With insurance fraud, semi-truck accidents and historic trucking claims continuing to make the news, preparing for these high-risk events is critical for motor carriers and fleet insurers.
According to FMCSA crash statistics, as of April 2025, there were 34,097 large trucks and buses involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes like the one in Berrien County, Michigan on March 24, 2025 involving two 18-wheeler semis and the loss of one driver.
So where does mitigating these extreme forms of high-risk accidents start? Surprisingly, community involvement plays an integral part in educating and building awareness against fraud and inflammatory claims.
In this blog post, we’ll provide ready-to-apply recommendations for mitigating and managing costly and fraudulent insurance claims from three perspectives: the community, motor carriers and fleet insurers.
Only have 30 seconds? Here’s the overview.
Three Recommendations to Mitigate Severe Trucking Claims
Community Tip – Be street-smart. Look out for exaggerated trucking settlement ads and educate others who may be impacted in a high-risk, questionable claim.
Motor Carrier Tip – Train drivers to gather essential details like phone numbers, license plates, vehicle and location photos and video footage.
Fleet Insurer Tip – Gather evidence, process claims fast, & know about claims fraud.
Regulating exaggerated claims starts with community awareness
The dooms day, scare-tactic billboards flanking interstates across the country have become all too common. While legal counsel is essential in many vehicular claims, the outright encouragement to squeeze every last penny from motor carriers and their insurance companies is not.
Florida Trucking Association, President and CEO, Alix Miller explains, “There are other consequences to nuclear verdicts and inflated settlements. They drive up insurance rates, divert money away from increasing companies’ workforce, and can delay purchasing new trucks and safety technologies. Ultimately, this affects everyone: the health of the economy, the supply chain, and cost to transport all of the goods we [consumers, a.k.a., community] use.”
COMMUNITY TIP
- Educate the public on flashy advertising that glorifies multi-million dollar trucking case settlements and encourages lawsuits against trucking companies.
- Use discretion when faced with an insurance claim (trucking or personal alike) citing inflammatory claims.
Motor carriers should gather driver intel, ELD and camera data & accident evidence
According to the American Transportation Research Institute, trucking verdicts (e.g., extremely high jury awards) have increased by more than 50% each year for the past decade. So what’s a fleet to do?
Fortunately, fleet operators have access to an assortment of sophisticated surveillance technologies that can inhibit fraudulent and legal accusations by supporting claims cases with concrete evidence.
Steven Munro with Transportation Insurance Expert (TIE) says, “With ELD connections and cameras, insurance claims can be reported in as little as 10 minutes automatically, and video evidence can be reviewed almost instantly.”
“With ELD connections and cameras, insurance claims can be reported in as little as 10 minutes automatically, and video evidence can be reviewed almost instantly.”
– Steven Munro, Managing Partner with Transportation Insurance Expert (TIE)
Drivers should also be trained to gather essential details like phone numbers, license plates, vehicle and location photos and video footage, if available. The more evidence a trucking company can provide gives the insurance claims agent ample data to support the claim and avoid litigation.
ACCIDENT MITIGATION TIP
To further minimize accidents and litigation, trucking companies should follow recommended safety protocol.
- Require better driver safety programs and training (onboarding and post-accident)
- Perform routine vehicle inspections and maintenance
- Establish clear, actionable policies on distracted driving, fatigued driving and driving under the influence
- Conduct post-accident investigations
Gather evidence, process claims fast, & know about claims fraud
In a study by Demotech (claims threat detection provider) “revealed alarming trends, such as the proliferation of online platforms encouraging lawsuits against trucking companies and insurers.” With more bad actors entering the industry, now more than ever, insurance companies must be prepared in the event that a fraudulent claim happens to one of their motor carriers. (FreightWaves)
With four basic principles, fleet insurers can be more informed, vigilant and prepared when and if a high-risk or suspicious claim crosses their desk.
Four ways to prepare for the unavoidable…big, ugly claims
1️⃣ Train insurance professionals on claims fraud detection like staged accidents and inflated claims from (medical or emotional injury).
2️⃣ Gather accident evidence, interview drivers and assess damages with great detail.
3️⃣ Get trucking claims processed as quickly as you can; John Liberatore (Founder & President of Primacy Risk Services & Chair of the MCIEF claims committee) recommends that claims be processed in 2-4 weeks of the accident.
4️⃣ Underwriting and claims teams should work closely together to best assess risk, regulations and liability to ensure fairness for all parties.
Fraud claims can even occur in the most unexpected situations.
On an episode from the Claims Corner podcast, John Liberatore recalls one particularly bizarre claim, “…no one was inside the damaged vehicle at the time of the accident—yet the vehicle owner still attempted to file an injury claim on behalf of the driver.”
While forecasting trends for high-risk trucking insurance claims doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, fleet operators and insurers can take proactive steps to change the outlook from dismal to optimistic with preventative measures including driver safety training, evidence accident training and fraud claims training.
To learn more about how ClearConnect Solutions’ data-driven risk mitigation technologies can help reduce claims, visit our website and check out the Fleet Insurance 101 Series.
