From private investigator to insurance

From private investigator to insurance | Insurance Business America

Motor & Fleet

From private investigator to insurance

Is it as glamorous as it sounds?

Motor & Fleet

By
Emily Douglas

On paper, Chris Moulder’s (pictured) resume reads more like that of an action movie star. His original plan to work in Federal law enforcement inevitably led to work as a private investigator. However, as he told Insurance Business, the reality wasn’t nearly as romantic.

“It’s a job that sounds a lot cooler than it is,” he said. “ A lot of miles, a lot of early morning wake ups, it wasn’t really great. Especially for a guy trying to build a family – it wasn’t the best profession.”

However, because Moulder’s role involved collaborating with defense attorneys, TPAs, and insurance carriers, it set him up nicely for a career in the insurance field. And while it may not sound as exciting, it suited Moulder much better. Now, with a focus on the commercial auto and transportation segment, Moulder, a transportation broker and EVP at Amwins Insurance Brokerage, and his teammates handle a substantial volume of policies.

“We write many 100s of policies within our Atlanta primary transportation team,” he told IB, emphasizing their specific role in the auto liability and package auto sector. And while insurance might have seemed a million miles away from Moulder’s private investigator past, his connection to cars runs deep.

“My dad was a heavy equipment mechanic,” he explained. “My uncle worked on the local assembly line at General Motors. And so I grew up around vehicles – I just had a passion and a love for things on wheels. And still to this day I work on hobby cars. I was naturally drawn to commercial auto insurance because I had a passion for cars and the automotive industry.”

And Moulder’s team has achieved notable success in the insurance industry, particularly in the autonomous vehicle sector.

“For our Atlanta-based team, we’ve crafted a niche for ourselves in the autonomous vehicle sector,” he told IB. “Being able to merge that love for vehicles with the insurance piece of my professional life has actually been kind of energizing and refreshing.”

Despite their achievements, the industry presents ongoing challenges, particularly in the realm of autonomous vehicles. Moulder emphasized the need for tailored insurance solutions in this emerging field, noting that the insurance industry is still in a state of development regarding these technologies.

“Until further notice, any loss that arises out of the use of an autonomous vehicle, specifically a commercial autonomous vehicle, is likely going to be an auto liability claim,” he explained.

But it’s not just claims and technologies that are posing a challenge – the ongoing talent shortage is wreaking havoc on the sector.

“There’s a pretty well-known brain drain talent shortage in our industry,” said Moulder. “I’m looking for really unique talent that has a demonstrated work ethic.”

However, looking to the future, Moulder is optimistic about the continued growth and evolution of the transportation insurance sector.

“I think we’re going to continue on a growth trajectory,” he said. “We had a big growth year this year and I think that’s going to continue next year. We are going to bring on some new teammates and try to continue to foster some enthusiasm in the transportation and commercial auto sector of insurance. A lot of these new graduates are trained in general property casualty – and what we do in primary commercial auto is highly specialized. So the ability to attract and retain talent in this type of highly specialized area is not always easy.

“But the good news is we’ve got some really unique and high-performing folks on our team now that are doing a phenomenal job of convincing prospective teammates that this is the way to go.”