Keys to automating commercial auto insurance compliance

It’s no secret that costs remain sky high in the automotive industry. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average cost of owning and operating a vehicle has continued to rise over the past two decades. Purchasing costs for new vehicles have soared since 2021, while car repair costs are up almost 20% over the past year. That’s simply two variables. Consider insurance as another; year-over-year car insurance prices are up 14.5%, according to Consumer Price Index data, while insurance costs increased 19.5% from February 2021 to February 2023. Unfortunately, aid isn’t right around the corner. After a 20.3% increase in December, economists blame surging auto insurance prices for higher than predicted inflation rates and see no relief coming for drivers. 

For companies with employees who drive for work, the urgency for managing vehicle expenditure is reaching new levels. As prices drive upwards, automotive insurance marks a significant area where organizations can’t afford to take shortcuts or garner fines. Within the tense economic environment, risks around driver safety and training, vehicle maintenance, and most importantly: compliance — all have heightened consequences. Managing these risks is vital for navigating the current fleet ecosystem.

Risk areas remain, with severe consequences
Within commercial auto insurance, three significant risk areas must be managed with the utmost care. Failing to be proactive and detailed can levy severe consequences on commercial fleets, with damages ranging from fiscal to reputational.

Driver safety and training
Organizations must prioritize the well-being of their drivers, recognizing the impact of driving records and training programs on insurance premiums. Comprehensive training programs and safety initiatives are critical to mitigating the risks associated with accidents. Failing to implement proper training measures can not only jeopardize the safety of drivers but also lead to increased liability.

Vehicle maintenance
Driver initiative on maintenance can be an unknown variable, such that ensuring adequate upkeep must be a key consideration. Failing to perform routine maintenance practices can increase likelihood of mechanical failures, which not only risks driver safety, but heightens exposure to liabilities and financial consequences on the company side. This shouldn’t be left to chance; maintenance must be tracked.

Regulatory compliance
It’s crucial for businesses to adhere to local, state and federal regulations. Non-compliance carries the potential for financial penalties and legal ramifications, which would not only damage fiscal health, but harm reputation as well. Failure to meet regulatory standards also exposes the business to heightened operational risks, necessitating a vigilant commitment to sustained efforts. Scrutinous tracking of insurance compliance must be a primary compliment to accompany an organization’s vehicle program.

Relieving the pressure
To reduce the administrative and driver overhead that comes with tracking compliance companies must look to adopt technology solutions that automate key touchpoints of difficulty. Not only can this measure lessen time expenditure, but it can also improve costs and reputation via lower administrative costs and mitigated risk. Monitoring compliance, maintenance and safety are vital, but shouldn’t be a massive burden that’s levied onto admins or employees. Driving employees’ compliance can be made easy with adoption of technology solutions.

Automation and technology key to the future of compliance
Leveraging technology can offer a critical lifeline to administrative and HR teams in need of a lifeline amidst the monitoring of a vehicle program. Whether it be safety, maintenance or compliance, there are numerous solutions that can be significant time and resource savers.

When it comes to managing driver safety and training, incorporation of online platforms streamlines the process through automated modules and courses. This provides regular updates, facilitates progress tracking, and ensures drivers remain up to date on safety regulations. Complementing these measures, motor vehicle record monitoring provides comprehensive review of employees’ records, while automatic updates mean that companies have full visibility. Rather than time intensive checks that may slip through the cracks, this methodology puts driver reports in admin’s inboxes with the click of a button. Beyond direct compliance, these tools can also help identify risky driver behaviors that can then prompt training modules and solve an issue before it becomes one. This proactive combination of approaches helps ensure safety for drivers and their companies alike.

Predicting vehicle maintenance requires significant attention to detail. Rather than extensive automotive tracking and self-reported figures, integrating predictive maintenance software streamlines vehicle monitoring. By analyzing data inputs, companies can predict their drivers’ vehicle needs and minimize unexpected risks, which not only keeps drivers safe, but productive on the road. Automated vehicle checklists integrated with maintenance scheduling systems help fleet managers and drivers easily track routine tasks, inspections and repairs. This dual approach ensures proactive maintenance management, optimizing vehicle conditions, and ensuring compliance with insurance requirements.

Manual tracking and logging of insurance compliance are prone to difficulties. Drivers must manually record their driving activities to remain compliant, which includes mileage, routes taken, and any incidents or accidents that occur during their work shifts. Administrators in turn must review every step along the way. Beyond the massive time spend; human error, accuracy and scalability can cause risk of non-compliance. The integration of regulatory compliance software streamlines the tracking and management of regulatory requirements, monitoring changes in laws, ensuring vehicles and drivers meet standards, and automating documentation. Mileage tracking apps can help with regulatory compliance and penalty avoidance by providing accurate recordings of routes and miles driven. This makes the tracking of driving activities much less daunting for drivers, and much easier to review for administrators. By implementing automated reporting systems, companies demonstrate compliance with insurance requirements which makes renewal processes with insurance providers a simple step.

Investing in a smoother pathway
As high costs persist with little sign of alleviation, investing in secure and efficient solutions becomes even more time sensitive. Companies continue to look for effective ways to navigate vehicle program costs, and turning to automation will be critical. Proactive approaches to diligence will not only alleviate compliance burdens but improve accuracy and compliance for both drivers and administrators alike.