62
ACT
APRIL 2015
NEWS
pragmatic, blue-collarmetaphor coming
fromapragmatic, blue-collar guy. It also
speaks to theunofficialNBISphilosophy:
to insure an industry, youneed tobepart
of the industry.
ChrisNelson, assistant vicepresident,
riskmanagement – transportation,
believes thatmany insurance companies
just don’t understandwhat it is their
policyholdersdoday inanddayout.
“NBIS is veryunique in that the
peopledirectly involvedwith improving
safety [on the trucking side]have a
transportationbackground, either in
legal, safety, or riskmanagement.We
understandwhat it isour insureddoes,
and it allowsus toquickly identifyand
deploypreventionmeasures that yield
high-end results.”
The results thatNelson refers to
certainly, at least inpart, come from the
company’spreventionmeasures, but
there’s alsoabig educational component to
whatNBISoffers aswell. RobertC.Moore,
chief legal officer andheavy construction-
industryveteran, hasbeenoffering
education sessions to the crane, rigging,
millwright, heavyhaul, and specialized
transportation industries forover 30years.
“Almost 20years ago, inApril of 1996,
I beganoffering educational sessions
to theSC&RA [SpecializedCarriers
andRiggingAssociation]membership
dealingwith riskmanagement issues,”
saidMoore. “Since then, these sessions
havegone fromone ayear to three ayear,
witha legal update atmany committee
and sub-committeemeetings.At eachof
thesepresentations,membersof SC&RA
aregiven the latest informationon issues
affectingour industry. This ensures that
SC&RAmembershave a significant
advantageovernon-SC&RAmembers.”
Thevalue realizedbyproviding
education to the industryhashelped set
NBISapart frommanyof its competitors.
Bill Tepe sees education, particularly in
the areaof transportation, as akeyareaof
growth throughout 2015.
“We continue to improveour specialized
transportation riskmanagement
capabilities,” saidTepe. “FMCSAeducation
andmentoring, aswell as adriver’s
education tool, areour focus. In crane and
rigging, BillySmithandhis team continue
to identify issueswithin the industrywhile
developing tools tomanage the risk.”
New products ahead
NBIShas found thatmanyof the crane
and rigging companies it insureswere
confusedorunawareof howFMCSA
applies to theiroperations andhow
vulnerable theymayactuallybe to
citations and fines.Updating companies
withdriver education isparamount for the
companymoving forward.
Fromaproduct standpoint, BillTepealso
mentioneda fewother things the company
hasbeenworkingon for theupcoming
year.
“Wewill have anationalworker’s
compensationproduct andwe’regetting
ready tooffer an inlandmarineproduct
with international coverage,”Tepe
continued. “We’re alsoworkingonother
products toallowagreaternumberof
insureds to join theNBIS experience.”
In the last fiveyears, that experience that
Tepe is referring tohas grown to include
anumberof talented individuals. Robert
C.Mooredescribes it as a strategic team
approach.
“Inpast years,NBIShadone individual
orchestratingactivities,” saidMoore. “Over
the last fiveyears,wehave changed toa
more strategic teamapproach.Wehave
theBaltimoreoffice focusingon crane risk
management. InAtlanta,ChrisNelsonhas
beenagreat addition to themanagement
team,workingwithme and focusingon
all aspectsof transportation, including
themovement of cranes.KateLasky,
associate corporate attorneyand contract
law expert, has improvedand refined the
contracts for industrymembers.”
Moore alsoadded that it’s important
tonote thatwith the refinement ofCSA,
NBIS is focusingonhelpingmembers
continuously improve theirCSA scores.
“Safetyon the roads,”Moore said,
“hasbeenof paramount importance to
everyone in the industry.”
Known formany things, perhaps it can
be said thatwhatNBIS ismost known for
is its ability to support, learn from, and
engage in the industry it serves. InBilly
Smith’swords, thedifference is easy to
understand.
“Unlikemost insurance carriers that
onlyprovidepolicies,weprovide the
claims service aswell,” Smith said. “The
same guys offeringyou insurance and
providingyouwith riskmanagement
solutions are sittingonANSI standards
committees and representing the industry.
Wedon’t outsource claims services
through a thirdparty administrator,
either.NBIS is asmuch apart of the
industry as the companieswe insure.We
have tobe.Whypartnerwith someone
that doesnot knowyour business and
what youdo, especiallywhen theyhave to
defendyou?”
Formore informationonNBIS, visit
.
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Safety on the roads has been of paramount
importance to everyone in the industry.
BobMoore, chief Legal officer, NBIS
BobMoore
Bill Smith
