CHECK YOUR INSURANCES, NOW!

What a crazy time we're having! If there was ever a time to review your insurances, it's NOW.

Huge damage and losses are broadcast daily, especially with the recent weather events and other natural disasters. Hopefully everyone is well covered by their insurances.

You can ask your Broker to review your insurances, anytime. This should definitely be done prior to each renewal. If you're not sure you're getting sound advice, or service, you can always shop around. There are Brokers out there, such as TruckSure, that specialise in Transport related insurances, and the risks associated with running a transport business.

A TruckSure client was caught out in the flash flooding that recently occured in West Auckland, mid March 2017. Within a few minutes their whole yard, forecourt, workshops and office was swamped by a raging tide of filthy flood water. In no time at all the water was up to just below the doors of their trucks. One of their vans was full up to its windows, and their workshops and office were inundated. Almost as quickly as the flood arrived, it drained. The whole episode was all over in less than a couple of hours.

A result of that moment in time was a bunch of insurance claims from the area, hundreds. The insurance industry, assessors, loss adjustors etc. were swamped (pardon the pun).

Although our TruckSure client is well covered, thanks in part to a recent review of their insurances, the resulting claims process was a major undertaking, and is still ongoing. The shock and stress of such an event is the first thing, then the initial clean up begins.

The owners immediately contacted Craig Silby, their TruckSure Broker. Craig visited straight away to get a first hand understanding of the enormity of the situation, then got the ball rolling with their claims.

"We got assessors down there as soon as possible, to quickly ascertain the extent of the claim, and to make decisions on the vehicles that had been under water. Some were a total loss, others the owners managed to save by changing all the fluids and filters etc. that had been immersed."

Luckily the owners have Material Damage cover for their workshop/office. This is much like a Contents policy, but for commercial situations. Imagine a workshop that's been there since the early 1990's, the accumulation of tools and equipment etc. Some of which is irreplaceable. Heartbraking stuff. Difficult to know exactly what you've lost until you next go to use it.

With some helpful advice from the assessors and their Broker, the owners are now methodically sifting through the mess, to find what is salvageable and what is ruined. Cleaning up as they go. It's a laborious process, which the insurance cover can help with. With help from their insurers, their lives and their business will get back to normal sooner rather than later.

On top of a pending operation for the owner, for a fractured spine, to say the event has caused an immeasurable amount of stress, is an understatement to say the least.

Imagine if they didn't have the right covers, or the right amount of cover in place.

No, that's too horrible a thought.