Insurance and RAM 5500

[Cliff_and_Miche]

I am looking for insurance options for my new RAM 5500 flatbed and Northern Lite camper. USAA surprised me as they will not do it. I want to protect the camper on or off the truck. Any recommendations? "Commercial" truck is the problem. Thanks!

[Grit_dog]

Cliff and Michele wrote:
I never did fill every one of the outcome. It turns out Progressive was rating me poorly because of a 2017 accident where I was the victim of a hit and run from a stolen car. They had me as the at-fault driver. They also had me down with 3 points on my driving record. I provided them with the State Patrol police report and my driving record report. I had one ticket in 2008. A clean record and Washington does not even have a point system! They came back three days later saying I had to deal with Lexusnexus, the company that provides the reports to correct their error. So, they made a mistake but the burden is on me to fix it. Well kiss my arse, Progressive. I went into the local State Farm agent, who was a former Marine as well, and got the same coverage for $2100 annually vs. Progressive’s $3600. The only problem is my USAA umbrella does not go over the State Farm policy so we will probably switch everything to State Farm since USAA will not cover my personal Ram 5500.

Trust me, it's not just Progressive, it's any or all auto insurance companies.
Without a 3 page story, I can tell you I've experienced the same "errors" and the same level of treatment AND much worse from several ins companies.
Worst being, switched auto insurance, ins carrier also quoted homeowners at our request. We declined the homeowners policy, higher rate for less coverage iirc. Bout a month later I get a letter or a call from the lender stating that HO insurance has lapsed. I tell them not possible. Couple days later I get an update that I'm good again, but with different insurance carrier.
Somehow, Allstate, the "new" offending company, managed to sign us up for HO insurance fraudulently and got our existing policy cancelled and theirs in place with the lender!

FWIW, that was the last home we included insurance with the mortgage. It was required by the lender, being our first home, but never left our insurance in someone else control after that.
List of insurance companies that have either basically committed fraud or at a minimum, jacked rates unreasonably (as evidenced by being able to get same coverage much much cheaper).
AAA
Allstate
State Farm
Progressive
a host of others for a couple year period whom would get dropped as soon as they pretended to be confused with me and my dad (same first name), because my parents ended up with a horrible insurance rating for a while due to several auto accidents and a fire that totalled out 3 vehicles.

Companies that haven't tried to screw us in the last 30 years.
2 different Farm Bureau insurances
American Family

[zb39]

I started with USAA in 1987, the year I was a 2LT. I'm still with them but they are a mere shadow of their former self. They used to pick up the phone with a real person when I called at anytime in less than 30 seconds. Now, they are actually closed at times. It's all good, I keep 2 cars with them. Thats it.
My local state farm girl has both of my Ram 5500's. One is a 2021 and one is a 2018. Full coverage around 1K a year for each. I can reduce that if I pull collision off if one will be parked for awhile. Good luck.

[Cliff_and_Miche]

I never did fill every one of the outcome. It turns out Progressive was rating me poorly because of a 2017 accident where I was the victim of a hit and run from a stolen car. They had me as the at-fault driver. They also had me down with 3 points on my driving record. I provided them with the State Patrol police report and my driving record report. I had one ticket in 2008. A clean record and Washington does not even have a point system! They came back three days later saying I had to deal with Lexusnexus, the company that provides the reports to correct their error. So, they made a mistake but the burden is on me to fix it. Well kiss my arse, Progressive. I went into the local State Farm agent, who was a former Marine as well, and got the same coverage for $2100 annually vs. Progressive’s $3600. The only problem is my USAA umbrella does not go over the State Farm policy so we will probably switch everything to State Farm since USAA will not cover my personal Ram 5500.

[Grit_dog]

Nice rig(s) Cliff! Wow!
Some agencies aren’t nationwide afaik, but a Farm Bureau company and Auto Owners are 2 I’ve used n the Midwest with better luck and less shenanigans.
Iirc, usually an umbrella policy will require certain liability limits on the individual policies. But they may not point out if you’re carrying more specific liability coverage than necessary to qualify for the umbrella.

It still feels high to me, but what do I know. If you’d have told me a 1 ton diesel was going to be $100k 3 years ago I’d have said no way, as well!

[BarneyS]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:
Try Progressive, but brace yourself. They won't have the rates nor the exemplary service you've enjoyed with USAA.

Slightly off topic but I just checked with USAA yesterday about rates for my car, home, and umbrella and they were just over $1000 higher than our present insurer, Auto Owners, on the car and umbrella. Needless to say I did not switch over.
Barney

[mkirsch]

Cliff and Michele wrote:
Thanks for the time and comments, guys.

Grit Dog, I am up the road from you in Brier. Anyway, having owned dump trucks, the rate seemed normal to me as it is a "commercial" truck. Only $1300 was for collision, $1800 was liability. Clean driving record, credit, homeowner, veteran. I do insure myself well but since I have a $3mil umbrella I can probably lower that quite a bit. I meant no connection between the cost of the truck and liability. I should have written it cleaer. Great thoughts. Thanks.

Mkirsch I will head to Geico tonight and check it out. What might be unnecessarily complicated to some just means I want to make sure they are hearing what I am saying. I don't want to leave loopholes for them to deny a claim. All too often if they are trying to shoehorn my descriptions into their drop down menus and if it does not fit, they don't know what to so.

Optomistic Paranoid (great name!) that company never bothered responding to me.

Will update this as I get more info.

If you make it unnecessarily complicated, they can't hear what you are saying. Unnecessary means not needed.

[mkirsch]

bighatnohorse wrote:

I think I was dealing with new hires who were not spun up on their jobs.

Hit the nail on the head. My agent (71 years old) complains about the loss of knowledge with the new generation of agents.
I think shopping for a good agent is more important than shopping for "rates".

The knowledge isn't "lost" if it was never "gained" in the first place.

The knowledge can't be gained if it isn't taught or at least shared. Old agents just expect new hires to know what they're doing on day one, and rather than help the new agents get up to speed, sit around and grouse about it to their customers.

[Cliff_and_Miche]

The adventure truck in the background is now for sale.

[toddb]

Have you tried Farm Bureau?

[Cliff_and_Miche]

Thanks for the time and comments, guys.

Grit Dog, I am up the road from you in Brier. Anyway, having owned dump trucks, the rate seemed normal to me as it is a "commercial" truck. Only $1300 was for collision, $1800 was liability. Clean driving record, credit, homeowner, veteran. I do insure myself well but since I have a $3mil umbrella I can probably lower that quite a bit. I meant no connection between the cost of the truck and liability. I should have written it cleaer. Great thoughts. Thanks.

Mkirsch I will head to Geico tonight and check it out. What might be unnecessarily complicated to some just means I want to make sure they are hearing what I am saying. I don't want to leave loopholes for them to deny a claim. All too often if they are trying to shoehorn my descriptions into their drop down menus and if it does not fit, they don't know what to so.

Optomistic Paranoid (great name!) that company never bothered responding to me.

Will update this as I get more info.

[otrfun]

Optimistic Paranoid wrote:
My understanding is that a truck camper is covered by your homeowner's policy when it is off the truck and sitting at your house, and covered by your vehicle's policy when it is on the truck. But if you take it off the truck anywhere else like a campground (if, for instance, you need to get some work done on your truck and they need to keep it overnight.) it's not covered by either policy.

I've heard insurance agents say this to me and a couple of folks I know who have applied for insurance for their truck camper. I think they're referring to coverage for a "topper" or camper shell, typically worth no more than a couple thousand dollars. In many cases these are considered a truck accessory or personal item (homeowner's policy) and do qualify for some limited coverage. For those with truck campers worth $25k-$50k (especially if they're registered and titled) rather doubt a typical truck or homeowner's insurance policy is going to provide coverage---especially in the event of a total loss. Unless you have the truck camper's make, model and VIN listed somewhere on your truck or homeowner's policy, IMO coverage is very questionable.

[jimh406]

bighatnohorse wrote:
I think shopping for a good agent is more important than shopping for "rates".

I guess you can put your faith in agents, but if you don't ask the right questions, you'll never get the best rate. For instance, what's the difference in price between $250 and 1000 deductible? It can be huge. Can I get a reduced rate for Winter if I'm not driving that vehicle?, etc.

[Grit_dog]

PButler96 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:


Glad you got it figured out, but fwiw, that is WAY high,

$3600 year? For one vehicle? Ya think? Naaaaaaa? Is insurance that much more expensive out there? Im pretty sure I could insure a nose picking teenager driving a Hellcat, Roush Stang, or ZR1 Vette for less than that.

Not even probably...our now 19 year old has been insured since 16 with either a SRT8 or Mustang GT as his primary vehicle for less than $200/mo including the car full coverage and teenage male driver penalty.

To the OP, FWIW, insurance companies are just like any other for profit business and will charge whatever they think they can get away with. And will lose customers over it.
We generally have to switch every 5-10 years when the random, "Your rates went up by 40% this year "market adjustment" justification."
Yet able to get much better rates with another top tier insurer.

Never know what the OP has on record though. I don't recall seeing him/her claim no tickets/at fault accidents or large claims in recent years.

[bighatnohorse]

I think I was dealing with new hires who were not spun up on their jobs.

Hit the nail on the head. My agent (71 years old) complains about the loss of knowledge with the new generation of agents.
I think shopping for a good agent is more important than shopping for "rates".