Somethin’ ’bout a Truck*

American Truck Love Affair

We talk about Fourth of July Fireworks, and apple pie, when talking about America, but everybody knows that pickup trucks, big rigs, and trucking come in a close third place. No matter if it’s a pickup truck for a hunting trip, or the massive eighteen-wheeler going pedal-to-the-metal down the superhighway, it’s no secret that America has an ongoing love affair with trucks. They have been romanticized for decades in songs and movies.
Trucks and the trucking industry, however, are more than simply romantic. They play a vital part in the country’s marketplace. Just take a glance at these statistics.

• Trucks move about 72.5% of America’s freight by weight.
• The trucking industry earned $732.3 billion in revenue in 2020.
• There are about 900,000 employed truck drivers in the U.S. as of 2020.
• There are over 996,000 for-hire trucking carriers in the U.S.
• U.S. trucks moved 10.23 billion tons of freight in 2020.
• There are 3.97 million semi-trucks operating in the U.S. as of 2020.
  (Abby McCain. “23+ Trucking Industry Statistics [2022]: Surprising Facts On American Trucking” Zippia.com. Apr. 30, 2022, https://www.zippia.com/advice/trucking-industry-statistics/)
  Trucks occupy an important place at Alchemy Insurance where we specialize in customized Commercial Truck Insurance for:
• Private carriers—this term refers to those who use their own personal vehicles to transport goods for an employer
• Motor carriers—this term includes “for hire” trucking companies that own and operate a fleet of company vehicles.
• Owner-operators—the term “owner-operators” means individuals who own their own trucking business, as opposed to renting out vehicles to others, i.e., those who “own and operate” their own business.

A Look Back at Truck History

Before the automobiles or the trucks took over our roads and highways, freight and goods traveled by train, wagons, and boats on the rivers. It was America’s entry into World War I that brought about the necessity for alternate ways to transport goods. It was during that era that trucks began to be manufactured and put into use. However, it wasn’t until the 1920s that consumers were able to purchase a pickup of their own.

As Henry Ford became aware of the potential of the pickup, he manufactured the “Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body” in 1925. Ford coined the name “pickup” and it stuck.

The response of the public surprised Ford and his leaders, as they were not aware of what they’d stumbled onto. Of course, there’d been many variations of trucks for commercial use previous to this, but not for the general public. That first year, Ford produced 75,000 beds and 34,000 of the pickup vehicles. History was in the making. (Or we might say the truck love story was in the making.)

In the early years, trucks were for farmers, ranchers, and over-the-road transport. However, as the decades passed, it grew into the massive commercial industry of the current day. Which is why Alchemy Insurance offers superior Commercial Insurance for Trucks.

Songs and Movies

The romanticizing of truckers, trucking, and 18-wheelers is a bit of a mystery but came into the fore during the sixties and seventies at the height of the CB radio craze. The songs filled album after album, the lyrics of which appealed to a wide audience, not simply country music fans. Songs of heartache, loneliness, and a renegade type of lifestyle. Movies such as Smokey and the Bandit, Breaker! Breaker! and Convoy filled the movie theaters with movie-goers who couldn’t get enough.

Convoy serves up to the viewers, scene after scene of wrecks, semis crashing into small buildings, and an entire truck convoy slamming through roadblocks. Had an Alchemy Insurance agent been on hand, they would have most likely presented those drivers with a Commercial Truck Insurance Buying Guide. It certainly would have been needed.

To the Present

Recent years have seen many entrepreneurs entering the arena of the trucking industry. As business owners, their knowledge, understanding, and insight into the matters of commercial insurance for trucks is crucial. Lack of such knowledge could possibly devastate their business endeavors. Therefore, Alchemy agents promote their Commercial Truck Insurance Buying Guide.

Examples of commercial trucks could range from a pickup truck to a food vendor vehicle, to a delivery truck. Most often these business vehicles are used in construction, transportation of goods, or agriculture. On the other hand, for some owners, this might include an entire fleet of trucks. Commercial truck insurance for any of these business owners is every bit as crucial as car insurance. Perhaps even more.

It would do well for these types of businesses to connect with an agency that knows the industry and can create a customized commercial truck insurance policy that would protect the business from possible disaster.

Buy Commercial Truck Insurance

Alchemy Insurance Agency is a great choice since it is made up of a team of well-informed commercial truck insurance specialists, all of whom are educated in the different areas of protection. These agents have established working relationships with the top names in the insurance industry, because of this they are able to offer trucking companies the exact commercial truck insurance policies, coverage, and protection that that company needs.

What’s Covered in Commercial Insurance for Trucks

A knowledgeable Alchemy Insurance agent will raise the business owner’s awareness of all areas that must be covered in any policy. Typically, this includes the following areas:

• Liability
• Medical expenses for any injuries that may occur to truck/vehicle occupants
• Coverage for uninsured vehicles and uninsured motorists
• Physical damage loss to the business vehicles
• Insuring the cargo that is being transported is also important. And to cover any lost revenue should something happen that is out of the control of the driver or the business owner.

Alchemy Insurance Agency

As an independent insurance agency, Alchemy works with multiple carriers to find the best policy at the most affordable price. The company has 30+ years of experience finding individuals and businesses the best policy prices from well-known carriers such as Progressive, Safeco, Nationwide, and more!

Alchemy Insurance was founded on the premise that owners of trucking businesses shouldn’t have to spend hours shopping and comparing rates from multiple carriers to buy commercial truck insurance. Alchemy Insurance agents compare rates with dozens of carriers to find you the best price, so you don’t have to!