So says Ben Burford, managing director of dedicated motor fleet insurance broker Just Fleet, adding that vehicle operators need to take control of the claims handling process and ensure instant intervention to avoid spiralling third-party hire and repair costs as well as prevent incitement of some injury claims.

‘By controlling claims from start to finish at the earliest stage possible after an incident occurs, the ability to better manage third-party costs in increased significantly, generating considerable indemnity spend savings,’ explained Burford. ‘We were recently able to intervene on behalf of one of our clients following a collision, which resulted in a settlement of just £750 compared to a potential cost of up to £5,000 if the claimant contacted their own insurers.’

Just Fleet says it’s the first dedicated motor fleet insurance broker in the UK to fit al vehicles with a 3G front-facing accident camera. Combined with a 24/7 monitoring station, this means the company can quickly and effectively prove blame, increase speed of intervention and assist policyholders.

A first notification of loss expert guides a person reporting the incident through the process of making a claim, outline liability decisions, and book the vehicle into an approved repairer or an engineer inspection slot. The company’s experts are also trained in trauma management so they are well-placed to ensure the wellbeing of claimants who may have been affected by an incident.

Burford added: ‘Fleet operators have a significant opportunity to reduce insurance costs by adopting a process that takes charge of the situation using industry expertise to better control costs and get a vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible to minimise operational impact. For example, we are able to hire vehicles at 40 per cent below recommended ABI rates and have vehicle off the road levels of just six days compared to an industry average in excess of 30 days.’