you can go to an auto repair shop that you can trust and they can check to see that your air conditioner is working properly! You do not want to be in a traffic jam while it’s +90°F outside and your AC kicks the bucket! Most of the time a recharge will be in order if your system isn’t running as well—and while this isn’t exactly a safety tip, it’s never good to be in a hot car!

Back in 2021, a new set of rules were introduced set to go into effect as of February 7th, 2022! While these rules are new and will take some getting used to by some drivers, they are meant to help more newly-established truckers get into the industry with more ease!

The new rules are a product of the shortage of truckers that we have experienced as a nation since March of 2020 (We all know what happened then), and they mainly consist of standardizing the testing of new drivers, and helping older drivers who are moving up in class—such as Class B CDL to a Class A CDL!

Since the requirements to get a CDL license are now standardized across the country, one great result of these new changes is it will be easier for truckers to work from different states with ease! Before, each state had its own set of guidelines and requirements that would vary drastically depending on which state it was!

If you are a new driver or are moving up in CDL class, you should consider talking with an insurance carrier that specializes in Commercial Trucking Insurance to make sure you are in compliance! You cannot operate a truck without insurance—and you need to be sure to get insured by an insurance company you trust, like us here at Flor Insurance Group before you get started!

April Fools each year can be a tricky holiday to navigate while at work! But thankfully we have made a list of fun and lighthearted pranks to uprise on your co-workers on this day of pranks and hilarity!

Fake Donut Packages

This one is a healthy and funny prank to do on your co-workers—all you will need is a box from a donut shop, and a veggie plate! Put the veggie plate into the box of donuts and use watch as everyone walks up to grab a tasty donut! Write “April Fools” under the lid and you’ll have quite a few laughs until people actually will start to eat it, then it becomes tasty!

Fun with Airhorns

While this one might be a little loud, it’s still in good fun—all you will need is an airhorn, and simply tape it to the wall where an opening door will hit the button! But if you have customers or clients coming in it might be best to place it on a door only employees will be using!

Voice Activated Prank

This one is very simple but very effective—especially now in 2022! Print out a small label that says “This Device Is Voice Activated”, place it on a something like a copier, and watch as your co-workers try to talk to the copy machine! You can put it on almost any appliance that is in your business, and this works great if the device is new to the office!

Make this April Fools a great one with your co-workers—and always be mindful of the way others feel when doing these!

With General Liability Insurance there are many benefits, but there are limitations! There are some things that your coverage doesn’t extend to, such as damage to your product, damage to your work, wrongdoings by an executive of a company, employment related lawsuits such as sexual harassment. These types of events are outside of the coverage a General Liability Insurance plan due to these events being extremely unpredictable!

One other exclusion that should be mentioned, is that most General Liability coverages exclude liabilities that sprout from social media and social networking. Since these events can get so large so fast, it is hard to forecast for them and hard to cover them! The effects of a wrong move on social media can be devastating, and makes it smart to create a social media policy of some sort!

Almost all businesses of all types will go through an event like this, everything from retail to restaurants! Since these events are not covered it is always good to either find other kinds of coverage, or to be watchful over your business and make sure it doesn’t happen!

If you are trying to cut costs on your premiums, always remember that there may be a requirement for the minimum amount of General Liability  coverage if you lease a space or if you are in a franchise agreement! It really helps to check with your lease or agreement before deciding on what is the right coverage for your business! It is always better to be prepared than to not—you should never pinch pennies by skipping out on insurance or by getting insufficient coverage, you will always thank yourself for having it when trouble comes knocking!