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Mark Pringle (156.137.88.249)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 11:56 am: | |
Howdy!
The following is a reply to an email I received from someone who remembers our quest on this bead for insurance and CDL information regarding our bus conversion that I thought the folks here might be interested in seeing.
One note: everyone on this board was extremely helpful during the construction/conversion phase of the project. We could not have done it without the support and guidance of the people on this board. Thanks to you all, and Bus Nut Online!
Our group converted a 60’ MAN articulated transit coach (1978 MAN/AMG Model # SG-220-18-2 – Metro Transit coach number 1497 – Seattle fleet) into a mobile command post for special events and emergency services. During construction, and in the initial use phase, we went through hell getting the correct insurance, and trying to save money. We learned plenty!
Here is our story:
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RJ:
Thanks for the email. Yes, it was a long road, but we have been operational since July of 2001. Honestly, we did not know if we could pull it off, but someone upstairs was watching out for us… and still is!!
As for the registration and insurance, I will try and explain. It was a wild, exhaustive ride, but we learned volumes from it. So here ya go… more than you ever wanted to know about our insurance and CDL challenges:
1. We secured two types of insurance during construction: GL (General Liability – covers our shop, office, and whoever and whomever is on, near, or around SEMOC), Inland Marine (IE property, again to cover the “stuff” in our shop, office, and on SEMOC wherever it is), and at the end of construction, Automotive (IE vehicle liability – when we are going down the road). The GL and Property was brokered through one agent, and the Automotive through another. The only one that was a little iffy was the Automotive, due to the fact the broker did not know if it would fly. But after a few months, we relaxed, and felt sure that it passed muster since we did not receive a “your insurance will be dropped in 30 days” type notice;
2. Once the vehicle was about 98% complete (painted, and interior completed), we took it to the State Patrol to have it inspected, and the registration changed to an RV. We were nervous as hell (since this would ultimately effect our insurance coverage, or so we thought) as we proceeded to their drive-through inspection bay, taking up all available room… it was hard to ignore us! The inspector took a double take looking out of the office window. She then came to the front door and said, “ok, give me the short version.” That broke the ice, and we told her who we where & what it was going to be used for. She went to the back and looked at the bunks, bathroom & kitchen (she did not care about the rest). She went back into the office, and emerged with a slip of paper allowing us to register as an RV! Yippie! Our problems where over, and at that point, technically (and as verified by the State Patrol while we where there), a non-CDL endorsed driver could operate the unit. But, challenges loomed on the horizon… read on….
3. It gets a little fuzzy at this point, since I don’t have my notes. However, the first insurance company that covered our Automotive Liability policy (I can’t remember who at this point), decided to drop us without an explanation. This left us scrambling for coverage, and we did not have much luck. We tried everybody from Good Sam to the corner insurance guy, but to no avail. The outlook was not good;
4. It was then that one of our members called his insurance broker (a friend), and arranged RV insurance for the vehicle through State Farm. We had to take pictures to prove what it was, and write a dissertation about use. I would like to point out that we never tried to hide what its ultimate use was for (special events and emergency services by non-paid volunteers), and in the end, they booked the coverage. Problems over, right? Wrong!
5. Three months later, someone in State Farm’s corporate office did a standard review of the package, and decided that based on “usage” (NOT registration/vehicle type), they would not cover it as an RV, and with that, they gave us 30 days to find new coverage… other than with them. Here we go again!
6. We finally went back to the broker that wrote us the GL and Property policies, and explained the problem (we had not used him in the first place since we where trying to avoid high-priced commercial insurance). In the end, he found a commercial automotive policy that would cover SEMOC. This policy covers us just like any other bus, but the hitch is that they would prefer/require that all our people who drive it have CDL’s. The policy the first year was just over $ 2000.00/year, and it is up for renewal now for $ 1800.00 this year. Finally, the insurance roller coaster had stopped!
When it comes right down to it, the reason we had been trying to avoid commercial insurance all that time was the price… we did not think we could afford it (initial quotes ran anywhere from $ 6000 to $ 20,000 a year), and that getting all our drivers to get their CDL’s would have been a major pain (and very expensive). In non-profit, money is tight, and every little bit helps! Now, we get enough donations throughout the year to easily pay for the insurance and everything else that we need (thank God)! In the end, SEMOC is still registered as an RV, but carries commercial insurance.
As for the CDL’s, we use them as the ultimate litmus test for potential drivers. Our class to learn to operate SEMOC is rather extensive, and that includes the operation of the systems on board, as well as driving. If they pass our class, AND the CDL testing, only then will we let them drive. We figure if the volunteer is dedicated enough to jump through all the training and CDL hoops (a long process), they are serious about driving. The minimum CDL needed to operate the vehicle is a class B with the airbrake restriction removed.
Well, that’s the story of SEMOC! Maybe someone can learn something from all this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I would be happy to reply!
Take care,
Mark Pringle
President
AOV
Email: aov98@yahoo.com
SEMOC Web Page: http://www.theaov.com/semoc.htm
AOV Home Page: http://www.theaov.com/ |
Pete (205.188.192.174)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 1:23 pm: | |
Yo Mark..
Those bozos should insure that for next to nothing seeing as your command center probobly saves them millions of dollers in claims from emergencies not being handeled correctly...your "urban assault vehical" gets my vote
I thought emergency vehicals had special ins so they wouldnt get pounded with high rates since you guys save our asses all the time..
Pete |
nvnenzel (207.213.161.169)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 1:27 pm: | |
Wow! I am impressed. Not only with the conversion you created, but with the organization as well. Congrats on a great group and a great bus.
This brings up a good point. Somtimes commercial vehicles like this have a lot of good ideas for conversions. I would reccommend if anyone spots a really unique vehicle like this to take some picts, and with Ian's permission, post them to the board. Ideas are Ideas.
nvnenzel in reno, one day gonna do it bus nut. |
Lin (66.218.55.161)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 11:33 am: | |
It certainly looks like a beautiful job. I am no fan of the insurance industry and feel we have been unfairly treated by them at times. Sometimes to the point of costing them several times what it should have had they just acted nice. However, I can understand why they would not go for standard RV insurance for your unit. Use defines a vehicle more than construction, and this is not a one driver park-in-a-campground ride. For example, renting my bus would not change it physically, but sure would muddy the insurance water. |
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