Author: Meredith Smith

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently scheduled this year’s Brake Safety Week for Aug. 24-30, 2025. This annual event emphasizes the importance of ensuring sufficient brake systems in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and highlights the critical role that regular inspections, repairs and maintenance play in reducing potential accidents on the road.

Event Overview

The CVSA consistently schedules Brake Safety Week in August in conjunction with Brake Safety Awareness Month. During this weeklong initiative, certified vehicle inspectors will review CMVs using the CVSA’s North American out-of-service criteria and remove any vehicles with brake-related violations from the roadways until necessary adjustments or repairs have been made. At the end of Brake Safety Week, inspectors will combine all the data they collected and submit the results to the CVSA. The organization will report its findings later in the year.

2024 Results

Here’s a summary of key findings from last year’s event:

• A total of 16,725 CMV inspections occurred across North America during Brake Safety Week in 2024. These inspections left 2,149 vehicles with brake-related out-of-service violations, representing a 12.8% out-of-service rate.
• Most of these inspections (14,692) and associated out-of-service violations (1,900) took place in the United States.
• Over half (56.6%) of the 2,149 CMVs placed out of service failed the CVSA’s defective brakes criterion. This criterion states that a CMV must be placed out of service if 20% or more of the service brakes on the vehicle are deemed defective.

This Year’s Focus

The focus of this year’s event is brake drum and rotor violations. Drum and rotor issues can carry major consequences, causing severe damage to CMVs and making commercial drivers more susceptible to accidents behind the wheel. Furthermore, broken pieces of drums and rotors can sometimes become dislodged from CMVs en route, possibly harming nearby motorists and pedestrians and resulting in devastating injuries and fatalities.

How to Prepare

Trucking employers can prepare for Brake Safety Week by ensuring their fleets are in good condition and requiring commercial drivers to inspect CMVs before and after each trip for potential brake problems. As it pertains to drum and rotor issues, key items to watch for include:

• Broken pieces in the friction surface of the rotor
• Cracks that extend to the outer portion of the drum
• Excess wear and tear on the rotor that exposes the center vents
• Heavy rust or grooving on the rotor

Trucking employers should address brake problems immediately with sufficient repairs. Commercial drivers should never be permitted to operate CMVs with worn, damaged or faulty brakes. By promoting brake safety and efficiency within their fleets, trucking employers can make the most of this annual campaign, minimize accidents on the road and avoid costly violations.

Contact us today for further fleet safety resources and risk management guidance.

Even though the brain and the heart are located far from one another in the body, they are intrinsically connected and each have a significant impact on how the other functions.

The two organs communicate via the muscular walls around the heart, which are connected to the brain in the circulatory system. As the brain releases hormones telling the body what to do, receptor cells in your blood vessels pick up these messages. In addition, there are nerve endings that travel from the brain to the muscular walls of the heart. These nerves send messages to the muscle tissue to either relax or contract.

Since these two organs communicate, mental health can have a dramatic effect on heart health and vice versa.

Stress

The mind’s response to a perceived or actual threatening situation is known as stress. The body responds to the stress by:

• Blood pressure
• Respiratory rate
• Heart rate
• Oxygen consumption
• Blood flow to skeletal muscles
• Perspiration
• Muscle tone

When you experience these responses on a regular basis as a result of stress, you are putting your body at an increased risk of heart disease.

Stress-Reducing Meditation

To combat the potentially life-threatening damage stress could have on your heart, there are several meditation techniques you can try. These techniques aim to achieve a relaxation response to reduce stress, improve immune system and prepare the body for traumatic situations in the future:

Here are three ways to meditate:

• Go into a quiet environment and sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Then, focus your attention on one thing such as a word, phrase or sound. Repeat that one thing over and over again. If you find that your mind wanders, try to refocus. Do this exercise for 20 minutes.
• Progressive relaxation is another useful exercise. Lie down or sit in a quiet area. Focus your attention on the muscle groups in your feet and slowly move through each group until you reach your head. As you go through each muscle group, try to imagine that you are actually breathing through those organs. As you “exhale”, release the tension from the group. As an alternative, you may tighten the muscles in each group for several seconds, and then physically release the tension.
• A third meditation exercise is to imagine that you are clearing your body of the toxins that you want to get rid of. For instance, visualize that you are ridding your arteries of plaque. Concentrate on releasing that energy, which will ultimately reduce the tension in your mind.

As we age and reach different milestones in our lives, our insurance needs change. In order to ensure adequate coverage, contact your insurance broker if you’re affected by any of the following life events:

• New home ownership— Purchasing a new home is a big investment—one that you will want to protect. After purchasing a home, ensure that you have homeowners insurance to protect against things like fire, weather damage, theft, vandalism and accidental damage. This advice also holds true if you are buying a new condo or vacation home.
• Home renovations— Once you own a home, you may want to make updates to create a better living space. Be sure to report major home improvements to your insurance company to protect any increased value to your home.
• New children— Having or adopting children is not only a huge life change, but it’s also a major financial commitment. As such, it’s important to purchase the right policy to secure your child’s future. Add your child as a beneficiary on any life insurance policies, and make sure your coverage is sufficient.
• Teenage drivers— Teen drivers often carry the highest risk of auto accidents. While you want your teen driver to remain safe on the road, costly accidents can happen without warning. Consider adding your teen driver to your auto policy, as it is generally cheaper than purchasing a separate policy.
• Retirement—When you retire, you may change residences. If you have more than one home, this is a good time to let your insurance provider know where you plan to spend your time.
• Valuable purchases— A standard homeowners policy has limited coverage for highly valuable items. Supplement purchases and gifts that exceed the policy’s limits with a floater—a separate policy that provides additional insurance.
• Marriage— When your marital status changes, so do your insurance needs. Marriage typically leads to the combination of households, vehicles and other property, so it is critical to update your insurance policies accordingly. What’s more, life insurance is vital to married couples as it can ease the financial burden in the event of an untimely death of a partner. Ask about discounts on car insurance for married policyholders.
• Purchasing or selling a business— If you’re an entrepreneur, there will likely come a time when you will either buy or sell your business. During these times of major change, the proper coverage is crucial.

Insurance is critical for nearly every stage of life. Seeking coverage should be an active process, and individuals shouldn’t assume their insurance needs remain steady over time. Consider contacting your broker today to better understand your insurance and future needs.

Travel insurance can protect against financial losses if you’re forced to cancel, delay or interrupt your vacation. Let us help determine if this type of coverage is right for you.

What Is Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance can protect against the loss of nonrefundable travel costs, such as airfare, hotel and tour expenses. Some types of travel insurance may offer protection against losses due to medical emergencies, damage to personal property and death, which may occur away from home on vacation.

Major Types of Travel Insurance

Trip cancellation coverage may reimburse you for prepaid travel expenses if you aren’t able to take your trip because
you or a family member becomes ill or dies.

• Travel delay coverage may reimburse you for prepaid expenses if you aren’t able to take your trip because of a travel
  delay, such as a flight delay or cancellation.
• Trip interruption coverage may reimburse you for prepaid expenses if your trip is cut short because you or a family
  member becomes ill or experiences another misfortune listed in the policy. Covered reasons might include bad weather,
  airline strikes, terrorism, bankruptcy, jury duty or damage to your home.
• Emergency medical expense coverage may reimburse you for medical and emergency dental expenses because of an
  illness or injury while you’re traveling.
• Medical evacuation coverage may provide emergency transportation to a hospital near your area of travel or back to a
  hospital near your home.
• Accidental death coverage may be split into three parts:
  ◦ Air flight accident covers death or dismemberment during a flight only.
  ◦ Common carrier covers death or dismemberment while traveling on public transportation, such as a plane, ferry, train,
  bus or taxi.
  ◦ Accidental death covers death or dismemberment at any time during a trip.

The Basics

No travel policy can guarantee your safety when you’re traveling, but knowing you’re covered for medical emergencies or the loss of personal property may help you relax and enjoy your vacation.

In addition to a travel insurance policy, cruise and tour operators may offer cancellation waivers. Read all of the restrictions before you buy a cancellation waiver.

Your vacation may have taken months to plan. Ensure your investment in minutes for nonrefundable losses with a travel insurance policy.

Contact us to learn more about our travel coverage options.

If you’ve had a fire, water damage, or another unfortunate event in your home, don’t fret. We have all the information that you need to get your claim underway so you can get your life back to normal.

When you have a homeowners insurance claim, your actions can make all the difference. Here’s how to maneuver through the claims process with ease:

• If you were away from your home when the incident occurred, exercise caution when entering your property. If your property has sustained major damage, contact your local government officials to determine how you should proceed.
• Report downed power lines to the utility company, and keep your electricity off if there is standing water in your home.
• If it appears as though it is not safe to be at your home, leave.
• Contact us to report how, when and where the damage occurred. Make a not of the claim handler’s name, telephone number and identification number when you call.
• Protect your home from further damage without putting yourself in danger. This may include boarding up windows and salvaging possessions that did not sustain much damage. Your claim handler can advise you on how to do so safely.
• Prepare a list of damaged or lost items from your home.
• Keep damaged items in your home until the claim handler has come for an inspection. Also, consider documenting the damage with pictures or video.
• Provide receipts for damaged items if you saved them.
• If you need to temporarily relocate, save all you receipts for additional expenses. Your policy may cover you for additional living expenses during this time.
• Once you’ve reported your claim, the claim handler will send you some documents to complete within a specific period of time. Contact us if you have any questions, and return these forms promptly.
• Contact your mortgage lender to notify them of your loss and to discuss potential contractor bids. Your lender may want to inspect a contractor’s job before making a final payment.

Let us help you throughout the process—contact Dimond Bros. Insurance if you have questions or concerns.

South Carolina Agency Partners with One of the Midwest’s Leading Independent Insurance Organizations

Myrtle Beach, SC – 7/17/2025 – Waccamaw Insurance Services, a trusted independent insurance agency serving the greater Myrtle Beach community, is proud to announce it has officially joined Dimond Bros. Insurance, one of the Midwest’s largest and most respected independent agency organizations.

This strategic partnership brings enhanced resources, carrier access, and expanded services to the South Carolina market while allowing Waccamaw Insurance to retain its local presence and commitment to personalized client service.

Founded in 1867, Dimond Bros. Insurance is headquartered in Paris, Illinois and has grown to over 40 locations across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The addition of the Myrtle Beach agency marks an exciting expansion into the Southeast, bringing Dimond Bros.’ commitment to exceptional service and tailored solutions to new communities.

As part of the Dimond Bros. family, Waccamaw Insurance will now offer:

• Access to a broader range of top-rated national and regional insurance carriers.
• Competitive pricing and enhanced coverage options for personal, commercial, and life insurance.
• Back-office support, technology tools, and advanced service capabilities.
• Continued local expertise with the added strength of a larger organization.

About Waccamaw Insurance

Waccamaw Insurance has been serving the Myrtle Beach are with personalized insurance solutions for individuals, families, and businesses for nearly 50 years. Known for its commitment to client relationships and community service, Waccamaw Insurance offers coverage across home, auto, business, and specialty lines.

About Dimond Bros. Insurance

Dimond Bros. Insurance is one of the Midwest’s leading independent insurance agencies providing customized insurance and risk management solutions for individuals, businesses, and communities since 1867. With a strong regional presence and a commitment to local relationships, Dimond Bros. delivers trusted guidance and a superior service at every level.