<strong>By: Oakhurst</strong>

Trucking is a hugely important sector of our economy as each year 86% of freight is transported by road, making it a fiercely competitive industry. Trucking companies need as many vehicles on the road as possible, for as long as possible, which means they, along with their drivers, face a multitude of risks. It has become vital for these companies to find the right balance between fleet management and driver safety.

Umthwalo Specialist Motor Insurance (a division of Peregrine Underwriting Managers Pty Ltd) is a UMA that specialises in Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV) and motor fleet insurance. Their in-depth knowledge of the trucking industry includes best routes, deliveries and payments; literally ensuring “the wheels are turning” efficiently. This level of expertise comes from being entrenched over many years in every aspect of the game.

Steered by their managing director, Grant Carstensen and his 30 years’ experience in insurance, Umthwalo brings a high degree of expertise to this specific risk category. Grant has the duel experience of being both a broker and an insurer and has a deep understanding of personal and commercial insurance, specifically with HCV and goods-in-transit. He plied his trade at several brokerages, namely Shield Financial Services, Helgran Insurance Brokers and Risk Benefit Solutions, where he was a director. For the past five years, he has worked at Hollard Insurance and Etana as the Business Development Manager, growing their national trucking book thanks to his hands-on involvement.

It’s this experience that Grant believes gives them their unique approach: “Guided by our brokers, we tailor each policy to suit our client’s requirements, rewarding trucking companies and fleet owners who demonstrate effective, sustainable risk mitigation. Through our partnership with a wide network of suppliers, we offer support services which include the ability to recover trucks, as well as expert loss adjusting capabilities after a claim has been submitted. This helps us reduce costs as they eliminate the duplication of fees,” says Grant.

Umthwalo Specialist Motor Insurance have cemented their partnership with Oakhurst Insurance to provide comprehensive cover in HCV and motor fleet risk management, and Oakhurst, in turn, is delighted by this: “We understand that specialised insurance requires a high level of expertise to ensure clients receive the best possible cover and advice. With Grant’s vast trucking insurance experience, we believe we have found the right partner and are excited about the future” says Robert Glynn, Managing Executive of Product Development at Oakhurst Insurance.

“We decided to partner with Oakhurst Insurance, who are like-minded in their approach to business. Oakhurst Insurance value relationships, as do we. Ours is a face-to-face, hands-on approach. We also chose to partner with Oakhurst because they are innovative and agile, and just like them, we too rely on technology in our risk assessment tools. They are relatively young in the industry, making them dynamic and well-positioned, and together we look forward to taking on service-complacency in the industry” said Grant Carstensen.