Latest Commercial Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Commercial Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Two Brothers Face Trial for Murder-for-hire Insurance Fraud Scheme

Aug 24 2011 // Opening statements are expected this week in the trial in Baltimore of two brothers accused of carrying out the killing of a blind and mentally disabled man as part of an insurance scam.Jury selection began on Monday in...

MMA Insurance UK Expands Commercial Auto Coverage

Aug 22 2011 // The UK’s auto (motor) insurance market is extremely competitive, and over the past few years usually unprofitable. As a result a number of insurers are reducing capacity and/or contracting their distribution for...

New York Stops Tour Bus Operators Following Crashes

Jul 27 2011 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, following a recent rash of tour bus crashes, said he will suspend the operating licenses of eight charter and tour bus companies and their 100 buses after repeated failures in safety...

Commercial Auto Claims on the Rise – Will Rates Come Next?

Jul 4 2011 // An increase in claims from cargo theft and freight physical damage is expected to lead to higher insurance rates in the commercial auto class, a welcome development for some insurers after years of prices going...

Texas Takes 26.5% of ‘Roadchecked’ Commercial Vehicles Out of Service

Jun 24 2011 // During the recent 72-hour Roadcheck 2011 program, the Texas Department of Public Safety and other Texas law enforcement agencies inspected 7,993 commercial vehicles. Of the vehicles inspected, 26.5 percent were placed out...

Massachusetts AG Urges Rate Reduction for Commercial Auto

Jun 6 2011 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley claims insurers have overcharged commercial auto customers by a combined $1 billion over the last seven years and has asked the state’s insurance commissioner to force...

Appalachian Underwriters, American Alternative Partner on Commercial Auto

Jun 2 2011 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) has been appointed by American Alternative Insurance Corporation (AAIC) to offer nationwide commercial auto coverage. Appalachian Underwriters is a licensed national managing general...

Wash. Seeks Comment on Workers’ Comp Policy on For-Hire Drivers

Jun 1 2011 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries is seeking comment on proposed rules to implement legislation requiring workers’ compensation coverage for certain for-hire vehicle operators such as taxi and...

Gateway Insurance Ratings Affirmed; Outlook Revised to Negative

May 26 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to negative from positive and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Gateway Insurance Co. (Gateway) in St. Louis, Mo.The...

Massachusetts AG Urges Rate Reduction for Commercial Auto

May 24 2011 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley claims insurers have overcharged commercial auto customers by $1 billion over the last seven years and has asked the state’s insurance commissioner to slash premiums for...

Bus, Taxi Drivers Targeted in Ongoing New York Crackdown

May 11 2011 // The latest and broadest sting in a crackdown on commercial drivers that has ensnared 173 of them since a deadly March tour bus crash has netted nearly four dozen more arrests of drivers of tour buses, New York City buses,...

S.H. Smith & Co. Opens Northwest Office

Mar 25 2011 // S.H. Smith & Co. Inc., a wholesaler and managing general agent, announced it is expanding its market presence into the West by opening an office in the Northwest. Scott Smith, president, said, “We will focus on...

Progressive Extends Pet Injury Coverage to Commercial Auto Customers’ Pets

Mar 8 2011 // Business owners can now protect their dogs and cats with Progressive’s free Pet Injury coverage.How it works: If a dog or cat is hurt in a vehicle accident, Progressive will pay vet bills up to $1,000. Key...

Starr Indemnity Launches Primary Commercial Auto Facility

Jan 10 2011 // Starr Indemnity & Liability Company, Inc. (Starr Indemnity) has launched primary commercial auto to complete their primary casualty offerings. “With the introduction of our primary auto capabilities, Starr...

2 Get Life Sentences in Missouri Murder-for-Hire Insurance Case

Sep 27 2010 // Two eastern Missouri men have been sentenced to life in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot.James Kornhardt and Steven Mueller were convicted in June in connection with the 1992 killing of Danny Harold Coleman....

Chartis Introduces Alternative Fuel Deductible Option on Commercial Auto

Sep 7 2010 // Chartis has introduced an Auto Physical Damage Alternative Fuel Incentive Deductible designed to assist business customers in their efforts to be environmentally responsible. The enhancement allows customers to be...

Maine City: Golf Cart ‘Taxi’ Must Be Licensed, Carry Insurance

Aug 19 2010 // The City Council in Maine’s largest city has effectively put the kibosh on a young man’s golf cart transportation service on Peaks Island. Nineteen-year-old Matt Rand has offered rides in his golf cart in...

Cars Explode at New Jersey Taxi Company, Burning Two

Aug 13 2010 // Authorities say a fire in the garage of a New Jersey taxi company caused several cars to explode, burning two employees.Jeff Welz, co-director of North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, says the fire broke out at Rapido...

Cheyenne Aims to Tighten Taxi Requirements

Jul 21 2010 // Cheyenne, Wyo., may tighten its rules for taxi cab companies that operate in the city.The council is set to vote next week on a requirement for taxis to display the vehicle’s commercial insurance policy. The new...

National Interstate Expands Commercial Auto to 4 More States; Seeks Agents

Jul 14 2010 // National Interstate Insurance Co. is now making its commercial vehicle insurance product available in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.The Richfield, Ohio company said it is actively seeking to increase its...