W EEKLY EDITION OCTOBER 30, 2019
The Pros a nd Cons of
Poll ut ion I nsura nce Co ve ra ge
By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director …continued from page 2
Reasons to Consider Pollution Insurance
But forget about those customers for a moment. There may be reasons to evaluate a pollution
policy anyway. It is no secret that large trucks emit more pollutants than the average car on the
highway. As a result, some trucking companies have suffered having this exclusion d ue to
environmental regulations.
In 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlements with six major
companies for violating t he truck and bus regulations pertaining to emissions. Diesel emissions
from trucks are a large source of pollution, relating to health issues like asthma and cardiovascular
effects in adults. Many heavy - duty trucks are older vehicles and emit high amounts of pollutants.
Totaling more than $450,000, the fines pointed out that the companies either failed to install
particulate filters on their diesel trucks or failed to verify that trucks they hired for use complied
with state rule.
So if you live in — or y our trucks are driven in
— a state where emissions standards are
particularly high, pollution insurance might
be worth considering. This is especially true
if your trucks are older or primarily burning
diesel fuel.
Another common reasons companies may
seek, or insurers might promote, pollution
insurance is to protect you if a truck tips over or spills large amounts of waste on the ground. If
your trucks are hauling something classified as hazardous or as a pollutant , cleanup costs can be
extremely high. Different states have different rules about what they consider hazardous or
polluting. Generally, EPA's guidelines are the minimum standard. States can make more stringent
ones.
Pollution insurance will protect your business against environmental claims, cleanup costs, and
claims of bodily injury or property damage.
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