Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), the province’s compulsory auto insurance provider, has launched a safety campaign aimed at improving conditions for commercial truck drivers.
In addition to improving motorist welfare, brokers are also hopeful that the campaign will be effective in creating a more competitive risk profile for fleet operators, which could potentially reduce their auto insurance premiums.
“From a broker’s perspective, a fleet’s provincial safety rating plays a part in annual premium increases or savings,” said Scott Cober, National Transportation Practice Leader,
Marsh Canada. “Underwriters will take the safety profile into account when rating the risk.”
Other insurance leaders have pointed out that this initiative should also be commended for highlighting truck safety concerns to all motorists, not just commercial drivers. Research has shown that 78% of fatal collisions involving large trucks in Saskatchewan cite another vehicle’s actions as a “major factor” behind the crash.
“It’s a law of large numbers,” said Angelique Magi, VP of Transportation, The Guarantee Company of North America. “Anytime you’re talking about auto incidents as they relate to commercial trucks, you have to remember that in areas with a lot of road-heavy commercial transportation, there’s going to be more accidents involving trucks.”
Magi credits Saskatchewan’s safety blitz, which mirrors those that have been implemented in provinces such as Ontario, for offering critical safety reminders to commercial drivers, including pre- and post-trip inspections, signaling right-turns in advance and maintaining proper equipment for winter driving.
“When you look at the best managed fleets out there, they really focus on how they communicate with drivers. It is not just about ensuring that all of the equipment meets the safety standards and are in compliance that is table stakes to run a top operation. Having frequent touch points with the drivers about their behaviour behind the wheel has shown to be a turning point in many fleets loss performance. We value a customer that has integrated the importance of driver communications and monitoring into their company culture and can demonstrate a track record of following through on what their own company standards are for driver behaviour. It is not about just showing an improving trend line in preventable incidents, it also demonstrates that the fleet owner is taking an interest in them as valued employees,” she said.
