Landscape Management, October 2013

RISKMANAGEMENT YOUR INSURANCE RESOURCE Protect and save TAKE THESE SMART STEPS TOWARD VEHICLE INSURANCE SAVINGS W HILE VEHICLE INSURANCE for important considerations to take that will help keep costs down Keeping premiums good drivers and also means making smart decisions on vehicle usage place to start is with a well written standard wheel warns Ken Von Forell CPCU director of independent agents at Hortica Insurance Employee Benefits A good employment application includes questions and whether their license has ever been suspended Employees should also be required to bring in a copy of their motor vehicle record should use the employment application as a way to uphold certain standards such as no reckless driving in a three year period limits and dont bend on them Make safety a priority Texting talking on cell phones and eating are all ways drivers can be distracted as a company owner you cant afford to have a distracted driver on the road Von Forell says its important to establish a written policy on distracted driving Having that INC policy in place encourages employees to follow the rules and allows you to take INTERNATIONAL action if an accident occurs due to a distracted ISTOCK PHOTO be hard to enforce Von Forell suggests the stickers encouraging other drivers to call an 800 number to report poor driving 14 ADVERTORIAL your companys fleet may seem like a nobrainer there are some at a minimum starts with hiring When it comes to good drivers the employment application Dont just put anyone behind the about the applicants driving record Von Forell says landscape contractors and no DUIs He adds Establish driver While distracted driving can LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2013 is a good place to start If somebody is dangerously changing lanes or cutting people off in your company vehicle you want to know about that Von Forell says Other riders also can be a distraction and a liability Von Forell advises business owners to institute a no riders policy Weve had instances of claims where an employee picks up a friend on the way to or from the job site Von Forell says If the person riding in the vehicle is not an employee their injuries in an accident are not covered by workers comp Make sure employees know that the company vehicle should not be used as a taxi service Another common trouble spot for landscape contractors is properly tying down loads Make sure that everything has a proper place to be stored on the truck and that bungee cords and other appropriate equipment is available to secure items safely Von Forell says Keep costs down There are many variables that impact the premium for a commercial vehicle knowing them may help save you money For example commercial autos are rated on size cost new radius of use type of use and garaging location The rate also increases by the size of vehicle light medium or heavy While there is certainly much to consider with commercial vehicle insurance in the end so much of it comes down to drivers The bottom line Von Forell says is avoiding problem drivers can save you many headaches Have a standard for hiring and stick to it regardless of friends family or even need he says KIDS CAN COST YOU A common mistake landscape business owners make is insuring personal vehicles under the business policy says Horticas Ken Von Forell This approach sometimes occurs in a family with teenagers who have higher premiums not only based on age but also gender Weve seen circumstances where a business owner might insure his childrens vehicles under the policy to save a little money Von Forell says But that can cost them much more in the long run If a teenager gets into an accident and you have a fleet of 25 vehicles under your company that entire fleet takes a hit because of the severe loss from one driver Its simply not worth the risk One teenage driver out with friends can ruin the insurability and cost of insurance for a family business for years