1st Guard Corporation Shines among the Lease Operators at the Mid America Trucking Show

Venice, Florida - April 2nd, 2008 - 1st Guard Corporation, a leader in providing physical damage and nontrucking liability insurance to leased owner operators, announced today they had another successful truck show. This year marked the 37th annual Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, the largest truck show in the United States.

Courtney Wilson, 1st Guard’s® Director of Marketing and also a participant at the booth stated “The show was a hit for us. Despite high fuel costs and freight shortage, attendees were plentiful and our booth had a constant flow of traffic. The condition of the economy did not seem to be a significant talking point with our customer base,” added Wilson. “Rather, it was just something we all would have to overcome.”

1st Guard's® booth design enabled leased owner operators to receive physical damage quotes on the spot. The only information required for a quote was the state of residence, the year and make of the tractor/trailer, and the type of tractor/trailer. There were no other insurance vendors at the truck show who could provide such accurate information. Unlike their competitors, 1st Guard® is a direct-writer for physical damage insurance, placing coverage with their affiliate, First Guard Insurance Company, rated "A" by AM Best.

Besides the daily truck show regimen, 1st Guard® hosted a breakfast with Bill Mack for leased owner operators and their immediate family members. Bill Mack is a well-known radio personality in the trucking industry and has his own show on the Open Road channel (171) on XM satellite radio. “The breakfast allowed current 1st Guard® customers and potential customers to mingle amongst themselves and enjoy a wholesome breakfast at the same time,” noted Wilson. “There is no doubt 1st Guard® will be hosting more breakfasts with Bill Mack in the future. It was a tremendous success for us,” added Wilson. Bill Mack has a huge fan base in the trucking industry and his popularity has helped solidify 1st Guard’s® presence in the leased owner operator community. For the past several years, Bill Mack has produced commercials for 1st Guard Corporation.

Courtney Wilson was joined by Dan Ribar, Chief Information Officer, Dale Pikula, Network Administrator and Ed Campbell, III, Chairman of 1st Guard Corporation. It was noteworthy that of all the insurance vendors exhibiting at the show only 1st Guard® sent a team of top executives.

1st Guard® Hosts Breakfast with Bill Mack at the Mid America Trucking Show

March 10, 2008 – Venice, Florida - 1st Guard Corporation, an insurance firm specializing in truck insurance for owner operators leased to a motor carrier, announced today that they hosting a breakfast with Bill Mack at the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky at the end of this month. The breakfast is complimentary and will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Friday, March 28th at 8:00 am in room C104, located in the South Wing hall. The breakfast is open to lease operators and their immediate family members. Those planning on attending the breakfast do not have to be a customer of 1st Guard®. The only qualification is you must be leased on to a trucking company.

“This event is the first of its kind and we expect a good turnout,” stated Courtney Wilson, Director of Marketing for 1st Guard Corporation. “Over the years, we have developed a strong friendship with Bill Mack and what better way to bring the XM Satellite Cowboy to our target audience than to host an event at the largest truck show in the world,” added Wilson.

The complimentary breakfast is based on a first come first serve basis. Space is limited so it is important to arrive at the Kentucky Exposition Center is a timely manner. To reserve a spot in advance for the Breakfast with Bill Mack, call 1st Guard® directly at 866-FAST234.

1st Guard Corporation will be exhibiting at the truck show all three days, March 27th – 29th. Make sure to stop by their booth, #62144 in the West Wing, for a customized truck insurance quote.

First Guard Insurance Company Awards Baggett Transportation Company Fleet of the Year

Venice, Florida – January 9, 2008 – First Guard Insurance Company announced today that Baggett Transportation Company, a general freight transportation company located in Birmingham, Alabama, has won the “Fleet of the Year Award” for 2007. This is the first time Baggett Transportation has won this prestigious award.

The “Fleet of the Year” award is presented once a year to the trucking company with the lowest physical damage loss ratio. The purpose of the award is to promote safety and efficiency amongst trucking companies and their owner operators.

“Winning Fleet of the Year is a noteworthy award for any trucking company,” stated Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “This award goes beyond achieving the lowest physical damage loss ratio. It really boils down to the structure and implementation the trucking company takes in regards to safety and compliance. Baggett Transportation deserves this award because of their strong safety measures and quality drivers,” added Campbell.

Baggett Transportation Company got its start in 1928, specializing in hauling dynamite to local coal mines in Birmingham, Alabama. Not too long after, a world war broke out and Baggett Transportation was summoned by the Department of War (Defense) to haul munitions due to its experience hauling dynamite. Baggett Transportation still remains a major hauler for the Department of Defense today.

About Baggett Transportation Company
Baggett Transportation is located in Birmingham, Alabama and hauls explosives for the Department of Defense. They also have a less-than-truckload division that hauls a variety of general commodities within the state of Alabama and other Southeastern states.

Claims Division of First Guard Insurance Company Now Under One Roof

Venice, Florida (January 3, 2008) – First Guard Insurance Company (FGIC), one of the nation’s premiere physical damage truck insurance companies for commercial (Class 8) vehicles,
recently relocated their claims office to their Venice, Florida home office. Both the insurance company and the claims division now reside in the same building. “For many years we used 1st Guard Adjustment Company out of Sterling Heights, Michigan to handle all 1st Guard® claims,” remarked Donna Fortuna, President of First Guard Insurance Company. “But First Guard Insurance Company has grown to the point where it strategically made sense to have underwriting and claims in one location,” added Fortuna.

“We are a progressive company and this is the right move at the right time,” added Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “Having the two power-houses of our company under one roof is advantageous for our customers because they are dealing directly with the insurance company and not the typical insurance agent. When our customers have questions, we have the answers.”

First Guard Insurance Company does not broker through agents but rather deals directly with the owner operator. By cutting out the middle-man they are able to pass on cost-savings to their customers. FGIC specializes in truck physical damage insurance for owner operators leased to a motor carrier.

1st Guard® Announces Concierge Style Loyalty Program For Truckers

January 2, 2008 – Venice, Florida - 1st Guard Corporation, an insurance firm specializing in truck insurance for owner operators leased to a motor carrier, announced today that they are launching a customer loyalty program for their most prestigious group of customers. The program is called the Class 8 Elite. Class 8 signifies the type of vehicle (tractor trailer) 1st Guard® insures.

“We are launching the first elite customer program in the insurance industry similar to the elite status that hotels and airlines confer on their best customers,” stated Courtney Wilson, Director of Corporate Communications for 1st Guard Corporation. “The goal is to recognize our best customers and support them with a concierge style experience.” added Wilson.

Class 8 Elite members will enjoy an array of perks that will enhance their experience as a 1st Guard® customer. Some of the more notable benefits include a special customer service number that guarantees their call will be answered first, VIP tickets to select truck shows, invitations to all 1st Guard® special events and access to 1st Guard’s® top executives via telephone or e-mail. “As the program grows in the number of members we anticipate the expansion of benefits as well,” commented Wilson.

“We are excited about the launch of the Class 8 Elite loyalty program,” stated Ed Campbell III, Chairman of 1st Guard Corporation. “We have always been on the cutting edge in the truck insurance industry,” added Campbell.

1st Guard Offers Instant Quote On-Line for Physical Damage Insurance

November 6, 2007 – Venice, FL – 1st Guard Corporation, an insurance firm specializing in owner operator truck insurance, continues to be the only truck insurer to offer an instant quote on-line for truck physical damage insurance. The quote is instant and in real-time. “If you scour the Internet you will see many insurance agencies advertising instant quotes or quick quotes, but the fact of the matter is there is nothing instant about their quotes,” remarked Courtney Wilson, Director of Marketing for 1st Guard Corporation. “In this case, the owner operator has to submit requested information and then wait for an agent to call him back. It could take days before the agent has a quote for the owner operator and by that time, it is too late,” added Wilson. “With 1st Guard®, all it takes is four clicks of the mouse and the owner operator has his truck physical damage quote. It is truly an instant quote.”

1st Guard Corporation launched their version of an instant quote several years ago. Subsequently, each day their website receives hundreds of clicks for truck insurance quotes. In order to obtain an instant quote, the owner operator must select the state of residence and the year, make and type of tractor or trailer. The quote is based upon having the monthly premium automatically drafted from a debit card, credit card, checking or savings account. “Our goal is to make truck insurance fast, simple and hassle-free for the owner operator leased to a motor carrier. The on-line, instant quote is one example of this,” stated Ed Campbell, Chairman of 1st Guard Corporation. “Beyond the instant quote, we also offer the owner operator the ability to purchase their truck physical damage policy on-line, 24/7.” This feature is called Buy It Now.

To obtain an instant quote, owner operators can go on-line to http://www.1stguard.com/ or http://www.fast234.com/. They can also call direct at 866-FAST234 to speak with a customer service agent.

First Guard Insurance Company Reaffirms “A” Rating

Venice, Florida (September 28, 2007) - First Guard Insurance Company (FGIC), one of the nation’s premiere physical damage truck insurance companies for commercial (Class 8) vehicles, today announced that A.M. Best Company has affirmed its financial strength rating of A (Excellent) with a stable rating outlook.

“The A rating certainly validates the merits of our direct writing model,” commented Ed Campbell, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “It all comes down to execution. As a direct writer we not only save truckers money but we deliver superior service as well. Independent agents, at least in the truck insurance business, look to go the way of the dinosaurs. They’re good golfers, but they simply don’t add value.” added Campbell.

First Guard Insurance Company began operations as a reinsurer in 1997. It started writing truck physical damage insurance directly in 2003. Presently the company holds licenses in twenty-five states, recently adding North Carolina and New Jersey to their license list. First Guard Insurance Company is the only truck specialty insurer in the country that does not market through independent insurance agents.