Trucker Survey-Favorite Insurance Agency: Berrier Insurance!

Berrier Insurance, truck insurance specialists, would love to share with you this amazing new survey!

Today's road warriors are health-conscious, more connected thanks to technology and still loyal to their perennial favorites like Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Super 8 and Bridgestone, according to a new survey of Atlas Van Lines drivers. Now in its eighth year, Atlas Van Lines' King of the Road Survey provides insights from the moving company's drivers on their preferred brands, use of technology and how they stay healthy while logging miles. These findings, and many more insights from life on the road, are unveiled in the survey. Here are just some of the company’s findings:




Taking strides to stay healthy on the road. Fifty-seven percent of respondents revealed that eating right is the biggest challenge of life on the road. However, the survey indicates that drivers are doing their best to maintain a healthy diet, as fresh fruit was named the drivers' favorite snack, and 71 percent reported drinking water throughout the day. For the sixth consecutive year, Subway remains the favorite fast food chain while nine percent of Atlas' drivers reported avoiding fast food altogether. Nearly one-third state that exercising is the most difficult part to life on the road, but 27 percent of drivers strive to stay in shape by walking or running at truck stops. Seventy-nine percent report moving furniture on the job serves as a great exercise for them.

 

Respondents picked Petro’s Iron Skillet as their favorite restaurant. Cracker Barrel, Golden Corral, Longhorn Steakhouse and Outback Steakhouse tied for second and Red Lobster came in third. The company did not provide percentages of votes in this category.
Asked about their most unique haul, drivers included Elvis Presley’s Mercedes-Benz and John Lennon’s Steinway Concert Grand Piano.  One driver even reported carrying a 4,000-year-old mummy. Others reported having loaded the Declaration of Independence and the Shroud of Turin exhibit. Other more unusual cargo included life-size wooden statues of Jesus and his apostles and an antique British phone booth.






Drivers are more connected than ever with technology. In the past three years, smartphone usage amongst drivers has increased from 14 to 60 percent. Drivers also mentioned that using technology like Skype and FaceTime makes it easier to stay in touch with family while on the road. Three-fourths of drivers go online daily; more than three-fourths of drivers check email daily, and more than half of drivers check social networking sites daily. Computer usage while on the road has nearly doubled over the past three years, with 65 percent of drivers indicating they use a computer daily. Verizon Wireless is the preferred wireless network amongst drivers, and the iPhone is the drivers' favorite smartphone. Favorite brands and other highway essentials include:

• Favorite fast food: Subway
• Best coffee:Dunkin' Donuts
• Favorite hotel chain: Super 8
• Best truck stop chain: Petro
• State with the best rest stops: Florida
• Most effective antacid: Tums
• Best tires: Bridgestone
• Favorite motor oil: Shell Rotella
• Best tractor: Kenworth

The King of the Road Survey results are revealed in conjunction with Atlas Van Lines' annual driver appreciation event, known as BRAVO (Boosting Recognition of Atlas Van Operators) Week, which is scheduled for April 16-20. This week-long affair takes place at participating Atlas agencies around the United States and Canada and recognizes the hard-working drivers who travel across the country and interact with Atlas Van Lines' customers on a daily basis. For complete survey results, visit www.atlasvanlines.com/KingoftheRoad.

I think we can add one more to this list: Favorite Insurance Company- Berrier Insurance!!! :)

Truckers! May is National BBQ Month!

Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, raises a cold beer to the National BBQ month.  The best time to enjoy the company of good friends, red meat, spring time, and a favorite drink.

Six-out-of-ten Americans say they can't wait to fire up the grill and kick off the peak outdoor cooking season igniting this May (National Barbecue Month), according a to a new poll conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA). In fact, nearly 90 percent say they plan to enjoy grilled food in their own backyard during the warmer months, indicating that Americans are ready to shake off the winter blues and get a taste of summer.

While grilling is a shared pastime, HPBA's 2010 National Barbecue Month poll reveals that flavor preferences and grilling styles vary as widely as the people who use them. The nationwide poll shows America's grilling profile and consumer taste preferences:

Dress up or Strip Down?

• When it comes to enjoying a meal from the grill, 65 percent of Americans like to "dress it up" with a sauce, marinade or seasoning, and 21 percent prefer to "strip it down" and enjoy grilled food au natural.
• Some like it hot! Men more than women say they like to turn up the heat with spicy sauce or steak sauce on their grilled meats (42 percent vs. 31 percent).
• When it comes to grill-side manner, most adults report that they are "all about the meat" (29 percent) or "all natural" (24 percent), followed by "spicy or saucy" (19 percent), adventurous (16 percent) and timid (6 percent).

Top Toppings
For hamburgers and other grilled meat or vegetable sandwiches:

• In the battle of the bottles, consumers report they use ketchup most often (66 percent of respondents), with mustard (62 percent of respondents) close behind.
• Two-thirds of Americans say, "add cheese, please!"
  • Overall, 74 percent of Americans add lettuce, onion and/or tomato. Women lean towards the veggies more than men (80 percent of respondents vs. 68 percent).
  • Seventy percent of adults say they are all about the buns, and prefer a traditional bun to complete their grilled sandwiches.
  No matter the preference for mustard or ketchup, bun or none, Americans agree that grilling provides an easy, cost-effective way to get out of the house and enjoy better tasting food during the warmer months. Specifically, Americans say the top pay-offs of grilling versus eating out or oven cooked meals include:
  
  • More flavorful food (81 percent of respondents)
  • Inexpensive compared to eating out (76 percent of respondents)
  • Easier clean up (67 percent of respondents)
  • Healthier (64 percent of respondents)
  • Less cooking time (53 percent of respondents)
  
  The new poll reports that most adults plan to enjoy barbecuing outside of the home this summer: 74 percent plan to enjoy grilled food at a friend of relative's house, 42 percent while picnicking, 39 percent while camping, and 20 percent while tailgating.
  
  For more info about the National BBQ Association and the celebrated BBQ month.
  
  Now we raise our glass to you truckers for all the hard work and many miles you guys put in throughout the year!  The gals at Berrier Insurance wish you all happy grilling!

Death of Tow Truck Driver: Hit and Run Culprit Caught

We at Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, were just as stunned as everyone else when we heard the news of one of our local boys being killed. March 21 at about 4:15 a tow truck driver was killed by a hit-and-run vehicle on Interstate 80 near Newcastle. The news shocked our entire community, and worse there were no leads as to who may have done it. It seemed that 30-year-old David Garfield Robinson Jr. killer would get away. However, thanks to a chance encounter police have now arrested 25-year-old Christopher Michael Keller.

Chance Encounter Leads To Hit-Run Arrest - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

ClearPath 511 Road Alert System For Commercial Truck Drivers

Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, just found out about this!! We could really use a system like this in California!!

Nevada has launched an online road closure alert system called ClearPath 511to keep drivers informed of foul weather and other important highway information. For truckers, the ClearPath 511 system can save time and money.

When the conditions get so bad that roads have to be closed or no travel is advised, ClearPath 511 will send that information to a driver’s phone or computer. Users can customize their alerts for specific routes, days, and times.

The new service works in conjunction with the SafeTravel USA website, which shows current road conditions. ClearPath 511 takes it to the next level. You chose which roads you want to be notified about and then when conditions trigger a closure or a no travel advisory is issued, the system sends an alert.

To read more on this article visit Nevada News Bureau, and if you're interested in getting a free commercial trucking quote visit Berrier Insurance!

Commercial Truckers Take the "Leap"

Learn about the lore of February 29th with Berrier insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists. With 2012 comes the gift of an extra day: 24 hours for our calendar to catch up with the sun—and for us to catch up on DVR recordings. This is because a year isn't really 365 days, in fact our planet actually takes 365 1/4 days to revolve around the sun. These six additional hours each year add up to an extra 24 hours over four years, at which point we add a day to our calendar. Without leap day, annual events would slowly shift seasons—eventually, we'd be celebrating Christmas in July. However the system still isnt perfect. While the calculation of 365 1/4 days for the Earth to lap the sun is close, the true figure is actually about 11 minutes short of that, and this tiny miscalculation caused a day of discrepancy every 128 years. In 1582, it was ruled that leap year would be skipped three times every four centuries to fix the snag. While Feb. 29 may feel like your average day, its once-every-four-years status has long linked it to myth and lore.

• Hundreds of years ago people thought that messing with our months would throw Mother Nature for a loop. Farmers worried that the change would lower crop yields and sicken livestock. In fact, a Scottish saying declared that "leap year was never a good sheep year."
• Those born on Feb. 29 are called "leaplings" or "leapers." Legal permissions like getting a driver license or drinking alcohol are granted on whichever day a particular region deems official. Most U.S. states test leaplings' patience by making them wait until the 1st.
• Four hundred years ago, women weren't allowed to propose marriage to men… except on leap day. While the source of this switcheroo isn't 100 percent clear. folklore traces the tradition to fifth-century Ireland, when St. Bridget supposedly complained to St. Patrick that gals were sick of waiting around for their procrastinating men to pop the question. Patrick consented to a leap day role reversal and, by some accounts, also declared that men who declined the proposal would be fined!

Truckers take the leap today and call to get your free quote from Berrier Insurance for all of your commercial truck insurance needs!!