Commercial motor brokers favour in-house claims teams

Commercial motor brokers are increasingly favouring insurers and MGAs with in-house claims teams, new research from Direct Commercial (DCL) has found.

Published today (28 September 2026), the research showed that 94% of brokers feel in-house teams provide a more responsive service than outsourced models.

The figure has risen from 82% in DCL’s previous Broker Barometer research, conducted in late 2024.

Meanwhile, more than half of brokers (51%) said they often or very often struggle to obtain detailed and timely claims updates for clients when cases are handled by third party providers.

Carl Cripps, claims director at DCL, said: “Claims handling has become one of the defining areas of differentiation in commercial motor because brokers and fleet operators increasingly expect speed, visibility and clear communication throughout the process.”

Greater transparency

The findings also highlighted the importance brokers place on communication between insurers, brokers and policyholders.

Some 93% agreed that regular three-way communication is essential to controlling claims costs and retaining fleet clients.

Almost half of brokers (47%) identified broker portals providing near real-time claims status updates as the most valuable claims improvement insurers and MGAs could introduce in 2026.

DCL said the findings come as fleet operators face rising repair costs, vehicle downtime and increasing operational disruption following incidents.

Cripps added: “What this research shows very clearly is that brokers believe in-house claims teams deliver a more responsive and joined-up service than outsourced models, particularly when claims become more complex or operationally disruptive for clients.”

DCL has expanded its quarterly claims review meetings, bringing brokers, fleet operators and claims specialists together to review live claims, identify trends and agree actions to help contain costs.