We would like to start this month by welcoming our newest addition to the CAB family.  We extend a big welcome Tiana Cain who joins us as our Assistant Vice President of Business Development.  Tiana comes to us with tremendous experience in transportation insurance and brings to CAB your point of view, the end user of our services.  We look forward to all she will do as CAB continues to focus on its changing operations.  Don’t be surprised if you hear from her soon. And if you do not have the CAB advantage in your underwriting process contact Tiana to arrange for a demonstration. She can be reached at tcain@cabfinancial.com.

She is already moving us forward.  We are now on Facebook and Twitter! Please make us feel good by “liking” us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.  We promise that tweets will be worth reading and not reports on what we are having for lunch.

BMC-32 ENDORSEMENT – What a mess this last month has been with the termination of the cargo endorsement for certain carriers.  Many insurance carriers began to cancel their filings, effective on the scheduled end date.  Unfortunately the government failed to stop their automatic notice process and motor carriers began receiving notices that their operating authority would be revoked.  CAB got involved and was able to assist in getting a formal response that the letters were sent in error and that motor carrier authority would not be revoked.  We would also note that the FMCSA has now changed the licensing and insurance page to indicate that no one needs filings, which is in fact incorrect as household good carriers and forwarders still need the filing.  In other news a last ditch effort by some organizations to stop the cancellation of the endorsement did not work but steps may be in the works to try and legislate the endorsement back into existence.

CARGO NET CARGO THEFT REPORT – Our friends at Cargo Net have released their 2010 Cargo Theft Report. Many cargo insurers have joined forces with Cargo Net to help combat cargo theft and recover stolen cargo.  A copy of the report can be viewed here. Inside this excellent report you will find information on stolen commodities types, locations, time trends as well as a wealth of additional material which will help you evaluate this exposure. The Cargo Net program can be reviewed at cargonet.com. Read More

Are you about as sick of this winter as we are?  Some days it seems like we will never see warm weather again.  I, for one, am ready to move this operation to an island – they have cargo and trucks there too.

February is a short month, but still packed with news.  Although not an issue reported on much in the general transportation papers, the demise of the BMC-32 endorsement is an issue at the forefront for many insurers as the end date of the endorsement looms.  We can tell you that there has been no further directives from the FMCSA and each insurer must decide how best to address this issue.  For premium subscribers, we can advise you which of your carriers have authority to operate as household goods and therefore need a filing.  If you need that information, please contact Mark Schweber to obtain a listing.

The recent news article in Transport Topics addressing the effect of CSA on insurance rates, and the fact that CAB has the ability to advise insurers of “chameleon operations” has generated a lot of interest from you.  This is included as part of our superior Premium Service and anyone that needs a little extra training on how to look for that information, please give us a call and we would be happy to walk you through it. Those who are interested in obtaining the premium service, and the ability to ferret out those operations, please contact our customer service and we will be happy to discuss the details with you.

TRUCKING MERGERS – The buzz in the transportation industry is that trucking mergers will pick up this year, as carriers look to align themselves with carriers which will help expand business.  So far there have been at least 3 purchases by some of the larger carriers, including Greatwide Logistics Services’ purchase of Overton Transportation, Vitran Corp’s purchase of Milan Express and Transport America’s purchase of Southern Cal Transport.

EOBR REQUIREMENT – The FMCSA has proposed requiring almost 500,000 motor carriers to have EORB, up from the current 5,700 carriers currently impacted.  The use of the recorders, while a large expense to carriers, would allow for a reduction in the paperwork needed to keep HOS documentation.  The proposal is receiving mixed reviews, in part due to the expected expense to carriers.  The final rule is expected to be in place by June 2012, with a extended time frame for compliance. Read More