Insurance

“For Hire” versus Standard License Plates

The DOT requires that all vehicles used For Hire carry a policy for 1.5 million in liability and 5 million if over 14 passengers. Most of the companies in the Triad skirt around this very serious legal requirement. Therefore, they are operating illegally and putting you and your loved ones at risk. We report every non-compliant vehicle to the DOT, DMV, and Guilford County Sheriff’s department, but have received very little support in stopping this violation. 14+ passenger vehicles also require a CDL license and a passenger endorsement. Several of our chauffeurs have these specific requirements, which allows us to handle the larger capacity vehicles and reservations. If you find a company with abnormally low rates (more than 10-20% below what we charge), I’d strongly encourage you to ask if they have For Hire tags on their cars. If they have any excuses or story for you other than a yes, please contact us so that we can explain the risks associated and so that we can report them to the proper authorities. They are usually only able to offer such low rates because they don’t have the added expense of the livery insurance and For Hire tags. You also must consider the other corners that the company may be cutting such as vehicle maintenance, driver selection,uniform requirements, etc. It’s your wedding, you take the risk.

How does this affect me? I’m just comparing rates.

Famous last words. If you were to rent an illegally operated and uninsured vehicle, you are putting your entire group at risk. If there were an accident and someone sustained injuries, their insurance would deny the claim since the vehicle was not insured for livery use. The company would be liable, but if they don’t have the few extra grand to get the proper licensing and insurance, do you honestly believe they’ll be able to cover a six figure medical bill? Because you signed the liability form to rent the limousine and you are also responsible for your own due diligence, the responsible party (or irresponsible party in this instance) would also be liable. They can actually take legal action against you and name you in the lawsuit. If you are renting this for your corporation, you are placing your job and the future of your employer at risk. Additionally, if you have alcohol in the vehicle and the limousine got pulled over, everyone in the vehicle receives an open container ticket and damages their criminal record since only For Hire vehicles with a proper partition are allowed to have alcohol in them.

Attempting to save a few dollars could put your entire life at risk!