M936 Commercial Insurance and tags?? (I have searched)

[DaninTN]

This is my firts thread so hopefully I am doing everything right...

I purchased an M936 Wrecker to use for recovery of civilian vehicles and equipment (personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, light equipment, etc). This was also a good excuse to purchase my first military truck As you know this truck is not set up to haul civilian vehicles down the highway at all but I will need on hook insurance to cover any damages done to the vehicle during the recovery process. I have contacted several different insurance providers to get my business GL and my Automotive and they are having issues finding someone to write the insurance because they say it is a high risk (one provider told me he had 18 companies decline coverage). I have read through threads on here regarding insurance but most of them are only about the Auto insurance on Deuces or 5 tons and I haven't found anything about a wrecker. I got one quote back and it was at 11k a year before the GL for the business was even added on. That was for the automotive coverage only. On all the threads I have seen on here regarding insurance this is way out of line. Most of you are getting insurance for little of nothing compared to this quote and I would like to know the secret!! Does anyone out there have any advice for me or know anywhere I can look?

Also, any information on getting tags for this? Will I just tag it as a commercial vehicle and cover the weight?

 

[M1075]

The high cost is due to the high liability. Commercial towing insurance is not cheap and cannot be comapred with collectors insurance on a deuce.

 

[DaninTN]

Even if I am not towing anything? I understand that a true tow truck would be expensive but I am not actually towing anything and that is why i am surprised by the high rates. The vehicles i hook to will be moving .15mph on a winch

 

[hndrsonj]

If you are going to be doing commercial recoveries, it is going to be very expensive.

 

[swbradley1]

Liability seems to be popping up in a few threads lately. Welcome to America, here's the number to an attorney.

I like the truck if it is the one in your avatar. More pics please.

 

[porkysplace]

Even if I am not towing anything? I understand that a true tow truck would be expensive but I am not actually towing anything and that is why i am surprised by the high rates. The vehicles i hook to will be moving .15mph on a winch

More damage is done on recoveries than towing down the road . The days of a one wrecker operation are long gone .

 

[DaninTN]

Yes that is my truck and thank You. I have attached a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure. I did notice there were several threads talking about insurance but nothing out there was like this. Apparently there aren't many people in the country actually using one of these wreckers like I am.

 

[indy4x4fab]

Just a thought, here if your not using as a wrecker and your only using it as a crane truck, why not insure it as a crane truck?

 

[swbradley1]

That is a nice looking truck. I even like the color scheme.

 

[clinto]

There are 2 threads covering wrecker insurance.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/conversations/9281-insurance-sources-5-ton-wrecker.html

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/5-ton-up/18689-how-do-you-wrecker-owners-insure-your-truck.html

But, most of the people are just hobbyists who want to drive their wrecker and maybe pick up their own trucks from DRMO.

You, by being a for-profit operation, will need commercial insurance even though you are only pulling stuck stuff vs. pulling it down the road.

I assume Papabear will be here soon to help out, he has much knowledge of the industry and runs a tip-top professional operation with no shortcuts.

 

[Old Lincoln County Iron]

My M936 is insured with progressive. Its not insured as a wrecker but as a crane truck. It is insured as commercial but my personal use only. Wrecker license from the state are way to expensive here and I not interested in using the truck commercialy my agent basically said if I had it insured as a wrecker it would raise my liability through the roof, and it would be better to have the truck on its own policy, because I would have to raise the liability on all the trucks on the policy.

As far as tags it will be licensed as weight distance vehicle which is only good in the state of New Mexico. It is a commercial plate. It runs right at 175.00 a year.

 

[DaninTN]

Clinto,
(not sure how everyone knows everyone's names on here) I read through the threads you posted and sent the names of the insurance companies mentioned to the people I have working on it.

Indy4x4,
If I insure it as only a crane truck then I would not be covered if I was winching someone out correct?

From what I read I will basically have to be covered as a full service tow truck/wrecker service and the quote of 11k was not out of line. Most guys on here were saying it is around 1,000 a month. I just thought that was out of line for what I am trying to do but now I see that there is no way of insuring it as what it actually is or what i am actually doing with it...

Thanks for the help so far guys.

 

[hndrsonj]

Clinto,
(not sure how everyone knows everyone's names on here) I read through the threads you posted and sent the names of the insurance companies mentioned to the people I have working on it.

Go to the GA rally in Oct and you will know a few hundred names!

 

[DaninTN]

My M936 is insured with progressive. Its not insured as a wrecker but as a crane truck. It is insured as commercial but my personal use only. Wrecker license from the state are way to expensive here and I not interested in using the truck commercialy my agent basically said if I had it insured as a wrecker it would raise my liability through the roof, and it would be better to have the truck on its own policy, because I would have to raise the liability on all the trucks on the policy.

As far as tags it will be licensed as weight distance vehicle which is only good in the state of New Mexico. It is a commercial plate. It runs right at 175.00 a year.

Old Lincoln,
I sent you a PM

 

[wreckerman893]

One of the reasons I dropped my M816 (the money pit) was due to the insurance.

I had a farm policy through Progressive and told my agent it was a "boom truck".

It cost me over 1200 a year to keep straight liability on it.

When I showed her a picture of the truck she said they would write the policy but if I ever filed a claim due to an accident while towing they would not pay off. Even if I was towing my own stuff.

There was a rider on the policy to that effect.

Commercial tow insurance is expensive for a reason......all the bastage trial lawyers out there.

 

[quickfarms]

If you insure it as a crane truck the insurance only covers the transporter on the highway. You will need separate liability insurance when operating the crane.

There are two companies locally that use them for recoveries when they can not get there rotators into the site.

 

[Castle Bravo]

You need to talk to someone who knows about this in regards to the state you're going to use it in. The rest of us are just speculating.

 

[Danl]

Danl M915A1

I have Commercial Liability. I know my insureance agent by name I talk to him often. I'm insured for what I need. But how ever when I'm going to to something that is out of the scope of my Liability, I call him and tell him I need Insurance added on for a day he's aready got my acount number, adds two hundred buck for the day and I'm all set. some times I have to buy insurance for a job, like jacking a house and moveing it two miles down the road. that will cost Me more than two hundred. but when the house is on the new Foundation I'm done paying. I would not carry that insurance for a year. no need to only moved house so far. Bottom line is you can get what you want or need, for the money you can spend. But you need an agent that wants to work with you. Good Luck Its out there

 

[zebedee]

Have just looked at your website, you already state that you "are fully insured" and "can recover anything from a car up to a fully loaded tractor trailer".

Not so sure about that last point - the 936 is only a 'Medium' wrecker and only carried rudimentary ground anchors/spades...

I don't know that there is anything that seperates "Recovery" from "Towing" to the point that you can cut out either one re insurance - registration.

As you said M936 etc., is not designed for civi towing - only the absolutely latest military wreckers with underlifts (not even the M984E1-A3) can attampt a suspended tow on road of civi trucks.

Usually when a professional "Towing"Co cannot get to a stuck/abandoned vehicle, they have or know someone with a special vehicle - D8 or Unimog W/W etc., that they can cover the insurance with a rider to their policy, for the day/operation. Eg, assisting train derailments in the middle of nowhere.
Most "Jeepers" "4x4'ers" should have the where-with-all to do a team recovery of anyone in their party.... It's the best part!

Do you have enough potential customers that get stuck and all you are doing is winching them back to solid ground? This doesn't usually become a fully 'commercial' operation - they know you have a big drag winch, give you a few bucks and no-one's the wiser.

If you want to turn this into a real business/advertising and all - get insured for recovery/towing, have the truck registered with the DMV as a 'Tow Truck' and get trained at a certified institution unless you already are and get LLC'd so you don't loose your shirt when that first lawsuit comes along.
Alternatively, go visit all your local 'towing' companies and tell them what you have and what you can do and they might, just might, call you when they need assistance and put you on their insurance for the day. Besides, there may come the day when YOU need recovering (old truck - mechanical failure etc) and it would be good to have that relationship already existing.

Recovering heavy stuff is a serious business. I have been down all the above roads in NY and offer the above as advice not criticism. It has been stated many times... Lawyers, lawyers, lawyers! I'd hate you to get clobbered after helping someone.

Good luck and enjoy using your truck - it looks very nice!