Save BIG with 1st Guard

Did you know you could Save up to 15% on your physical damage premium if you sign up for one of the electronic payment methods offered by 1st Guard?

Electronic payment methods include: debit card, credit card or automatic draft from a checking/savings account. Forget the hassle of writing a check and making sure it arrives on-time. Your physical damage premium is on-time, all the time when you pay electronically. Generally speaking, no deposit (escrow) is collected when you pay your premium electronically. That means less money out of your pocket!

The savings attributed to paying a physical damage premium electronically is offered only to lease owner operators that buy direct from 1st Guard.

True Statistic

The average 1st Guard customer saves $295 PER YEAR
when switching to an electronic payment method.

Please Note: Discount may not be applicable in all states. Call 1st Guard for an instant quote to see if you are eligible for this potential savings!

1st Guard® Launches Customer-Oriented Website

Venice, Florida – January 12, 2009 – 1st Guard Corporation, a leader in providing physical damage and nontrucking liability insurance to leased owner operators, launched a new version of their public website this past weekend. The website received an overhaul in design and functionality, incorporating navigation tools that allow the customer to use the website with ease. Daniel Ribar, Chief Information Officer of 1st Guard Corporation, stated “It boils down to the customer and making their life easier. It’s not about us, it’s about them [customers] and that’s the mindset we used when developing the new look and feel of the website.”

The new version of the 1st Guard® website, which can be viewed at www.1stguard.com, is very straightforward. There are four main activities that a customer, or potential customer, would visit the 1st Guard® website for: 1) Get an Instant Quote 2) Purchase Online 3) Manage My Account and 4) Submit a New Claim. “We got rid of the fluff and honed in on simplicity and functionality for the customer,” added Ribar. Beyond functionality, the 1st Guard® automation group integrated additional layers of security, making the website an extremely safe place to do business.

The last revision of the website occurred in April 2006, which relatively speaking is not that long ago. However, in business it is essential to never let things go stale and the redevelopment of the website goes along these lines. “1st Guard® is the only truck insurer that provides online business activities with such ease. We want to deliver the best service possible to our customers and the website revamp drives this point home,” remarked Ed Campbell III, Chairman of 1st Guard Corporation.

DD&S Express Awarded Fleet of the Year 2008

Venice, FL – January 7, 2009 – First Guard Insurance Company announced today that DD&S Express Inc., a heavy and specialized transportation company based out of Baltimore, Maryland, has won Fleet of the Year for 2008. This is the fourth time DD&S Express has won this prestigious award. They also received Fleet of the Year in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

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.

Rick Seleski, Vice President & General Manager for DD&S Express, said “Not only is it an honor to receive this award for the fourth time, but it is a testament to our culture at DD&S. As a specialized heavy haul carrier we must put safety front and center. This commitment has enabled us to

maintain the safest, most professional owner operators on the road.” Scott Furley, Director of Safety & Recruiting, added “We are happy to bring this award back to DD&S Express this year. With the help of First Guard's staff and our owner operators we will make another run at it in the new year.”

Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company, knows what an accomplishment it is to win the Fleet of the Year award. “There is no doubt DD&S Express raises the bar for safety standards in the owner operator trucking community,” commented Campbell. “To win the Fleet of the Year award four times is almost unheard of. DD&S Express definitely deserves a round of applause for their amazing safety and compliance management.”

DD&S Express was established as a division of Davidson Transfer & Storage Company. In 1995, DD&S Express became their own company, making a niche in the trucking industry for super loads (heavy –specialized) while supplementing with standard shipments. In September 2008, DD&S Express became a division of Security Storage Company, a moving, storage and logistics company located in Washington, DC.

Picture (left to right): Larry Depace, President & Rick Seleski, General Manager for DD&S Express

1st Guard® Offers Hassle-Free Truck Insurance Quotes On-Line

Venice, FL – November 10, 2008 – 1st Guard Corporation, a leader in providing physical damage and nontrucking liability insurance to leased owner operators, recently unveiled an updated version of their instant quote, which is available on-line at www.FAST234.com.

The updated instant quote features a multiple vehicle quote option that calculates the monthly premiums for all vehicles quoted. Prior to this feature, an owner operator could only get one quote at a time. “Owner operators often have more than one vehicle that needs truck insurance; that’s where the multiple quote capability comes into play. It makes it more efficient for the owner operator,” remarked Daniel Ribar, Chief Information Officer for 1st Guard®. A savings calculator appears once a quote is complete. The savings calculator allows the owner operator to enter his current physical damage premium for the week, month or year and then compare it to the quoted 1st Guard® premium. Typically, 1st Guard® can usually save owner operators a truckload.

Ed Campbell, Chairman of 1st Guard Corporation and First Guard Insurance Company, stated “Being a direct-writer enables us to provide instant quotes with very minimal truck information. We make purchasing truck insurance fast and hassle-free by eliminating the middleman and passing along the cost-savings to the owner operator.”

1st Guard® is the only truck insurer that offers a truly instant and anonymous truck insurance quote on-line as well as over the phone.

Towing Included in a First Guard Physical Damage Policy

Venice, FL – October 15, 2008 – Truck insurer First Guard Insurance Company offers a comprehensive physical damage policy for lease owner operators that includes all towing expenses incurred from a covered accident to the nearest repair facility. Additionally, First Guard has no limit or “cap” associated with towing expenses. “Increasingly, our competitors are placing limits on towing costs or charging extra premium for a towing endorsement,” stated Donna Fortuna, President of First Guard Insurance Company. “Unfortunately, by the time owner operators get around to reading the small print, they’re already looking at towing bills that can run thousands of dollars,” added Fortuna.

With a First Guard physical damage policy, lease owner operators do not have to worry about towing co-insurance costs once they meet their deductible. Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company believes every consumer should review their insurance policies to find out exactly what is covered. “In today’s environment, it is extremely important to know what you are getting for your money At First Guard we offer excellent coverage at a cost-savings price for lease owner operators,” said Campbell.

First Guard Insurance Company Reports Record 3rd Quarter Earnings

Venice, FL – October 6, 2008 – First Guard Insurance Company, a specialty truck physical damage insurer for long haul truckers, announced record results for the third quarter ending September 30, 2008. Earnings exceeded last year’s record 3rd quarter by over 10%.

Ed Campbell, III, First Guard’s chairman said, “We continue to refine our underwriting and data mining techniques to good effect. We’re now achieving these outstanding underwriting results while concurrently leading the way in offering competitive insurance rates to truckers. Our direct writing formula has given us a tremendous cost and logistical advantage.”

“The trucking industry of course continues to face very challenging times as does the entire economy,” Campbell added. ‘While we have always emphasized underwriting profitability over growth, our investments in marketing and brand development have positioned us for expansion as well, particularly when the freight environment for truckers improves.”

On a related note, Campbell mentioned that First Guard Insurance Company has never owned any mortgaged backed securities and that its investment portfolio consists entirely of AAA and AA rated bonds.

First Guard Insurance Company Insures High Value Equipment

Venice, FL – October 1, 2008 – First Guard Insurance Company, one of the nation’s premiere physical damage truck insurance companies for commercial (Class 8) vehicles, now has the capability of underwriting and insuring high value tractors. A high value tractor is considered a tractor with a custom size sleeper over 100 inches. “We've modified out rating methodologies and reinsurance structure to accommodate high value tractor trailer combinations up to $300,000,” stated Ed Campbell III, Chairman of First Guard Insurance Company. “Unlike our competitors, we are a direct-writer for physical damage insurance. This enables us to cater to the growing need of insuring super size rigs and offering rates owner operators can feasibly afford,” added Campbell. “There are not many truck insurance companies out there that will insure tractors of such monetary value, and if they do, they’ll charge the owner operator an outrageous premium. At First Guard, we’re all about helping owner operators save money,” remarked Campbell.

First Guard offers fast, simple and hassle-free quotes over the phone or on the Internet. Call 866-FAST234 to speak with a customer service representative. Or, go online to http://www.fast234.com/. First Guard Insurance Company is currently the only truck specialty insurer in the country that does not market through independent insurance agents.