Knowledge Test

Michael Ludwig

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2009
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John Doe is driving down the NY Thruway in your brand new Peterbilt Classic , pulling a new, all stainless Great Dane reefer, with the new TK Precedent mounted on the nose. You dropped $325K on this baby and she's just beautiful. Anyways, back to JD, just as he slides 'er into 13th gear there's a weird poof and popping noise under the hood. JD checks the gauges. Everything looks good. Leans forward in the seat to get a better look at the front, and that looks good too. Looks in the left mirror, and that's fine. Looks in the right mirror, and there's the problem. A god-awful trail of thick black smoke is billowing down the side of the truck. It takes JD a second or two before he realizes what's going on ... he's on fire ... and he's in the left lane doing 75 mph. He slams on the brakes and hauls 'er to the right to get to the shoulder. Thankfully everyone behind him saw the smoke and expected something to happen ... no one got hit. By the time JD got 'er whoa'd up, there's flames coming out the hood, and it's melting the aluminum. The front tires are even burning. All JD has time to do is grab his wallet, and cellphone, and bail out the door. She's a goner now. Flames are shooting out the back of the bunk onto the reefer. The fiberglass shell is now on fire. Somehow or another they sneak between the outer skin and the Kemlite and started the insulation on fire. This is really bad because JD's got a load of cardboard on that would have taken him to New Bedford for a load of clemmies. She's burnin' good now from end to end ... $325K up in smoke. You can see the tracks of the tears through the soot on JD's face.

Now we all carry fire insurance right? Here's the question ... JD has about $3,500.00 of his personal gear in the bunk. How does he get reimbursed for that?
 
Hmmm, If the coverage on the Pete doesn't look after it there is one other avenue to pursue.
A couple of years ago the insurance laws in Ontario changed. It was mainly in the "personal injury" area where if you had coverage on your personal vehicle it transferred over to any vehicle you were driving. This was as a result of major lobbying by WSIB. It gives people the option of opting out of WSIB and going after their insurance company.
Who knows it might also cover contents?
 
hmmmmm....OK, whatever was in the cab that belonged to the company would be covered, i.e., GPS, other electronics, etc. As an employee of the company, unless the company had a written policy that did not allow employees to have personal gear in the truck, or gear only up to to a certain dollar amount (he can't bring that priceless Mona Lisa with him on a trip), I would answer yes, his gear would be covered. Subject to whatever deductible the company had on their policy. If the deductible was in excess of the value of the drivers gear, hmmmmmm.....should the company re-reimburse him????? Michael, is there a personal connection to this quiz? If so, you've rigged the test!
 
I'm not sure about Ontario but as far as I know in Manitoba your personal items would be covered by your homeowner's insurance.

Mike and I will be drinking, of course it will have nothing to do with the test for me!
 
I believe also the contents are covered by your homeowner's policy. What I also believe is that there might be a trucker or two who are reluctant to put a claim through on their own personal policy when they feel their employer should be responsible. And not all truckers are homeowners. But my understanding is that putting a claim of this sort through on your personal policy is not supposed to affect your premium or your claims record. The trucker might be looking to have their deductible covered by the employer, though. The question you have to ask though, is what the heck does he have that is that valuable? Well, it doesn't take long for an Apple laptop, some warm winter gear and a few basic tools to add up to that amount. Do you value your driver enough to reimburse this?
 
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People, you'd be amazed on how much you carry with you in a truck that is considered personal stuff... Sheets, pillow, sleeping bag, winter boots, winter coat and pants, all your clothes (summer and winter), Shampoo/Conditioner, toiletry, medications, food, flashlight, maps, working gloves, hard hats, safety vest, hard toe shoes, carpets, food containers, tools, GPS, Bluetooth, Mobile Internet, computer and case, and more & more in no special order. How much of this stuff is owned by YOU the truck driver? If you are a truck driver, take an inventory of what is in your truck that you own (not the company) and you will be surprised on how it adds up and what it is worth to replace. You live in there so you have a lot of stuff... If you running as a team, it adds even more... Who covers it all?
 
Good morning everyone :)

Yes, everyone that said the driver's home insurance policy is correct.

We had one catch fire a couple years ago. I assumed the driver's personal effects were covered under our insurance. I assumed incorrectly.
Subsequently, we had it written into our policy to cover the driver's personal effects for $3,000.00 for destruction, but not theft or loss.
 
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This is not the first test I failed. (however I drank anyway)
This is good info to know.
I would bring this to the attention of all your drivers and make them aware of this.
They should make sure that their insurance company knows what they do for a living so there are no surprises in the event of a claim.
Yes, it is amazing how quick contents can add up.
 
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