How to Claim Insurance for a Truck

Why Do You Need a Truck Insurance Policy?

Truck insurance is a type of commercial vehicle insurance offered to truck owners for insuring their trucks that are used for pick-ups, transportation, and delivery purposes.

The significance of truck insurance is to financially protect yourself from any unforeseen damages due to crashes, natural disasters, thefts, and fires. It is better to prepare yourself and stay safe all of the time with the right truck insurance policy.

What to Do Next After a Truck Accident?

The frequency of truck accidents is substantially very high. According to the Road Safety in India: Status Report 2020, around 70% of fatal crashes are due to trucks or buses. Whether it is your fault or someone else’s, a truck accident is a stressful situation.  

A correct understanding of what to do after a truck accident can help you a lot. Below we have explained what you should do right after an accident.

Case Scenario

In case you meet with an accident, do not panic. Try to stay calm and get to the side of the road. Look for any casualty to you as well as third-party. Do not move too much it will elevate your injuries and make it more painful. As a responsible citizen, call an ambulance & police immediately and seek medical help from local people.

Report the accident to your insurer. Also, give them details about any third party/property damage caused due to the accident. The insurer will check the policy details to know the extent of its coverage.

Later, they will send a surveyor to inspect the losses and ask you for essential documents for raising a claim. The surveyor assigned by your insurer will physically visit the accident site and do the inspection.

Cashless or Reimbursement

In case of the cashless claim process, the surveyor will assess the situation to find the significant damage for ascertaining the repair value and toeing the truck to the nearest network garage for the repair work. Once done, the repair workshop will send the bill to the insurer, your insurer will pay the bill amount excluding any deductibles and overheads.

On the other hand, in the reimbursement claim process, you will have to clear the repair bills in full and then submit the bills along with the claim form and supporting documents to your insurer. The insurer will reimburse the paid bill amount to your bank account or mail you a cheque. 

If your truck has been towed to any of the network garages registered with your insurance provider then you can get a cashless claim however if your truck has been towed to a non-network garage then you will have to make the payment first and then, later on, the insurer will reimburse the paid amount excluding deductibles.

Documents Required for Claim Process

In case of an accident, there are some necessary documents required for raising a claim under a truck insurance policy. It includes a duly filled claim form signed by the truck owner along with the registration certificate (RC) of the truck, driving license (DL) of the person who was driving the truck at the time of the accident, copy of an Aadhar card, and FIR copy in case of loss to third-party or property damage.

Apart from these, you will have to submit other documents like a valid fitness certificate of the truck, original truck insurance policy documents, route permit, and load challan of your vehicle. 

For a hassle-free claim process, submit all of the mentioned documents to your insurer timely.

Final Words

If you are a truck driver and ever find yourself stuck in an unfortunate situation like a road accident, do not hesitate. Read your policy documents carefully and understand the coverage under your truck insurance policy. Keep all the above points in mind to ensure a hassle-free claim settlement process.