当涉及到法律费用时，错误 & 遗漏索赔相对较少. 大多数在5万美元以下，许多在2.5万美元以下. Costs from auto liability claims, on the other hand, can reach several million dollars.
Agents and their brokers should have sufficient commercial auto coverage in case of accidents and related lawsuits, 约翰·L说. Mondics, president of Mondics Insurance Group, a 德州2021十大正规彩票app经纪人® risk management partner. 这是为什么.
作为代理人，你不会自动得到保险
While Texas requires drivers to carry auto liability insurance, 那份保险可能只包括你个人的, off-the-clock driving (including commuting) and may not help with an on-the-job accident. Mondics recommends that agents tell their insurance providers that they use their personal vehicles for business. 业务用途可以添加到一些个人策略中.
This matters because of a recent shift in what plaintiffs’ attorneys are pursuing in Texas. Law firms have expanded their focus from semitrucks to equipment vehicles to any vehicle being used for business, Mondics说. If an agent is sued following an accident that happened while the agent was working, the plaintiff’s attorney will likely try to bring the broker and others into the suit.
券商面临风险敞口
Brokers may face liability when employees or independent contractors drive as part of their jobs. Brokers can purchase hired and non-owned auto insurance to cover some of this exposure. Typical policies cost roughly $200 to $300 additional per year and offer additional coverage for defense costs and damages, Mondics说.
Brokers may also consider requiring agents to carry higher limits than the statutory minimum. “A half million or a million dollars of coverage does not cost that much more,” he says.
Brokers can also manage risk by requiring annual proof of insurance from employees and independent contractors, 根据保险信息研究所. That way, brokers can know if an insurance policy is changed, cancelled, or not renewed.
One way to obtain proof of insurance is if agents name brokers as an additional interest on the policy. This informs the broker when changes in coverage are made to the policy. Brokers may also be able to be added to an agent’s policy as an additional insured, 哪些为经纪人提供了额外的保险.
Brokers can also ask employees and agents to provide copies of their motor vehicle report or to sign authorization forms, which allows the brokerage to pull driving records from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Brokers should determine what they consider an acceptable number of accidents and tickets for their employees and independent contractors. Knowing an agent’s acceptable driving history reduces the risk of being surprised about that history by a plaintiff’s attorney.
Defending yourself in a lawsuit is expensive, Mondics warns. Agents and brokers may have to pay out-of-pocket for any damages not covered by insurance. A properly structured auto liability program is only one component of a well-managed insurance program.