Workers Compensation Insurance | Joe Morten & Son, Inc.

Workers Compensation Coverage protects your trucking business from liability if a worker is injured on the job and is required by most states. It typically provides an injured worker with four types of benefits:

Medical
Lost Wages (indemnity)
Rehabilitation
Death Benefits

Partnering with Joe Morten & Son for your Workers Compensation Coverage gives you the advantage of having an experienced team on your side. Our Workers Compensation Coverage, through Great West Casualty Company, offers the broadest coverage available, providing All States Coverage. Our team of underwriters is focused on the trucking industry and provides a range of policies structured to meet your needs.

Our years of experience dedicated to insuring the trucking industry mean you get a proactive team of risk management specialists that can provide resources to help you prevent and reduce injuries and keep your workforce healthy and productive. In the event of an incident, our adjusters will make sure they address any concerns you may have about a claim, and they’ll help get your injured employee back to work as soon as possible.

Plus, we also provide a selection of policy options to choose from.

WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE OPTIONS

Guaranteed Cost Policy With a guaranteed-cost workers compensation policy, your insurance premium is based on your payroll estimate when your policy begins, and it is trued up with actual payroll when your policy expires. With this type of policy, the only variables that may change your premium (either up or down), are the e-mod and payroll. You have the security of knowing that your premium is not subject to adjustment due to paid claims that occur during your policy term.

The benefits of a Guaranteed Cost policy include having first-dollar coverage with no deductible. You may prefer this option because it is simple to administer (due to its fixed premium) and there is minimal risk (because the premium doesn’t change even if you incur losses). Compared to other options, your premiums may be higher, and they won’t decrease for having fewer claims.

Large Deductible Policy A large deductible workers compensation Policy is a way for you to lower your premium by having your company assume the risk and pay for smaller workers compensation claims. When you choose our large deductible option, your company purchases a workers compensation policy with a deductible of at least $75,000 (often $250,000 or more). The insurer provides all administrative and claims services, and your company reimburses the insurer for any losses that are paid out that are less than the per-claim-occurrence deductible.

The benefit of a large deductible workers compensation policy is that your premium is typically less than a guaranteed cost policy because your company receives a deductible credit for paying out smaller claims.

More than forty states currently allow a large deductible plan.

Excess Workers Compensation Policy An Excess Workers Compensation Coverage option is available for trucking companies that have been granted self-insured status by a state. It protects your company for workers compensation claims you’re obligated to pay which are greater than your self-insured limit.

RELATED COVERAGES:

Stop-Gap Employers’ Liability Coverage This provides Employers’ Liability Coverage in one of the four states (ND, OH, WA and WY) where a workers compensation policy must be purchased by the employer directly from a state fund. In these states (sometimes called monopolistic states), your business can’t purchase the policy from an insurance company, and the coverage you buy through the state only contains workers compensation and not the Employers’ Liability Coverage a standard workers compensation policy would include. This creates a gap in your business’s protection in these states which means you wouldn’t have protection if an employee sued you or made a claim of employment-related discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, or retaliation. If you have employees in any of these states, we add this Stop-Gap Employers’ Liability Endorsement to complete your business protection.

Other States Coverage In the past, this coverage was provided as an endorsement to the workers compensation policy. However, Other States Coverage is now part of the basic policy. With this coverage, Workers Compensation and Employers' Liability Coverage are available for incidental exposures in states not listed in Item 3A of the Information Page. The states for which Other States Coverage is desired must be listed in Item 3C of the Information Page. The only states that cannot be listed are monopolistic fund states and states already designated for Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Coverage in Item 3A.

Waiver of Subrogation (WOS) Endorsement

We can provide waiver of subrogation endorsements. The cost to add a waiver is based on our filed charge with the NCCI and state bureaus. To issue this endorsement, we need:

a copy of the contract for each waiver requested,
the motor carrier’s total gross estimated annual revenue for the current policy term,
and the revenue generated from each contract.

If affiliates and subsidiaries are requested to be included in the waiver, then a list of the affiliates and subsidiaries is required.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OPTIONS:

Occupational Accident & Contingent Casualty Coverage

Owner-operators and contract drivers who qualify as independent contractors are not typically covered by state workers compensation laws. That’s when our Occupational Accident (OCC/ACC) Coverage steps in. It covers an independent contractor for a claim sustained while driving a truck under lease and dispatch of a motor carrier. It provides coverage for accidental death, dismemberment, paralysis, disability, and accident-related medical expenses to owner-operators and contract drivers for injuries sustained while under dispatch. You also have the option to add Non-Occupational Accident Coverage for accidental death, dismemberment, and accident-related medical expenses while you’re under lease or dispatch. (Policies are not available in all states and are available only to U.S. citizens.)

Please Note: OUR OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENT POLICY IS NOT A POLICY OF WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE. This policy is not in place of, and does not affect, any requirements for coverage under any workers compensation, unemployment compensation, disability benefits law, or any similar state or federal law.

Single Unit Owner-Operator Workers Compensation

Single Unit Owner-Operator Workers Compensation Policies

For trucking companies with both our Workers Compensation and Commercial Truck Coverage, we offer Single Unit Owner-Operator Policies to cover owner-operators under your motor carrier lease. This policy is not portable, so if the owner-operator breaks the lease, the policy will be canceled. This policy also doesn’t require an audit (it simply uses the sole proprietor’s payroll) and excludes all states except those listed as an exclusion on the policy’s declaration page.

This policy is currently available in the following states: Nebraska, Illinois, North Carolina, Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Fleet Owner-Operators Workers Compensation

If you own a trucking fleet, your fleet is under lease to a Great West insured motor carrier, and you employ drivers that are required to be covered under Workers’ Compensation, we have a Workers Compensation policy just for you. This policy is not portable, so if you break your lease, this policy will be canceled.

This policy is currently available for fleet owner-operators in the following states: Nebraska, Illinois, North Carolina, Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The policy excludes all states except those listed as an exclusion on the policy’s declaration page.

Your Employee Safety Is Our Top Concern

Great West's team of proactive risk management and loss control specialists work with you and your crew to help you avoid the likelihood of a claim. We offer services to our policyholders such as:

“What-if” scenarios to help you calculate the cost of potential losses based on e-mod (actual claims experiences from similar businesses that are a similar size). This helps you assess if you need risk improvements.
Safety programs specific to the trucking industry, like Truckers Injury Prevent Strategies (TIPS) and Value-Driven^® Life, a Value-Driven^® Company program.
Access to safety supplies and a video learning library.
Driver/personnel meetings focused on incident prevention through behavior modification.
Online access to safety materials like posters and newsletters.
Customized safety seminars.
Access to OSHA materials including inspections, training seminars, communication materials, injury record logs, and regulatory information.

Unparalleled Workers Compensation Claim Services

Our team of workers compensation professionals delivers unparalleled claims management and customer service.

We make it a point to keep our adjuster caseloads low so that they have the time they need to dedicate the attention your claim deserves. You can expect prompt and comprehensive investigations to ensure appropriate, sound decisions and timely extension of benefits to help reduce the chance of litigated claims. You’ll find our team’s approach is proactive, outcome-focused, results-oriented, and conducted in an empathetic and professional manner.

Our adjusters will reach out to an injured employee within 24 hours after an incident is reported, in most cases. They’ll follow up regularly with your business, the worker, the physician, and our staff medical advisor to ensure effective and efficient medical and disability management. Our team’s attention to the details, ability to utilize multiple cost-saving techniques, and focus on maintaining close communication with the injured worker and your business means the best possible outcome for your employee and your bottom line.

CLAIMS CAN BE SUBMITTED 24/7 THROUGH OUR CLAIMS REPORTING NUMBER 800.228.8040.

Highlights

Prompt and comprehensive investigations
Access to a multi-PPO network to help contain costs
A network of nearly 55,000 pharmacies to provide convenient, cost-effective, timely prescriptions for injured workers
Pharmacy bill review
Medical bill review
Use of evidence-based resources (like the Official Disability Guidelines - ODG) to ensure proper treatment guidelines are used to help return injured employees back to work in a timely and safe manner
Assistance with light and transitional return-to-work options

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of injuries or illnesses are typically covered by workers’ compensation for truck drivers? Slips, trips, and falls around the semi-tractor and trailer by truck drivers are the typical types of injuries covered by workers compensation.

Can truckers receive compensation for medical expenses and rehabilitation under workers compensation?

Truck drivers can receive compensation for medical expenses and rehabilitation under workers compensation if their injury arose out of and in the course of employment.

What steps should truck drivers take if they are injured on the job?

If a truck driver is working for a motor carrier and is hurt on the job they should do the following:

Seek medical attention.
Report the injury.
Complete an accident report.
Follow their doctor’s or health care provider’s instructions.

Can truck drivers receive workers’ compensation benefits for mental health issues related to their jobs?

Workers compensation covers mental health-related injuries to some degree, but the extent of coverage varies by state.

Are there penalties for trucking companies that do not provide workers’ compensation coverage for their drives?

A: The penalties for not providing workers compensation coverage varies by state.

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Workers Compensation