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TYPES OF CLAIMS
Page 49
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According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), an increase in the number of fraudulent claims, which in the motor sector totalled £360m last year, has been fuelled by the recession. The ABI says, as a result, insurers need to ask more questions in order to crack down on cheats.
"It's quite frightening how organised some of the insurance cheats are," reveals Ball. "And, undoubtedly, some are bound to be in the haulage sector, but any framed accidents involving lorries are more dangerous owing to the size of the vehicle."
Infrastructure manager at the Road Haulage Association (RHA) Chrys Rampley says members are increasingly experiencing more questions from insurers on the back of increased truck thefts.
"Insurers are investigating claims more, so some operators have been more wary of reporting incidents," she says. "In cases where thieves have stolen one pallet, instead of a whole load, to avoid catching a driver's attention, some companies will not bother to submit a claim, so they won't jeopardise any larger claims they may make."
Meanwhile, the head of TruckPol, DC Alan Soames, warns: "A company or owner-driver cannot be expected to absorb all repair costs or higher insurance premiums, so extra costs will inevitably be passed on to an end user's bill."