Commercial trucking often serves as a trusted barometer for the U.S. economy. In 2020, America’s truckers carried 10.23 billion tons of freight and generated $732.3 billion in revenue (source 1).

In 2021, 19-year-old Orlando student Miya Marcano was tragically killed in her apartment by a 27-year-old maintenance employee with access to her apartment complex’s master key fob. In response to this tragedy and a growing trend of violence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 898, known as “Miya’s Law,” at the end of June 2022. (sources 1, 2)

The excess habitational market has been slowly hardening over the last several years, but it has accelerated over the last 2-3 years. Excess habitational premiums have been rising due to numerous factors including insurance carriers finding that they have been inadequately funded to cover the growing frequency and severity of claims in today’s litigious environment. There are now limited excess options within the first $10M, especially in the lead position. While some new capacity has started to filter into the marketplace over the last several months, few want to play in the lead $5M.

After a year of slashed demand in 2020, global oil demand surged in 2021 as the world began to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, energy demand and commodity prices are still up, indicating that the energy industry is strong (source 3). Refineries are operating at approximately 95% capacity, and many companies would like to expand operations conservatively. But, like other industries all across the country, energy companies are struggling to find and hire qualified employees to fill positions. They’re also grappling with ongoing supply chain problems that make it difficult to obtain materials and purchase or repair vital equipment. As the insurance marketplace continues to contract, prices are rising for several product lines.

It’s no secret that the excess trucking insurance landscape has been rocky in recent years. Pricing for commercial auto insurance began rising near the end of 2011 and increased for 40 consecutive quarters. A recent history of harsh vertical judgments also seriously hampered the sector. Over the last ten years, commercial auto underwriters recorded more than $22 billion in losses (source 4). However, after several years of keeping pace with or surpassing primary carrier increases, the excess trucking market is starting to show some stability.