The claims record is your fleet's closing statement: it shows what actually happened – not from memory, but line by line. Requesting it is simple; reading it well is a skill in itself. This article teaches you both: how to obtain it, and what to look at first.
- The claims record can be requested from the insurer – typically in writing, at the policyholder's request; before switching insurer, also as a claims history certificate.
- A good report is itemised: claim event, date, status (closed, pending, rejected), payment and reserve.
- The key to reading it is structure and trend: many small claims or a few large ones, an improving or worsening direction.
- The record is the shared basis for both the renewal negotiation and deductible decisions.
How do you request it?
The fleet's claims report can be requested from the insurer by the policyholder – in writing, or through the fleet portal where one exists. It's worth requesting an itemised report covering several years back, with statuses and amounts; before renewal this is the first step of preparation, and when switching insurer, the claims history certificate is the basis for requesting quotes. For my clients, I help with this on request – from wording the request through to organising the data into a table – leaving the company only with the task of cross-checking it against its own claims files.
What should you look at first?
Four things. The trend: which way the loss ratio has been heading over the last few years – the direction often says more than the level. The structure: many small claims (a driver and routine issue) or a few large ones (a risk issue)? The statuses: reserves on long-pending cases weigh on the ratio – these are worth asking about directly. And the rejections: a recurring rejection reason typically points to a process gap – the separate article covers this.
Common mistakes when interpreting it
The most common mistake is drawing sweeping conclusions from a single, cherry-picked year – an outlier year can just be bad luck, and the insurer looks at the trend too, not a snapshot. The second is the gross picture – without linking claims to a driver, vehicle or situation, the statistics stay just a number, with no point to act on. The third is ignoring pending claims – a reserve still counts as a “claim” in the ratio until it's closed. A good interpretation doesn't end with “that's what happened”, but with “here's why it happened, and here's where we can change it”.
What do we use it for?
Three things. The renewal negotiation: a clean claims list and an improving trend are the strongest argument – the renewal routine article shows the schedule. Deductible policy: claims frequency and average claim size provide the basis for the calculation. And prevention: feeding claims data back into driver communication is the most effective claims-prevention tool – as the feedback-loop article shows.
Mini example: what do two lines tell you?
Two fictional report excerpts, to illustrate how to read one. At one fleet, the claim count has fallen over the last three years, but the average claim size has risen: fewer bumps, but a large hit or two remain – here prevention is working, and the next question is analysing the deductible and the large claims. At another, the claim count is rising while the average size stays small and stable: the classic “lots of small claims” picture – here the answer is driver routine and a small-claims house rule, not panic. The same bottom-line figure can hide two different realities – which is why it isn't enough to look at the loss ratio's headline number: the structure tells you where to act. I carry out this analysis as part of a review – the same two lines can be read out of your own company's claims list too.
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