An Ontario-based company offering trucking insurance quotes is raising concerns after multiple licensed brokers said they have no affiliation with the operation, despite being listed on its website as part of its network, and seeing their names and profiles replaced immediately after inquiries were made.
The site, operating under the name Ontario Trucking Insurance, presents itself as a network of licensed professionals and directs users to submit information for quotes. But at least three of the nine displayed Ontario brokerages contacted by trucknews.com said they have never heard of the organization and did not authorize the use of their names, images, or office details.
Their images, contact information and bios were included on a page that said “Our Expert Team: Meet the licensed Ontario insurance brokers who write and review our content. Each expert brings decades of experience in commercial trucking insurance.”
“I have never heard of them,” said Ian McCowan of D.G. Dunbar & Associates, one of the nine experts listed.
Joanna Mendonca, president of Staebler Insurance, said she is “not familiar with the organization” and does not recall providing any permission to be listed. “I believe I have never had any dealings or affiliation with them,” she added, describing the situation as “suspicious and concerning.”
Staebler and Dunbar were among four legitimate Ontario brokerages whose addresses were listed on the site’s contact page, and McCowan and Mendonca’s profiles, contact information and headshots (McCowan’s wasn’t even of him) were featured.
Adam Mitchell, whose firm was also listed on the site, said the first he heard of it was when the province’s regulator contacted him April 23.
The Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO), which oversees licensed brokers in the province, reached out to Mitchell to ask whether he had authorized the use of his name. He said he had not.
“It didn’t ring a bell,” Mitchell said of the company. “Once I saw the team and the makeup of a bunch of people, I knew there was no chance somebody had built a conglomerate of those people that are all still actively operating.”
It would’ve been a dream team of Ontario insurance professionals, he noted.
Mitchell said the site used his firm’s downtown Toronto office address, though he had no connection to the operation. Ontario Trucking Insurance had no address of its own listed. It did have a phone number. Trucknews.com called that number and received a recording that said: “Thank you for calling Trucking Insurance Quoting” and requested the caller leave their contact information “so we can get back to you as soon as possible to help you get a quote.”
A search of the RIBO registry did not return any brokerage operating under the name Ontario Trucking Insurance. Licensed brokerages in Ontario are required to maintain a physical place of business and have a verifiable address on file with the regulator. The site not only claimed the entity was RIBO-registered, but also said it was a member of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA).
OTA confirmed to trucknews.com that the company was not a member. Trucknews.com also submitted a form requesting a quote for coverage for a one-truck owner-operator, which as of press time had not been acknowledged.
The domain for the website was registered in December 2025, according to public WHOIS records, which did not include the website owner’s name or contact information.
The website itself appears to have changed during the course of reporting on April 23, replacing one set of named brokers with another. The original nine Ontario brokers were replaced by nine others, some of whom appear to be U.S. insurance professionals while others return no public profile. The phone number alongside each of their bios was that of Ontario Trucking Insurance.
The four legitimate insurance brokerage office addresses on the Contact Us page listed as “Our regional offices” were replaced with four new ones.
There are several possible motivators behind the site. Such a site could be leveraging the experience of legitimate insurance brokers to sell non-existent policies, leaving insureds uncovered. It could be acting as a lead generator, which the site could then sell to a licensed broker. Or the entity could be brokering insurance without authorization.
Mitchell said the biggest concern in being linked is not just reputational, but the potential impact on fleets seeking coverage.
“The one you’d hate to see is an honest customer that thinks they’re actively buying insurance for an incredibly expensive product and then finding out they have no coverage,” he said. “Cargo is not something you mess around with.”
He noted that periods of economic pressure can bring an increase in questionable activity in the insurance space, including fraudulent documents and misrepresentation.
While it’s not clear who is operating the website or how submitted leads are handled, industry experts say fleets should take steps to verify who they are dealing with before purchasing coverage.
Mendonca recommends checking the RIBO registry to confirm that both the brokerage and individual broker are licensed and active.
“That would at least confirm that the broker or brokerage is an active, licensed person or company,” she said.
Look for a valid office address, Mitchell added. Research the company’s business history. And ask questions.
Credit: Source link
