Chattanooga, Tenn., March 26, 2019- Reliance Partners was Named One of the 2019 Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance, by FORTUNE. Great Place to Work®, a research and consulting firm, analyzed anonymous survey responses representing over 726,000 employees working in the Financial Services & Insurance industry in the United States.

All employees were surveyed, and comprehensive characteristics were considered: experiences of accountability, trust, the ability to stretch ones’ capabilities regardless of position or ranking. The remaining portion of the rank evaluates all employees’ daily experiences of innovation, company values, and successful leadership.

Companies were required to meet the Great Place to Work-Certified standard to be considered. Companies with 10 to 999 people were considered for the small and medium category; companies with 1,000 employees or more were considered for the large category. Review of outliers in survey responses, financial performance, and news solidified trust in a company’s survey results.

Reliance Partners is one of the fastest-growing commercial insurance agencies in the country and a leader in the commercial transportation and logistics insurance space. The company has locations in Chattanooga, Tenn., Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Vero Beach, FL, Austin, TX, Milwaukee, WI and Victoria, TX with a national client base. The company was incorporated in 2009 by a group of individuals with a common goal: to be the best agency in the insurance industry.

To learn more, please follow this link: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/finance-insurance/2019

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Saturday, February 16^th 50 Reliance Partners employees volunteered with the Chambliss Center for Children. Groups spread out to tackle several projects from disinfecting classrooms and toys to mulching the playground. A helping hand goes along way, and Reliance is grateful to help in any way possible. Moving forward, we are excited to find needs throughout Chattanooga and serve together.

Want to see more? Follow the link below for a better preview into our day with the Chambliss Center for Children. Be on the lookout for our next Reliance Partners service day! We can’t wait. Know of an area we could serve in? Please reach out to employeesuccess@reliancepartners.com . We would love to hear your ideas on where there is a need in the community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4regYFj2Xw&feature=youtu.be

-Anna Rogers

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Your driver had to wait long past his appointment to unload, and now he’s out of hours. The receiver says the driver has to leave the property, but doing so will break federal hours of service rules. The now-required electronic logging device means he can’t “fudge” his duty records with the ELD as he might have with paper.

In recognition of this dilemma, last June, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration loosened up its guidance on personal conveyance to offer drivers more flexibility so they can find a safe parking spot in these situations.

But there’s been a lot of confusion about it ever since. So, we took a closer look at the guidance and spoke to John Seidl, a former enforcement official who’s now a safety consultant to fleets with Reliance Partners, and came up with these six things you need to know about personal conveyance.

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1. Personal conveyance is not new

Personal conveyance is not a new part of the hours of service regulations. Motor carriers may, at their discretion, authorize drivers to use a commercial motor vehicle while off-duty for personal conveyance. This must be documented in a driver’s logs. That’s not new.

But there’s a big difference in how those rules are now interpreted. The previous guidance prohibited the use of “laden” (i.e., loaded) vehicles as personal conveyance. The new guidance instead focuses on the reason the driver is operating the commercial vehicle while off-duty, whether it’s loaded or not. This allows drivers who run out of legal driving hours while delayed at a shipper or receiver to get to the nearest, reasonable, safe place to obtain rest.

2. What the guidance says

Here’s the core of the guidance:

“A driver may record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance (i.e., for personal use or reasons) as off-duty only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier. The CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden, since the load is not being transported for the commercial benefit of the carrier at that time. Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely. Motor carriers can establish personal conveyance limitations either within the scope of, or more restrictive than, this guidance, such as banning use of a CMV for personal conveyance purposes, imposing a distance limitation on personal conveyance, or prohibiting personal conveyance while the CMV is laden.”

Seidl emphasizes that personal conveyance has nothing to do with sleeper berth or on-duty/not driving status. It is an off-duty status. “The key is, are you doing something that would be considered work related to and benefiting the carrier? If it’s not to their benefit, and it’s not work, then it most likely falls under personal conveyance.”

For instance, he says, if you’re driving to a plant or terminal to be loaded or dispatched, that’s work. So is driving the truck to have maintenance performed. “A good rule of thumb,” he said, “is if you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s not work, then it’s probably work.”

Seidl suggests drivers laminate the last page of the PDF version of the guidance and keep it in their truck, because it specifically addresses under what circumstances a driver may operate a commercial motor vehicle as a personal conveyance, complete with examples of what is appropriate and what is not.  Drivers will have a much easier time articulating to a roadside officer why they used personal conveyance if they have access to this document during an inspection.

You can find the guidance here:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/personal-conveyance

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-06-07/pdf/2018-12256.pdf

3. Remember this: Closest, safe, reasonable

One of the examples in the guidance, and the one that addresses the scenario we cited at the beginning, is this one: “Time spent traveling to a nearby, reasonable, safe location to obtain required rest after loading or unloading.”

“You have to go to the closest, safe, reasonable location to rest,” Seidl says. “What if your residence is 200 miles away and there’s 28 truckstops in between you and there; can you drive home using personal conveyance? No.”

Similarly, he says, that means drivers can’t just drive to their terminal on personal conveyance after loading or unloading, either. The only caveat to that is if your residence and/or terminal happens to be the closest, safe, reasonable place to obtain rest after loading or unloading.

“A good rule of thumb is if you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s not work, then it’s probably work.”

“The federal government now is taking cases galore on people driving to residences when they shouldn’t be or all the way to their terminal, when they should be going to a nearby/reasonable/safe location.”

It also means that if the closest, safe, reasonable place to rest is in the opposite direction of where the driver’s load will be taking him in the morning, that’s where he needs to head – not in the direction that will take him closer to his destination.

“You can’t go to the truckstop 28 minutes in the direction of your next delivery if there’s one 12 minutes away in the opposite direction,” Seidl says. “Conversely, you are allowed to head in the direction of your next shipper and/or receiver as long as that location is the closest, safe and reasonable place to obtain rest.”

What if the nearest truckstop or rest area doesn’t have any parking available? Then you’re allowed to use personal conveyance to travel to the next closest, safe, reasonable parking spot. But Seidl recommends drivers document the fact that the closest place was full.

Use your smartphone, he says, and take time-stamped photographs, panoramas, or video evidence that it is full. Then proceed to the next closest reasonable spot.

Seidl also notes that there’s not a specific distance limit. “If you’re in Alaska and you unload, can you go 68 miles to the closest truckstop? Yes.”

4. There’s a limit to using personal conveyance for ‘commuting’

The most abused and misunderstood portion of the guidance, according to Seidl, is this one: “Commuting between the driver’s terminal and his or her residence, between trailer-drop lots and the driver’s residence, and between work sites and his or her residence.

It’s fine for the driver to use personal conveyance to drive his or her truck home from the terminal or trailer drop lot once they’re off duty, Seidl says, but not from the shipper or receiver to your residence. Seidl says the term “work site” was intended for construction sites, not, for instance, loading and unloading.

“If you are driving to go to a plant or a terminal to be dispatched, that’s work. You can’t drive using personal conveyance to a facility to get loaded.”

The guidance also notes that “in these scenarios, the commuting distance combined with the release from work and start to work times must allow the driver enough time to obtain the required restorative rest as to ensure the driver is not fatigued.” Remember the 2014 crash where a Walmart driver crashed into a limo van and killed comedian James McNair and seriously injured comedian Tracy Morgan? The National Transportation Safety Board determined that although the driver was only on hour 13 of a 14-hour shift, he had driven for 12 hours from his home in Georgia to Delaware to start his route.

5.  There are other uses for personal conveyance

Some of the other times personal conveyance may be allowed, according to the guidance:

• Time spent traveling from a driver’s en route lodging (such as a motel or truck stop) to restaurants and entertainment facilities. There is no specific distance limit on this, which could be construed by some as an oversight in the guidance, Seidl says. “If you’re at a truckstop and want to drive to get more healthy food or to a movie theater, you can.”

• Moving a CMV at the request of a safety official during the driver’s off-duty time. So, if a driver has pulled onto an off-ramp to park and the highway patrol knocks on his door and tells him to move, he can push personal conveyance on the ELD and move to the closest, reasonable, safe location, Seidl says.

• Time spent transporting personal property while off-duty. “This is probably something you want to stay away from,” Seidl says, although he has worked with clients whi have used this exception in a few scenarios.

6: Your company needs to have a personal conveyance policy in place

In order for drivers to use personal conveyance, it must be allowed by the motor carrier they’re driving for: “…only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier.”

However, the guidance also says that motor carriers can establish limits on its use. “The motor carrier could say in a personal conveyance policy that drivers are relieved from work as long as they are within the following parameters,” Seidl says. “They could say, I don’t want you to leave a truckstop and go to nearby restaurant or entertainment location,” even though that is allowed by the personal conveyance regulations if the carrier has relieved the driver of work and responsibility.

Seidl recommends that carriers do allow drivers to use personal conveyance under certain guidelines.

It would be short-sighted for motor carriers to not allow personal conveyance at all, he says, because they’re risking roadside violations in some scenarios, possibly setting themselves up for a violation of the coercion rule for forcing a driver to break the law – and it’s also a recruiting/retention tool, he says.

“Companies that use personal conveyance to their advantage will retain drivers, because you’re allowing your drivers extra flexibility to get their job done. With the driver shortage, personal conveyance is something you should embrace – but you need to do it properly.”

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RELIANCE PARTNERS NAMES CHIEF SALES OFFICER AND ANNOUNCES NEW LOCATION IN AUSTIN, TX

Chattanooga, Tenn. – November 19, 2018 – Reliance Partners is pleased to announce the addition of Brandon Richards as Chief Sales Officer and growth into the Austin market.  Richards is a veteran insurance professional with more than 17 years in the commercial transportation insurance space. Brandon’s addition also marks the opening of a new Reliance Partners location in Austin, TX where the agency plans to rapidly expand its team adding 50 employees in the next 36 months.

“Its a big win for our team to have Brandon on board,” says Reliance CEO, Andrew Ladebauche. “Brandon’s insurance and fleet risk management experience will be a key driver to our growth as an agency, especially in the Midwest.”

Prior to his insurance career, Richards served in the US Army for 6 years in Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Bosnia. He has been married to his wife Kelly for 19 years, and they are both fitness enthusiasts and enjoy travel, great food, and the outdoors. Kelly and him are active members in Cornerstone Church of San Antonio and also involved in several non-profits.

Reliance was recently featured in Inc Magazine as a member of its 5000 Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies from 2016-2018, Inc. Magazine’s ‘50 Best Workplaces,’ and in Fortune as one of “America’s Best Workplaces.”

Reliance Partners is one of the fastest-growing commercial insurance agencies in the country. The company has locations in Chattanooga, Tenn., Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Austin, TX, Milwaukee, WI, Vero Beach, FL and Victoria, TX with a national client base largely concentrated in the transportation and logistics space, in addition to a fast growing presence in other lines of business insurance. The company was incorporated in 2009 by a group of individuals with a common goal: to be the best agency in the insurance industry.

To learn more, please visit us:

www.reliancepartners.com

LinkedIn: Reliance-Partners

Twitter: @truck_insurance

Facebook: ReliancePartners

Instagram: @ReliancePartners

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One service in particular plays a critical role in how insurance underwriters understand the health of your trucking operation, ultimately affecting pricing decisions on your trucking insurance. CAB or Central Analysis Bureau is a website that extracts data from FMCSA and interprets it to show trends, issues and improvement. Everything that happens during the policy term from accidents, inspections, and even your unit count is noted on this page.

Why is this page so important you ask? The service is one of the best tools utilized by underwriters to determine what kind of rate you will get when it comes to insurance premium. They can see if you are staying within your radius you stated, and underwriters can even see the units that are inspected while running under your authority and ALL accidents involving one of your scheduled units is on there as well.

When I say that they can view an inspection, I mean they can see what unit was inspected, where it was, who was driving, and most importantly….the results of the inspection. Your CAB page summed up is a reflection of how you run your trucking company. Do you take pride in following all FMCSA laws and regulations? Are you doing what you say you are doing on your application?

All of this information is crucial when it comes to renewal time. Underwriters essentially want to understand how you are operating your trucking company. This will be the primary basis coupled with losses of understanding the appropriate price to pay for your truck insurance.

Kevin Dupree

423-682-7312

Kevin.dupree@reliancepartners.com

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Collaborative Environment

When society pictures a work environment, cubicles, silence and little employee interaction often comes to mind. Reliance Partners however, values community within the office. Our desks are set up where employees can see surrounding coworkers, providing an efficient yet united feel. Reliance strives to provide an enthusiastic and supportive work environment, collaboration being one of the ways Reliance Partners aims to reach this goal.

Contests

Reliance Partners is always up for friendly competition. Frequently, contests are held to motivate our employees to go the extra mile. We have competitions across departments including everything from monthly group contests on sales volume to Chili-Cook offs that benefits local charities. Competitions whether work-related or simply for fun, give employees a chance to connect with the Reliance process in a fun way. Reliance Partners employees drive one another to reach their full potential and competition is a great way to motivate one another- Reliance Partners knows how to have a good time.

Diversity

Reliance Partners has flags that represent each country in the office. It is an advantage to have a diverse group of employees. More than 40% of employees are bi-lingual, and it is a joy to be surrounded by so many nationalities inside our office space. We come to the same office space every day, but learn stories about life in other countries on a daily basis. There is opportunity to gain multi-cultural understanding at work, which may not be true of all companies.

Reliance Partners makes work feel like more than just a job, rather an invested community striving to reach a common goal: to be the best transportation insurance agency in the United States. Be on the look out for more about work life at Reliance Partners. A video will be published soon and we can’t wait for you to gain insight into the daily life at Reliance Partners.

-Anna Rogers

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“We are honored to rank on the Freight.Tech 100 list,” says Chad Eichelberger, President of Reliance Partners. “Our aim is to revolutionize client experience with Risk Management and Insurance products through technology advancements focused on user interaction.”

“We’re more than pleased with the caliber of companies nominated. We very much appreciate everyone that took the time to nominate their company or another company that they think is innovative. The 9 initial voters looked at several factors, such as the amount of capital raised, Crunchbase ranking, other rankings and recognition received, and whether they are currently having an impact,” says Arlen Stark, FreightWaves’ EVP of Research.

To learn more, please follow  this link.

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RELIANCE PARTNERS RECOGNIZED AS  A TOP WORKPLACE BY INC. MAGAZINE

Chattanooga, Tenn., May 24, 2018 – Reliance Partners has been named on Inc. magazine’s Best Workplaces in 2018, the magazine’s annual ranking in the fast-growing private company sector.

Out of thousands of applicants,  Reliance was one of two companies in Tennessee named to the list and one of five companies in the insurance industry. The company has been recognized by numerous publications for its growth and top work environment and was most recently featured in Inc. Magazine as a member of its 500 Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in 2017, Inc. Magazine’s 2017 ‘Best Workplaces,’ and in Fortune as one of “America’s Best Workplaces.”

“We’re honored that our team and Inc. have recognized Reliance as a Best Workplace,” says Reliance Sr. Vice President, Laura Ann Howell. “Our goal at Reliance is to provide and support a road-map to success for every member of the team. Identifying personal and professional goals on the individual level is what makes our collective success as a company possible.”

What does it take to become a company that workers want to be part of? Inc. magazine says it’s more than good pay and good perks – it’s also about having a clear purpose, a sense of humor, and leadership that makes the two work together.

The 2018 Inc. Best Workplaces Awards assessed applicants on the basis of benefits offered and employees’ responses. Survey scores account for employer size to level the playing field between small and large businesses. All companies had to have minimum of 10 employees and to be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent – that is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

“By including an employee survey into this year’s Best Workplaces selection process, we’ve really raised the bar. Companies that don’t score at the very top of their peer group don’t make the cut. So, our hats are off to the winners. They all excelled at engaging their workers, making them feel appreciated, and aligning them behind a mission. And remember, that’s not just our opinion: The employees told us that themselves,” says James Ledbetter, Inc. editor-in-chief.

To learn more, please visit us:

www.reliancepartners.com

LinkedIn: Reliance-Partners

Twitter: @truck_insurance

Facebook: ReliancePartners

Instagram: @ReliancePartners

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As a former Wisconsin State Motor Carrier Trooper and FMCSA Investigator with more than 20 years of experience in risk services, Seidl is well versed in the transportation insurance space. He has worked at the FMCSA, FAA, and most recently as an insurance producer and DOT consultant.

“We know John will play a key role in our continued success and growth,” says company President and COO, Chad Eichelberger. “His hands-on experience in DOT compliance and fleet risk management are a perfect fit with our growing national client base of large fleets.”

Reliance was recently featured in Inc Magazine as a member of its 500 Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in 2017, Inc. Magazine’s 2017 ‘50 Best Workplaces,’ and in Fortune as one of “America’s Best Workplaces.”

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