Question
I could really use someone's help with this, I am the wife of and OTR Driver and am very disgusted with the insurance companies in Illinois. Recently we got our renewal notice from our auto insurance company and noticed that they had increased our cost. When I placed a call into to company I was informed that the increased was because of the traffic violations my husband has gotten will driving a company truck. I immediately got on the phone to other insurance companies to see if I could get us a lower rate and was told the same thing. They could not insure us because of the violations he has gotten. I just can't see why the violations he has gotten while driving a company truck has anything to do with what he does while in our own vechiles. As far as the vechiles we own his DMV is clean and so is mine. Why can't these two records be kept seperate from each other and what do we need to do to change this. I sure hope someone out here can tell what what we can do. Thanks, DISGUSTED IN ILLINOIS!
Answer
Unfortunately your case is not unusual and it is not limited to Illinois. In the past you could have speeding tickets received in a company vehicle excluded from your personal insurance for rating purposes. Also speeding tickets in your personal vehicle did not count against your CDL license.
Both of these went out several years ago and many drivers are just now realizing the enormous economic impact that a couple of even minor tickets can have. It is not going to change so the best thing is to obey the law. If he does receive a speeding ticket you need to be sure that you contest the violation even if you have to retain an attorney. Since he already has some tickets any more could possibly cost him his job.
The insurance companies are dictating who can drive a company vehicle. If you have too many tickets they will exclude you from the company insurance policy. In additon two serious tickets in three years means suspension of his CDL. He needs to review his MVR to see if any of the violations are in the serious catagory. If so he needs to be extremely careful until they go off.Speeding Ticket Central
Answer
He's right. Since the CDL in 1992, insurance companies have taken the approach that your driving record (personally and professionally) needs to be considered as one to properly rate the risk exposure. Afterall, you're only one person, not two. While many truckers say "what I do in my truck should nothing to do with my auto insurance" and likewise "what I do in personal vehicle has nothing to do with my truck", well, insurance companies now think it does.
Let's look at it from the reverse, if you and your husband had clean MVR's and your neighbor had 6 speeding tickets in his truck, yet you both paid exactly the same for your car insurance, would that be fair? No, it's not.
Your husband (like mine) "chooses" to driver for a living, therefore the burden is upon him to maintain the cleanest record possible.
Answer
Thanks for the help Morris and Connie it makes sense but somehow it still doesn't seem fair. The violations he's gotten were for a wrong turn and disobeying a traffic control light along with speeding 1-10mph over the limit. The speeding tickets I can understand but the two police that wrote the tickets for the wrong turn and the traffic control light told him that he had no choice but to do what he did. I know if that was the case than why write the tickets in the first place. I guess this is another thing that truck drivers and their families just have to deal with. Thanks anyway for the help, I really wish there was something we could do about this.
Answer
For auto insurance, wouldn't bother me a bit. The CDL violations should not concern my private vehicle. Another one shoved down the trucker's throat. Length, weight differences ( downhill velocity , braking - two examples ) abound vs a private vehicle.______
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I'd rather die on my feet like a man than live on my azz hiding in a truck.........Sir James Brown
Answer
Tickets that could be given to a person while driving a car should be considered part of a person's overall driving record. After all if a person is willing to speed in a truck then it is just a likely they will speed in a car or the other way around.
Truck specific tickets like over weight, over length, etc should not be counted ever when it comes to figuring insurance costs on a POV.
At least IMHO.
Answer
Improper backing citation
Visual restraints of CMV not the same as personal. Get out and look all you want. Then some brainiac in a VW or Cooper Or Neon slips right behind trailer where there is no way to see him.
Speeding
Very easy on rolling terrain to gain excess speed due to weight (not a problem in personal vehicle) not to mention a long downgrade. Wonder why smokie sits at the bottom ?______
|l ,[____],
l---L –OlllllO-
()_) ()_)-(-)_)
I'd rather die on my feet like a man than live on my azz hiding in a truck.........Sir James Brown