• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Customer Login

InsuranceHub
Call Us Today(770) 497-1200
TRUSTED FOR30+ YEARS
MENU
  • PERSONAL
    • AUTO
      • Car Insurance
      • Boat Insurance
      • RV Insurance
      • Motorcycle Insurance
    • HOME
      • Homeowners
      • Condominium
      • Flood
      • Renters
      • Rental Property
      • Umbrella
    • HEALTH
      • Group Health
    • LIFE
    • Close
  • BUSINESS
      • Commercial Property
      • Commercial Auto
      • Commercial Umbrella
      • Surety & Fidelity Bonds
      • Directors and Officers
      • Special Events
      • Employee Dishonesty
      • Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
      • Business Owner’s Policy
      • Cyber Liability
      • General Liability
      • Professional Liability
      • Liquor Liability
      • Product Liability
      • Spoilage Insurance
      • Equipment Breakdown
      • Workers Compensation
      • Group Benefits for Employees and Independent Contractors
      • Employer Services
      • Errors And Omissions
      • Crime Insurance
      • Inland Marine
      • Business Interruption
    • Close
  • INDUSTRIES
      • Auto Body Shop
      • Auto Services
      • Accountant / Auditor
      • Apartment Owners/ Habitational
      • Architecture/ Engineering
      • Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial
      • Chiropractic Office
      • Contractors
      • Dance School
      • Daycare
      • Employment Agency
      • Financial Planner 
      • Food Store
      • Home-Based Business
      • Garage Keepers
      • Landscaping Services
      • Lawn Irrigation
      • Liquor Store
      • Machine Shop
      • Manufacturing
      • Mortgage Broker
      • Nonprofit
      • Personal Care Services
      • Pet Care
      • Photography/ Videography
      • Portrait Studio
      • Printing & Copying Services
      • Professional Organizer
      • PR Firm
      • Real Estate Agent
      • Religious Institution
      • Restaurant
      • Retail
      • Electronics Store
      • Furniture Store
      • Gift Shop
      • Salon
      • Security System Contractor
      • Sheet Metal Fabrication
      • Technology
      • Theatrical Agency
      • Tow Trucks
      • Wholesale Distribution
      • Women’s Accessory Store
    • Close
  • RESOURCES
    • Pay Your Bill/ Report A Claim
    • FAQs
    • Insurance Glossary
    • Close
  • BLOG
    • Home Insurance
    • Auto Insurance
    • Business Insurance
    • Transportation
    • Close
  • ABOUT
    • Leadership Team
    • Careers
    • Contact
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Review Us
    • Stay Connected on Social Media
    • Close
GET QUOTE

Your DOT Number matters

Home | Business Insurance | Insurance | Transportation | Your DOT Number matters

04 Dec
2019

Your DOT Number matters

by Jeffrey Lewis | in Business Insurance, Insurance, Transportation
Your DOT Number matters

Truck businesses with clean loss records might wonder why their insurance costs so much. Maybe there aren’t any speeding tickets accidents on your record, but you’re still seeing rates that are higher than what they could be. Your DOT Number might be the reason why. Your business’s DOT Number keeps track of violations you have received, which can hurt your insurance situation. Your DOT Number has a big effect on your insurance rates.

Why is your DOT Number so important?

Your question might be why your DOT Number is so important and why it has such a big impact on your truck insurance. The Dept. of Transportation is focused on making sure that trucks are safe. They want to reduce the chance of a truck causing an accident. The violations that they might notice are things that increase the risk of an accident – for example, an improperly secured load.

The DOT is basically law enforcement for trucks. Sure, they might not have a cruiser with a police department painted on the side, but they can still write tickets – and they can take your CDL. And while they might not take you to jail, they will make you sit on the side of the road until whatever Out of Service violation they’ve found has been corrected.

How does your DOT affect your insurance rates?

The insurance company is also concerned with your risk of causing an accident. They look at DOT violations and see safety issues that could lead to an accident. To them, the higher the chance of an accident, the higher the chance that they’ll have to pay out a claim. Insurance companies don’t like risk – in fact, removing risk is what insurance is all about. They’re not going to want to insure a business with DOT violations – and an insurance company that is willing to insure a business with violations is going to charge some pretty high rates.

Here’s why:

If you’re thinking about a violation concerning an improperly secured load, the insurance company is seeing that load coming right off the truck in the middle of the road, causing a wreck. If you get a violation for a headlight that’s gone out, they’re seeing a truck rushing down the highway in the middle of the night without proper visibility. If you get an Hours of Service violation, they’re seeing a fatigued truck driver who falls asleep at the wheel. If there’s a violation with the way a piece of machinery is tied down, they’re seeing that piece of machinery flying off the truck and into a car. Even violations for things that don’t seem to be a big deal (like that headlight) can really count against you when it comes to getting truck insurance for your business.

To put it another way: the DOT is law enforcement for trucks. If the insurance company sees a DOT violation, they know that you’ve broken the law. So, if you have DOT violations, you might be in trouble when it comes time for your insurance renewal.

(And for anyone who does hotshot out there with a heavy-duty pickup truck and a trailer: be extremely careful with the weight of your rig. If you don’t have a CDL and you’re over 26,000 pounds, you’re driving a vehicle that requires a CDL…without a CDL. And that does not look good.)

Tips to keep a good DOT record.

If you’ve got some DOT violations, you’ve got to take steps to be by the books in the future. That way you can wait it out, and when your record clears up you could see some better insurance rates.

So, what can you do to put yourself into a better DOT situation (and a better insurance situation)?

First, you’ve got to be serious about pre-trip inspections. You have to check your brakes, tires, your lights, your truck’s weight, and so on. Don’t rush through this process – you have to take it seriously. Play by the rules and be thorough when you inspect your rig. You need to inspect your truck before every trip.

You can also keep an emergency kit full of things like spare lightbulbs, fuses, and whatever else you might need to have handy. Let’s say you’re driving along and one of your lights has gone out while you’re behind the wheel. You get pulled over, but you’re able to calmly explain to the officer that you have a spare lightbulb and can take care of it immediately. You can make the fix and be on your way – without having to sit on the side of the road to wait for a replacement lightbulb. You don’t have to let something like that keep you off the road for hours.

And if you have owner-operators who drive for you, it’s also important to know what’s going on with them. You need to know where they are and when they interact with the DOT. (That’s where our agency can help. We can be notified when one of your drivers gets a violation with the DOT, and that way we can let you know what happened. If you’re aware of the problem and can address it quickly, it can only help the situation.)

Anyways, that’s why your DOT Number has such a huge effect on your insurance rates. It indicates how much of a risk you present to an insurance company and likely you are to have a claim in the future. It’s important to do your pre-trip vehicle inspections and follow safety regulations. If you do, you can put yourself in a better insurance situation.

Share this article...
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
Tagged transportation insurance, trucking

About Jeffrey Lewis

Jeffrey is a Transportation Account Executive that has been in the industry for almost 5 years. When he isn’t helping his customers, he is either on the nearest golf course or riding motorcycles with friends and family.

Post navigation

Attending the Slow Down, Move Over rally in Alabama
10 tips for holiday safety

Related Post

Keep Toasty With A Great Winter Soup

Keep Toasty With A Great Winter Soup

10 Tips for Enjoying the Gemini Meteor Shower

10 Tips for Enjoying the Gemini Meteor Shower

National Safe Toys & Gifts Month

National Safe Toys & Gifts Month

CALL FOR A QUOTE!

(770) 497-1200

Speak with an insurance agent who can deliver transparent insurance options and competitive rates. Shop across all our carriers and get a fast & free quote!


Online Quote Form

Recent Articles

  • Buying the Right Amount of Insurance for High-Value Homes February 24, 2021
  • Tax Benefits of Registering an Exotic Car in Montana February 17, 2021
  • Transportation Company Insurance – So Much More than Trucking Insurance February 10, 2021
  • Homeowners Insurance Does Not Protect Your Home-Based Business February 3, 2021
  • 8 Habits of Successful Towing Businesses in 2021 January 25, 2021

Article Archives

  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (5)
  • November 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (8)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (5)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (4)
  • April 2020 (6)
  • March 2020 (7)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (11)
  • December 2019 (11)
  • November 2019 (11)
  • October 2019 (15)
  • September 2019 (11)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (12)
  • May 2019 (14)
  • April 2019 (13)
  • March 2019 (13)
  • February 2019 (14)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (13)
  • November 2018 (18)
  • October 2018 (16)
  • September 2018 (10)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (13)
  • June 2018 (10)
  • May 2018 (15)
  • April 2018 (10)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (9)
  • January 2018 (12)
  • December 2017 (9)
  • November 2017 (10)
  • October 2017 (9)
  • September 2017 (8)
  • August 2017 (9)
  • July 2017 (10)
  • June 2017 (9)
  • May 2017 (10)
  • April 2017 (10)
  • March 2017 (8)
  • February 2017 (6)
  • January 2017 (4)
  • December 2016 (5)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (8)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (9)
  • July 2016 (8)
  • June 2016 (8)
  • May 2016 (6)
  • April 2016 (9)
  • March 2016 (9)
  • February 2016 (7)
  • January 2016 (3)
  • December 2015 (4)

About Us

At InsuranceHub, it’s our mission to make insurance easy. Our goal is to be more than just an insurance agency. We want to be a partner and an advisor to our customers.

© 2020 InsuranceHub Agency, LLC. All rights reserved.

Licensing & Legal

Company Information

  • About Us
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers at InsuranceHub
  • Connect on Social Media
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Customer Login

Communications

  • Our People
  • Leadership
  • Careers
  • Corporate Responsibility
  • Review Us

Your Security Is Our Priority

1720 Lakes Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Phone: 877-341-5728
Phone: 770-497-1200
Fax: 770-814-7187

FEW-0630AO (11/2018)
  • Auto
  • Life
  • Health
  • Business
  • Privacy Policy
MENU
  • PERSONAL
    • AUTO
      • Car Insurance
      • Boat Insurance
      • RV Insurance
      • Motorcycle Insurance
    • HOME
      • Homeowners
      • Condominium
      • Flood
      • Renters
      • Rental Property
      • Umbrella
    • HEALTH
      • Group Health
    • LIFE
    • Close
  • BUSINESS
      • Commercial Property
      • Commercial Auto
      • Commercial Umbrella
      • Surety & Fidelity Bonds
      • Directors and Officers
      • Special Events
      • Employee Dishonesty
      • Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
      • Business Owner’s Policy
      • Cyber Liability
      • General Liability
      • Professional Liability
      • Liquor Liability
      • Product Liability
      • Spoilage Insurance
      • Equipment Breakdown
      • Workers Compensation
      • Group Benefits for Employees and Independent Contractors
      • Employer Services
      • Errors And Omissions
      • Crime Insurance
      • Inland Marine
      • Business Interruption
    • Close
  • INDUSTRIES
      • Auto Body Shop
      • Auto Services
      • Accountant / Auditor
      • Apartment Owners/ Habitational
      • Architecture/ Engineering
      • Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial
      • Chiropractic Office
      • Contractors
      • Dance School
      • Daycare
      • Employment Agency
      • Financial Planner 
      • Food Store
      • Home-Based Business
      • Garage Keepers
      • Landscaping Services
      • Lawn Irrigation
      • Liquor Store
      • Machine Shop
      • Manufacturing
      • Mortgage Broker
      • Nonprofit
      • Personal Care Services
      • Pet Care
      • Photography/ Videography
      • Portrait Studio
      • Printing & Copying Services
      • Professional Organizer
      • PR Firm
      • Real Estate Agent
      • Religious Institution
      • Restaurant
      • Retail
      • Electronics Store
      • Furniture Store
      • Gift Shop
      • Salon
      • Security System Contractor
      • Sheet Metal Fabrication
      • Technology
      • Theatrical Agency
      • Tow Trucks
      • Wholesale Distribution
      • Women’s Accessory Store
    • Close
  • RESOURCES
    • Pay Your Bill/ Report A Claim
    • FAQs
    • Insurance Glossary
    • Close
  • BLOG
    • Home Insurance
    • Auto Insurance
    • Business Insurance
    • Transportation
    • Close
  • ABOUT
    • Leadership Team
    • Careers
    • Contact
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Review Us
    • Stay Connected on Social Media
    • Close