Question
I have seen numerous quotes in the forums where a persepective driver was told they had to have at least 1 or 2 years recent OTR because the insurance company required it.
However, I have worked part-time for Miller Transporters for the last 18 years. Prior to being hired by Miller, I had 150,000 miles of accient-free, tractor-trailer experience spread over 12 years. I understand that Miller Transporters' insurance rates are dependent on their overall safety performance and it is left to the company to determine exact driver requirements. Miller has been in business for over 50 years; thus, there is abundent info for projecting loss rates.
Anyway, I was curious as to which approach to establishing requirements and setting rates is the most common. Thanks.
Answer
The "guideline" is 2 years OTR, however, there are many factors that can affect the end result.
Size of the motor carrier, years in business, previous insurance history, claims history, hiring practices, safety record, etc.
The guidelines are there for a reason. Can there be deviation? Yes, of course. These guidelines are not carved in stone and there are circumstances where a company may make an "exception".
An example of an exception would be that a motor carrier with 25 drivers with clean driving records and 5 years experience is allowed to hire a driver with 1.5 years experience and a clean MVR. Its the big picture that often has a critical influence.
But, keep in mind that the insurance industry is dependent on actuarial science to establish much of its policy and rating. Actuarially a driver with less than 2 years OTR is more likely to have an accident. When weighing all the factors, it becomes a business decision as to whether it is a good risk or not.
The insurance company wants to make good business decisions that make them profitable, as any business would. Without profitablity, they'd not be able to pay claims.
Hope this helps
Connie
Answer
Thanks! Is there any data available as to wether a part-time driver, with the same experience level as a full-time driver, is more or less likely to be involved in an accident?
Answer
On an overall industry basis, I don't know what entity would actually track the difference between a full-time and part-time driver's likelihood of an accident.
Keep in mind years experience quickly becomes distorted when one looks at logged miles of full-time vs part-time.
You might want to check with the motor carrier to see if they've maintained any figures on this.