Trucking has always carried risk. What has changed is how that risk is judged.
Today, a single incident can define a carrier’s future. Not because of what actually happened, but because of what can be proven. That reality now shapes trucking insurance, underwriting decisions, and fleet safety strategies across the industry.
We recently sat down with an insurance expert to talk about how insurers view trucking today, why claims have become more severe, and where video evidence fits into the picture. One idea kept coming up.
Context matters.
Claims Severity Is the Biggest Risk in Trucking Today
The biggest threat facing the trucking industry is no longer how often crashes occur. It is how expensive they have become.
So-called nuclear verdicts, typically defined as awards exceeding ten million dollars, have increased dramatically in recent years. Litigation funding, aggressive courtroom tactics, and increased legal advertising have reshaped how accidents involving commercial vehicles are argued and judged.
When claims reach that scale, the impact spreads across the entire market. Even fleets with clean safety records experience rate increases and tighter underwriting guidelines. Insurance carriers are not reacting emotionally. They are responding to loss data.
Why Trucking Companies Start at a Disadvantage
Commercial drivers are held to a higher standard. Because they are professionals, the burden of proof often rests with them when an incident occurs. Without video evidence, claims rely heavily on crash reports, witness statements, and assumptions. In many cases, that means trucking companies are effectively treated as guilty until proven innocent. Crash data can tell insurers that something happened. It rarely explains how or why it happened. That lack of context is where risk multiplies.
Cameras Provide Context, Not Just Footage
Vehicle cameras are often framed as compliance tools or monitoring systems. In practice, their most important role today is explanation. Video evidence adds context. Forward-facing dash cameras can show what happened in front of the truck. But many incidents occur outside that view. Lane changes, blind-spot interactions, rear-end collisions, and trailer-related events often happen beyond a single camera’s reach. When only one angle exists, the story is incomplete. Video does not argue. It shows.
Why Multi-Camera Systems Change Outcomes
As litigation costs rise, insurers are paying closer attention to fleets that invest in expanded visibility. Side, rear, and full-vehicle camera coverage provides the context that a single dash camera cannot. These additional views help insurers understand how an incident unfolded, not just that it occurred.
Expanded camera systems also play a role in cargo protection. Cargo theft, trailer tampering, and loading incidents are increasingly part of a carrier’s risk profile. Visibility reduces uncertainty in each of those areas. In insurance, fewer unknowns mean lower risk.
What Insurance Underwriters Actually Reward
Cameras do not automatically guarantee insurance discounts. That misconception causes confusion. What cameras do provide is credibility.
Underwriters evaluate a fleet’s risk profile based on several factors:
- Loss history
- Safety and compliance scores
- Operating radius
- Commodities hauled
- Overall safety culture
A fleet camera system supports each of these by reinforcing accountability and documentation. When insurers see fleets investing in visibility and evidence, they are more confident offering competitive terms and credits.
Not because cameras eliminate risk, but because they reduce uncertainty.
Context Is the Difference Between Assumption and Evidence
At Convoy Technologies, we talk often about context because it sits at the intersection of safety, accountability, and fairness. Safe fleet cameras help explain what happened. Expanded exterior views help explain why it happened and whether it could have been prevented.
In an insurance and legal environment shaped by proof, not perception, context is no longer optional. It is essential. If the future of a trucking company can be decided in a single moment, that moment deserves the full picture. That is why context matters.
