Fleet
Fleet is where roofing programs are being repriced
Driver files are now read as closely as loss runs.
Commercial auto severity has reset how carriers price contractor fleets. For roofing contractors, the driver qualification file has become an underwriting document.
Key takeaways
- Auto severity, not roof work, is the most common reason a roofing account loses excess capacity.
- Written driver standards matter less than evidence they are applied consistently.
- Telematics without a review process is treated by underwriters as no program at all.
- Hired and non-owned exposure is routinely underestimated in this trade.
Roofing crews start early, drive loaded trucks and trailers, and move between job sites throughout the day. The exposure is ordinary; the verdicts are not.
Litigation trends in commercial trucking have carried into contractor fleets, and carriers have responded by underwriting the driver rather than the vehicle.
What has changed in the underwriting file
Five years ago a fleet submission was a vehicle schedule and a loss run. Today underwriters ask for the standards behind the schedule.
- Written MVR criteria, with defined thresholds rather than discretion
- Frequency of MVR re-pulls for existing drivers
- Telematics adoption and documented coaching following events
- Post-accident procedure and whether testing requirements are followed
- Policy on personal vehicles used for company errands
The consistency problem
Most roofing contractors have a driver standard. Fewer apply it in July when crews are short and a truck needs a driver tomorrow.
Underwriters have become skilled at detecting the difference, usually by comparing the stated standard against the actual driver list.
A standard that is waived when it is inconvenient is not a control. It is an intention.
About the author
Wyatt Duncan
Roofers Specialty, a practice of The Duncan Group
Wyatt Duncan leads Roofers Specialty, the roofing contractor practice of The Duncan Group, an independent insurance brokerage and commercial risk consulting organization headquartered in Austin, Texas.