FEATURE: ABI Helps Keep Commercial Transportation Industry on the Road

This week we’re featuring our storefront, American Business Insurance Service Inc. (ABI).  Founded in 1983 by David and Gale Haley, American Business Insurance Service is one of the largest independently owned and family operated commercial transportation insurance brokers in the United States. The company is based in Westlake Village, California with 20 employees in the headquarters and another three in satellite offices. We spoke with Andrew York, who joined the company two years ago, and is positioned in Sales & Marketing for ABI.

Source: By Annie George | Published on March 1, 2012

ABI began in California and expanded throughout the United States to serve the taxicabs, limousines, non-emergency medical vehicles, and other commercial product lines. In 2010, the agency purchased an Entertainment and Personal Lines Division, which enabled them to enhance their offerings. Yet the focus of American Business Insurance remains in the commercial transportation industry, providing market access and new programs and products to fit the needs of insurance agency customers and the dynamic sector they serve.

ABI has exclusive relationships with the carriers with which they write business. “We utilize in-house underwriting and rating, which allows us to quote and bind policies on site,” explained Andrew. “This differentiates us from other general agents who have to wait for outside carriers to respond and for the underwriting to take place. Being able to perform the underwriting and rating functions in-house facilitates the entire process, enabling us to be more responsive to agents and clients and allows us the opportunity to act quickly, when specific challenges or issues come up, because of our long-standing carrier relationships.”

One of the other differentiators of ABI is that the general agency can write on a nationwide basis whereas most of their competitors only write in specific states. Additionally, ABI can offer standalone Physical Damage coverage, Auto Liability, General Liability, Workers Compensation, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment under the Taxicab Insurance Program and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (Paratransit) Insurance Program. New ventures are acceptable with no minimum fleet sizes under these two programs. 

ABI also provides guidance as to what is needed and what is important for underwriting these classes of business, including driver selection procedures, driver history, fleet safety management, and other key components. As this sector also experiences great demand for policy endorsements, ABI is properly set up to handle driver additions, deletions, and all policy services. “There are always changes in terms of driver information,” said Andrew. “We are set up extremely well to handle driver and vehicle changes. We also handle billing and claims in-house.”

The company’s philosophy is based on a commitment to continually make a recognizable difference to its clients by providing prompt, reliable, experienced, innovative, and competitive services and solutions. This strong commitment is how ABI became one of the largest insurance brokers of taxicabs, limousines, airport shuttles and non-emergency transportation companies nationwide.     

Access to ABI’s programs is available through agency appointments. All information is available through ABI’s website, or call 1.800.980.1950 to speak to an ABI agent.