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Friday, October 21, 2011

First Guard Insurance Company Reaffirmed “A” Rating by A.M. Best

Venice, Florida (October 21, 2011) – Specialty truck insurer First Guard Insurance Company announced today that A.M. Best Company (Oldwick, NJ) has affirmed its financial strength rating of A (Excellent) with a stable rating outlook. Since 2004, First Guard Insurance Company has maintained the rating of A (Excellent). For the latest ratings, visit http://www.ambest.com/.

The “A” (Excellent) rating of First Guard reflect its solid capitalization, balance sheet liquidity, history of excellent underwriting and operating profitability. First Guard’s expertise in the trucking physical damage market for leased owner operators coupled with prudent underwriting standards and conservative operating strategy continue to play a strong role in their long-term profitability and stability.

While the first half of 2011 proved challenging in regards to higher than expected claims losses due to storm/weather related activity the rigid underwriting and pricing discipline at First Guard continues to produce favorable results in comparison to competition.

“We are very pleased that AM Best has once again affirmed our "A" rating,” stated Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “The significant investments that First Guard continues to make in underwriting, marketing and automation processes are clearly paying dividends. Notwithstanding the challenging economy our surplus stands at an all time high.”

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Great American Trucking Show 2011

The verdict is back. The Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in Dallas, TX was this past week (Aug.  25-27th) and the 1st Guard team had a great show! The foot traffic was steady all three days with Saturday being the highlight. We saw a ton of our customers who are very satisfied with our services and spoke with hundreds of potential customers that hopefully will call for physical damage and nontrucking liability quotes on their trucks. 

As an aside, we had fun handing out 1st Guard bumper stickers - Diesel is a hit with all ages, especially little kids. The pictures don't lie!

Lastly, we'd like to congratulate Dan Ribar, 1st Guard truck show roady and CIO, for participating in the BIG RIG 5K run on Friday. We're glad you had a great run and ran for a great cause.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Copy Cats - Are They Flattering?

Recently, we fumbled through the trucking publication Movin' Out and discovered an advertisement that struck very close to home. If it wasn't for the picture of Flo, we would have been convinced the advertisement was ours. Subsequently, the chairman of 1st Guard, Ed Campbell, sent a friendly email to Progressive's Trucking Division Marketing Executive Bill Kampf. Here's what he had to say.....
___________________________________________________________________________________

Bill,


I'll say I was a bit chagrined but also flattered when I stumbled across your recent ad in Moving Out.

Glad we're still the inspiration for the largest truck insurer in the country. Still, I would have thought a company with Progressive's marketing reputation and resources could have come up with something original as opposed to lifting from our 18 month old campaign theme.

If you insist on learning the business from 1st Guard we'll eventually have to start charging.

Ed
___________________________________________________________________________________

Left image is 1st Guard'scampaign. The right image is Progressive's so-called original campaign. Sure looks a lot like ours, doesn't it?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Truck Insurer 1st Guard Broadens Communication with Customers via Auto-Dialer

Venice, Florida – July 28, 2011 – Truck insurer 1st Guard recently expanded their communication platform by implementing an auto-dialer, a technology-based program that automatically calls customers with a pre-determined announcement. The auto-dialer enables 1st Guard to increase communication with their customers in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The purpose behind the auto-dialer is to reach out to as many customers as possible within a short period of time. In fact, the auto-dialer can place up to 20 calls in a few seconds without bogging down the operating systems. The messaging behind the auto-dialer could vary from customer accounting information to weather-related alerts. In the instance of customer accounting messages the customer has the option to press a prompt to be transferred to a 1st Guard customer service agent for assistance.

Beyond bridging the communication between insurance company and customer, the auto-dialer alleviates the time it would normally take an agent to contact customers about simple account-related information such as non-pay cancel notices or invalid credit card expirations. Thus, increasing the productivity of the agents to focus on sales or service related issues. 1st Guard also uses the auto-dialer to wish their customers a “Happy Birthday.”

1st Guard’s Chief Information Officer, Dan Ribar, believes the auto-dialer is another example of using technology to reduce risk. “Any chance we get to communicate better with our customers we jump on it,” added Ribar.

Every effort is taken to streamline the truck insurance process at 1st Guard for their customers and the auto-dialer is no exception. “The auto-dialer is a prime example of how technology can be used to increase communication with the customer base without using an extreme amount of manpower,” concluded Courtney Wilson, marketing director for 1st Guard.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fuelcard+ Giveaway Is On A Roll

In April we launched the Fuelcard+ Giveaway, a referral program tied to monthly $500 fuel card drawing and truck charity donations. Since then we've given away $1500 in fuel cards to three lucky owner operators and donated over $3,000 to St. Christopher Fund. With your help we are hopeful that we can donate much more to SCF over next few months. The Fuelcard+ referral program will run through the end of the year.

To get entered into the fuel card drawing, follow these steps:
1) Current 1st Guard insureds must refer an owner operator to us for a truck insurance quote
2) Make sure your friend mentions your name when they call for a quote and the fuelcard+ referral program
3) You and your friend that called for a quote will get entered into the fuel card drawing & $25 will be donated to a trucker charity (SCF) in each of your names
4) The more times you refer an owner operator to 1st Guard the more times you will be entered into the fuel card drawing in addition to more $25 donations to a trucker charity.

It's that simple! Spread the word to all your owner operator friends now. Click here to learn more!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Not All Physical Damage Policies Include Towing

When an owner operator calls 1st Guard for a physical damage quote, this question is often asked: 
Does your policy include towing? Well of course, why wouldn't it? But as we sit back and digest this question further it makes pefect sense why owner operators ask this question. Simply put, most physical damage policies available to the market do not provide adequate towing coverage. In fact the question at hand is further prompted because the owner operator likely got burned by a previous physical damage carrier that stuck the tow bill on them.

We will make it very clear: 1st Guard's physical damage policy does include towing and storage to the nearest repair facility. Additionally, our policy does not have a sublimit or cap to the amount of towing expense. Less the deductible, we'll pay the rest.

On the contrary, it is important to point out that many physical damage policies available to owner operators have a CAP or LIMIT to what they will pay towards towing expenses. Typically it is $5,000 to $7,000 or a % of the value of the vehicle. We've seen tow bills upwards of $20,000 - so if an owner operator had a physical damage policy that had a $5,000 cap on towing they would be stuck with a $15,000 tow bill - which could most definitely put them out of business!

It is our advice to review your physical damage policy when you get a chance to see what the towing coverage and/or limitations are. I don't know about you but I'd rather pay a little extra each month on my physical damage policy knowing that I had FULL coverage when I needed it.

After you check your policy, make sure to give us a call for a quote. Call 800-995-4827 or visit http://www.1stguard.com/.

You need to protect yourself and your truck. That's what it's all about.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Truck Insurer 1st Guard® Makes Donation to Trucker Charity


1st Guard's Donation Check to St. Christopher Fund

Venice, Florida – May 3rd, 2011 – 1st Guard Corporation, a leading truck insurer for leased owner operators, announced today they will present Knoxville, TN-based trucker charity, St. Christopher Trucker Development and Relief Fund, with a $2400 donation check. The money generated for this donation comes from 1st Guard’s customer Fuel Card+ referral program. Every time a trucker is referred to 1st Guard via a referral card they are entered into a monthly fuel card drawing and $25 (twenty-five dollars) is automatically donated to trucker charity for their call.

“We are thrilled to make this donation to such a wonderful charity in the trucking community,” stated 1st Guard’s Director of Marketing, Courtney Wilson. “We chose the St. Christopher Fund because they help truckers in financial hardship to get on their feet,” added Wilson. “This donation is a way for us to potentially help some of our own customers.”

1st Guard plans to donate monthly through the end of December 2011 to a trucker charity in conjunction with their customer referral program. “We’re happy with our first monthly donation amount considering we just kicked off the program the end of March,” remarked Chairman, Ed Campbell. “The word is spreading quickly within the owner operator grapevine and we hope each month we’re able to give back even more to a trucker charity,” concluded Campbell.

Monday, April 18, 2011

First $500 Fuel Card Giveaway Drawing Set for May 2nd

The Fuel Card+ Giveaway referral program, which was launched at the Mid America Truck Show, is getting a lot of buzz amongst the owner operator community. We've given a lot of new truck insurance quotes to owner operators who spoke to us at the truck show plus our existing customers have been spreading the word like wildfire. We are very pleased with the response and now we are looking forward to the  first $500 fuel card drawing on May 2nd.

Remember, with each new quote that is tied to the "referral card" a $25 donation will be made to St. Christopher Fund (http://www.truckersfund.com/) in the truckers name and they will get entered into the monthly fuel card drawing. It's really a win-win for everyone.

Great rates on truck insurance = Donation to a great charity = A chance to win a $500 fuel card.

For more information please view our website http://www.1stguard.com/2011Referral.aspx

Monday, March 28, 2011

Truck Insurer 1st Guard® Ties Referrals to Trucker Charity Donations

Venice, Florida – March 28, 2011 – 1st Guard Corporation, a leading truck insurer for leased owner operators, announced today they will kick off a new referral program ,The Fuel Card+ Giveaway, on March 31st at the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. 1st Guard will be exhibiting in the North Wing, #13056.

The premise behind the Fuel Card+ Giveaway is to increase customer referrals and new business quotes by passing along a “referral card” to a leased owner operator who needs truck insurance. Thousands of “referral cards” were recently mailed to current 1st Guard insureds to jump start the program. When a customer refers a leased owner operator to 1st Guard for a truck insurance quote – both the customer and the person who called for the quote will be entered into the monthly $500 fuel card giveaway. As a bonus, for each referral 1st Guard will donate $25 in the truckers name to St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund – a not-for-profit organization providing assistance to professional truckers whose medical problems have led to financial hardship. 1st Guard will also be handing out referral cards at truck shows and other trucking events so the chance to win a fuel card and donate $25 to a trucker charity has great magnitude.

“Our motto for this program is simple: help yourself, help your friends, help trucker charities,” sums up Courtney Wilson, 1st Guard’s marketing director. “By referring a leased owner operator to us, our customer and their friend who called us get a chance to win a $500 fuel card. Even better still, the referral is tied to a charitable donation. Everyone involved in a winner,” added Wilson.

The first fuel card drawing is scheduled for Monday, May 2nd and the last drawing is December 1st, 2011. To learn more about the Fuel Card+ Giveaway program visit http://www.1stguard.com/.

Friday, February 18, 2011

40 Days Until the 40th Mid America Trucking Show

Hard to believe there are only 40 days left (and counting) til the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. This year marks the 40th Anniversary for largest truck show in the United States. Through great times and tough times, MATS (commonly used acronym in the trucking industry) has stood the test of time. Trucking industry vendors from all around the globe target this particular truck show as the 'premier show' to exhibit their product/service to such a diverse yet captive audience. The same holds true for trucking industry attendees - from coast to coast and even overseas, truckers alike make all efforts to attend at least one day of the show.

1st Guard - The Trucker's Insurance Company - has exhibited at MATS continuously since 2005. We find being present at the show is great brand awareness, and if you're not there - people notice immediately. As always, we enjoy talking with our current customers and hearing their stories of being on the road. But the greater purpose of our presence is to talk to lease owner operators that need physical damage and nontrucking liability and DO NOT have 1st Guard insurance.

This year we will be exhibiting at the show with a completely new booth and a new approach. We've always been able to quote truck insurance on the spot with minimal information supplied; however, this year we are going completely minimal and will be quoting truck insurance via iPads instead of computers. Pretty sleek huh? The iPads allow us more versatility in our methodology of quoting - we can stay near our booth or wander a bit into the aisles. The other added advantage of our new booth and wireless quoting system is the drastic reduction in time spent setting up and taking down the booth.  We're getting smarter and smarter in our years of exhibiting as well as one of the most advanced truck insurance exhibitors at the show.

Our booth this year is located in the North Wing, #13056. You can't miss us or the bold Mastiff (yes, it is a Mastiff, not a Bull Dog) logo. If you are a customer of 1st Guard - please stop by and say hello! And if you are an owner operator - please make sure you stop by and get an instant quote. We have good rates on truck insurance and even better rates for great drivers!

See you in 40 DAYS!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Chairman Ed Campbell as Guest of The Dave Nemo Show

1st Guard's Chairman, Ed Campbell III, will be a guest on The Dave Nemo Show on Wednesday, February 9th. Campbell will discuss how the trucking insurance business has changed over the 25+ years of his career. In particular he will highlight the owner operator pitfalls when it comes to truck insurance. The themes Mr. Campbell will touch upon are many of the same themes heard on the current 1st Guard "Gut Check" commercials run on Sirius-XM Road Dog and Fox News channels.

Tune into The Dave Nemo Show (Road Dog 147/171) this Wednesday (2/9) at 9 AM EST to listen to the intriguing discussion between Nemo and truck insurance specialist, Ed Campbell.

Monday, January 17, 2011

First Guard Insurance Company Announces Winners of 2010 Fleet Safety Award

Truck insurer First Guard Insurance Company (rated A by AM Best) announced today the winners of their 2010 fleet safety awards. Four trucking companies were selected for the awards. The winners were chosen based upon their claims experience over the past year. Their superior commitment to safety also played a significant role in the selection. Each winner has owner-operator fleets.


The winners of the 2010 fleet safety awards are listed below.

• Baggett Transportation Company (Birmingham, AL)
• Butler Trucking Company (Woodland, PA)
• Schwend, Inc. (Dade City, FL)
• Turner Brothers Trucking (Oklahoma City, OK)

Of the four winners, Baggett Transportation previously won the award in 2008.

“We’re very proud of our association with these outstanding trucking companies,” commented Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “Despite a very challenging economic environment our best customers continue to invest in safety. These companies clearly recognize the correlation between safety and the bottom line,” he added.

# # #
About Baggett Transportation
Located in Birmingham, Alabama, Baggett Transportation 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.

About Butler Trucking Company
Located in Woodland, Pennsylvania, Butler Trucking handles a variety of freight types and operates with owner operator and company trucks.

About Schwend, Inc.
Located in Dade City, FL, Schwend Inc has been servicing the agricultural industry since 1977 with the use of hopper-bottom grain trailers and pneumatic trailers.

About Turner Brothers TruckingLocated in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Turner Brothers is a heavy-haul and specialized transportation company serving the needs of the industrial, wind, energy, power, oil and gas markets.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Truck Insurer 1st Guard® Puts Chairman on Front Line for Satellite Radio Campaign

Venice, Florida – January 4, 2011 – Truck insurer 1st Guard has just inked a deal with Sirius XM satellite radio to air commercials for the 2011calendar year on Road Dog (Sirius 147; XM 171) and Fox News (Sirius 131; XM 121). The commercials star 1st Guard’s Chairman, Ed Campbell, III. Mr. Campbell is pulling the curtain back and unveiling the truth about the truck insurance business in a series of commercials entitled “Gut Check.” While many CEO’s do not engage publicly in advertising campaigns that put themselves on the front line, 1st Guard believes the best spokesperson for this series is the Chairman. “Mr. Campbell is compassionate about the American Trucker and who better to deliver our message,” stated Courtney Wilson, 1st Guard’s Marketing Director.

The Gut Check campaign uncovers truck insurance secrets not commonly known by the consumer. For example, many physical damage policies have a limit on towing expenses. Unfortunately, truckers do not know this fact until it’s too late and they’re forced to pay the difference which could ultimately put them out of business. Owner operators should know the policy terms up front and not be swayed by a dirt cheap rate. A 1st Guard® physical damage policy; however, will pay towing in full after the deductible is paid. Themes similar to this one are the center of the Gut Check campaign. “Creating awareness amongst the owner operator community along with saving them money on t heir truck insurance costs are the main goals of this campaign,” added Wilson.

1st Guard is a pioneer in advertising on satellite air waves. Dating back to 2004, 1st Guard was the first truck insurer to run commercials on XM satellite radio and then quickly followed suit when Sirius satellite radio entered the trucking market in 2006. Now the two companies have merged – Sirius XM – but commercials air respectively on both satellite networks. 1st Guard is also a sponsor of the Dave Nemo Show (www.davenemo.com), a popular talk show geared towards the trucking community.