there are “fault” and “no fault” states. the state you reside in depends how you should go about filing a claim. in some states, whether you are at fault or not at fault in an auto accident, may count against you either way.

some agents are third party brokers and collect the commissions while leaving you to do the work they should be doing. find a family owned agency with good reviews near you! never be afraid to ask which areas of insurance they specialize in.

it costs insurance companies at least $11 to run an mvr for each driver they insure, which is why they may not give you an actual premium amount until after you make your first payment.

you typically only need to register with the fmcsa or have federal filings if you are traveling state to state.

usdot’s are used by some companies as rating factors. safety violations and new dot’s could increase your insurance rates. if you have a dot you haven’t used in a while, try to keep it!

business and commercial auto policies should be written in your business name and LLC’s/corps should not be listed as dba’s.

while staying with the same carrier for several years is less work, rates rarely decrease and some companies offer “win back” rates, so shopping your insurance every 2-3 years is not a bad idea!

new drivers and drivers over 65 are usually rated quite similarly.

different carriers are always rating more heavily on one rating factor or another in order to drive profits. each carrier also changes their target market often. whether it’s mileage/radius of ops, number of changes in a policy term, zip code or payment history, don’t hesitate to ask questions before getting a quote.

yes! your credit score, more often than not, has the most impact on your rates!! most companies do a soft credit pull when quoting.