Inside Coverage Insurance Spring 2008
A publication of Great West Casualty Company
Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Owner-operators who qualify as independent contractors are not covered by state Workers’ Compensation laws. To fill this gap, Great West offers Occupational Accident* coverage, an accident, life/health product underwritten by Old Republic Life Insurance Company (ORL). Occupational Accident can provide benefits for:

• Accidental Death, Dismemberment, and Paralysis

• Accident Disability

• Accident Medical Expenses

 It offers 24-hour protection for an injury sustained while performing the obligations of the lease with the motor carrier as a truck driver, while under dispatch by the motor carrier. The program is not available in all states and is only available for U.S. citizens. Residents of Canada or Mexico are not eligible for this program.

In addition to Occupational Accident coverage, a Contingent Casualty* policy is available to protect the motor carrier in the event an insured person is declared to be a statutory employee of the motor carrier by a Workers’ Compensation board, governmental agency, or a court of competent jurisdiction.

Additional benefits to the Occupational Accident coverage include:

Prescription Drug Discount Program
The ScriptSave ® Prescription Drug Discount Program through Medical Security Card Company is automatically provided with our Group Occupational Accident plan. This free program allows independent contractors and their family members to save money on most brand name or generic prescriptions. Each driver is given an ID card and a brochure listing the pharmacies participating in this program. This is not insurance where a co-pay applies – it is simply an instant discount card.

 Bill Review & Negotiation
We partner with a company experienced in reviewing drivers’ medical bills. They have access to multiple networks for PPO reductions, including a network of pharmacies, to better negotiate reductions in charges, before and after the charges have been incurred. This partnership has allowed us to realize an average savings of 50% on the entire Occupational Accident program after bill re-pricing.

 Social Security Disability Assistance
When a driver becomes disabled and is expected to remain disabled for an extended period of time, he or she may be eligible for a Social Security (SS) Disability award. The waiting period for SS is five months, and is an intensive filing process that can take more than a year. Therefore, we have formed a partnership with a disability services company to determine if the claimant is a qualified candidate for assistance in filing. Professionals who understand the inner workings of the Social Security Administration are available to assist drivers with their filings.
* All policy terms, conditions, definitions, and exclusions apply to this coverage. See your agent for exact provisions.

Hours of Service Rules Upheld

A federal court has rejected a request by several advocacy groups, led by Public Citizen, seeking to overturn the interim hours-of-service rule issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in December.

Judges Karen Henderson and Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied Public Citizen’s request to have the court “enforce” its ruling from July striking down the 11th hour of driving and the 34-hour restart.

The advocacy group had sought to have the court force FMCSA to reissue its interim rule without those two provisions, on the grounds the agency had not allowed for proper levels of notice and comment from the public before retaining the controversial pieces of the rule.

In December, the agency published the interim rule, which while adding additional support for the added driving time, retained the provisions.

FMCSA said in a statement that “the court denied a request by an interest group to stop FMCSA from implementing its interim final rule on hours of service . . . accordingly, the interim rule remains in effect. We are currently taking public comments on the rule, and look forward to reviewing them and issuing a final rule on this issue before the year is out.”

FMCSA is continuing to solicit comments on the rule until February 15. The FMCSA expects to issue a final rule in 2008. If you have any questions concerning the HOS interim rule, please contact your Great West Safety Services Department

ICE Your Cell Phone
Paramedics are asking that everyone add at least one additional entry to their cell phone contacts list - an ICE entry. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. This number should dial the person in your family that can respond to medical decisions if you are injured or incapacitated.

If you are in an accident, paramedics know to check your phone for your emergency contact information. Imagine taking a look and trying to figure out who to call out of the twenty or more numbers on your phone. By adding a contact entry that's designated as an emergency contact number (ICE), you can make their job much easier and possibly save your own life.

So program an ICE entry on your cell phone today, as a matter of fact, pull it out right now as you're reading this article. If you have more than one person the paramedics can contact in case of an emergency, you can add additional ICE numbers to your list. Your primary contact should be listed under ICE, and then you can add the other contacts under ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, etc.

After you program ICE into your phone, have your spouse, your kids, your parents, and your friends do the same thing. If there are people in your life that you care about, they should all have ICE on their phones.

Mid-America Truck Show
Louisville, Kentucky
March 27-29, 2008

REPORT ALL
ACCIDENTS
IMMEDIATELY
800-228-8040
24 hours a day 7 days a week

Insurance Buyers Guide

in pdf format (printable)