Business Auto Insurance

By Matt Hellstrom

There is little doubt that these are hard economic times. Banks and insurance companies are the highest recipients of federal bail-out money. And the Big Three auto makers aren't far behind. These times make the need to spend wisely and frugally top on the list of most businesses, small and large alike. Things like shopping for affordable business auto insurance is of greater and greater importance.

If a business is of a type that requires a vehicle fleet, it has a business relationship with a car company and a vehicle insurance company. But this year those relationships are going to change for more companies than ever before.

This state of flux is only increased by the ease in getting insurance quotes for vehicles on line. Never before has competition between insurers been as tough as it is now.

With the collapse of large insurers like AIG, what will that mean for insurance rates? With insurers under ever-mounting pressure to show profits, will they be offering lower rates to keep customers, or raising them to squeeze even more out of what they've got?

What about the small business owner, or the person who is in a job that allows them to take a deduction for their car expenses. What does this turmoil in the American auto industry and in the insurance mean for them? It means that there is opportunity and danger. Are you going to be purchasing or leasing a new vehicle? That only complicates the situation.

With the Big Three having to totally revamp their product line-ups, many businesses will be considering autos and trucks of makes and models they are unfamiliar with. One will not be able to use the same familiar process that has been used for years in buying and insuring new business vehicles. And this will also be true for the employees who uses their own car for company business. Product familiarity is, in car purchases, a huge factor. Product churn in an industry a very disruptive force, and that churn is going to be huge over the next year and possibly well beyond that.

The watchword for 2009 in business is due diligence. And for those whose bottom line is affected by business auto insurance rates, due diligence can only be efficiently accomplished online. For those who have to buy or lease a vehicle this year, online quote facilities allow you to check rates on any kind of car, any year, and you will have to do this in the face of the turmoil over on-going vehicle maintenance with companies that are discussing bankruptcy.

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