Senior Physical Damage Adjuster

About the Role
As an HDVI Senior Physical Damage Adjuster, you will work closely with HDVI’s Claims and Fleet Services Teams. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of handling all aspects of Commercial Heavy Trucking claims inclusive of Third Party Auto Property Damage, First Party Auto Property Damage and Cargo claims.  You will be responsible for influencing and providing claim resolution and tactical guidance to both internal and external customers in order to achieve world class claims outcomes.

What You'll Do

- Independently investigate, evaluate, negotiate, and resolve complex and high-severity commercial auto physical damage and motor truck cargo claims from initial assignment through final resolution, including losses involving tractors, trailers, commercial vehicles, specialty equipment, cargo, freight, and other high-value commercial assets.

- Conduct comprehensive coverage, causation, and damage investigations, evaluating policy provisions, endorsements, deductibles, loss circumstances, ownership, and extent of damages while utilizing telematics, dash-camera footage, photographs, GPS/ELD information, police reports, shipping records, and other available evidence to support sound claim decisions.

- Investigate and evaluate complex motor truck cargo losses, including damaged, destroyed, contaminated, lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised freight by reviewing bills of lading, shipping documents, freight contracts, invoices, ownership records, cargo valuations, salvage opportunities, and other documentation necessary to determine coverage, causation, valuation, and exposure.

- Critically evaluate commercial vehicle and equipment damages and related expenses, including repair estimates, supplements, appraisals, labor rates, parts selections, total-loss valuations, towing, storage, rental, loss-of-use/downtime, cargo handling, transloading, cleanup, and mitigation expenses to ensure accurate evaluations, appropriate cost control, and timely claim resolution.

- Manage complex total-loss, cargo mitigation, and salvage activities, including vehicle valuation, title processing, lienholder requirements, salvage disposition, and the inspection, preservation, mitigation, storage, disposal, and salvage of damaged cargo while ensuring appropriate evidence and documentation are maintained.

- Develop and maintain appropriate loss and expense reserves and negotiate complex settlements, recognizing adverse development, adjusting reserves as information evolves, and resolving claims within established authority with insureds, claimants, cargo owners, shippers, brokers, repair facilities, appraisers, vendors, and other involved parties.

- Identify and maximize subrogation, salvage, contribution, indemnification, and other recovery opportunities, including claims involving Self-Insured Retentions (SIRs), large deductibles, Independent Owner-Operators (IOOs), leased equipment, and other complex trucking arrangements, while identifying fraud indicators, prior or unrelated damage, cargo theft, inflated valuations, questionable repair activity, or other matters requiring additional investigation or SIU referral.

- Develop comprehensive claim action plans and coordinate specialized resources, including independent appraisers, cargo surveyors, salvage vendors, towing providers, repair facilities, experts, and other external resources, ensuring appropriate service, cost control, timely claim progression, and communication of significant developments to Claims leadership.

- Serve as a senior technical resource and mentor, participating in large-loss reviews, claim roundtables, reserve reviews, and complex claim discussions; providing technical guidance to less-experienced adjusters; and supporting Claims leadership with complex file reviews, training, quality assurance, vendor management, process improvement, and identification of emerging physical damage and cargo loss trends.

- Effectively manage a complex claim inventory while maintaining comprehensive documentation and exceptional service, ensuring compliance with Claims Best Practices, regulatory requirements, service standards, and established authority levels while meeting expectations for quality, productivity, cycle time, cost containment, reserve accuracy, recoveries, customer service, and overall claim outcomes.

What You Have

- 5+ years of auto physical damage claims experience, with significant commercial auto, trucking, heavy-equipment, and/or motor truck cargo experience preferred, including demonstrated ability to independently manage complex and high-severity tractor/trailer, specialty equipment, total-loss, and significant cargo exposures.

- College education or an equivalent combination of education and relevant claims experience preferred, along with an active Adjuster’s License and the ability to obtain and maintain all required state licenses.

- Advanced knowledge of commercial auto physical damage and motor truck cargo coverage, including policy provisions, endorsements, deductibles, commercial trucking operations, motor carrier exposures, Independent Owner-Operators (IOOs), leased equipment, large deductibles, and applicable state and federal requirements.

- Strong technical knowledge of commercial vehicle damage evaluation and repair, including heavy-truck repair practices, estimating, appraisals, supplements, labor rates, parts evaluation, repair-versus-replace decisions, total-loss valuation, title requirements, lienholder considerations, towing, storage, salvage processes, and cost-containment strategies.

- Advanced motor truck cargo claim expertise, including investigating and evaluating cargo damage, theft, contamination, spoilage, loss, and other exposures; reviewing bills of lading, invoices, shipping documents, freight contracts, and valuation documentation; and coordinating mitigation, inspection, transloading, storage, salvage, disposal, and recovery activities.

- Strong reserving, recovery, and investigative capabilities, including establishing appropriate reserves, recognizing adverse development, adjusting reserves as exposures evolve, and identifying and pursuing subrogation, salvage, contribution, indemnification, and other recovery opportunities.

- Demonstrated ability to identify and investigate complex or questionable claim activity, including fraud indicators, unrelated or prior damage, questionable repair activity, cargo theft concerns, inflated valuations, and other matters requiring additional investigation, while effectively utilizing telematics, dash-camera footage, GPS/ELD data, photographs, police reports, and other evidence to evaluate coverage, causation, liability, and damages.

- Experience coordinating and managing external claims resources, including appraisers, cargo surveyors, repair facilities, towing providers, salvage vendors, experts, and other service providers to support timely, accurate, cost-effective claim outcomes.

- Strong analytical, critical-thinking, problem-solving, negotiation, communication, organizational, and independent decision-making skills, with the ability to manage a complex claim inventory, competing priorities, and critical deadlines while maintaining a strong internal and external customer focus and serving as a technical resource and mentor to less-experienced claims professionals.

- Strong technology capabilities, including proficiency with Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat, estimating applications, and claims management technology; experience with Snapsheet, CCC, Mitchell, or similar platforms preferred, with the ability to effectively leverage technology and data to support efficient investigation, evaluation, and claim resolution.

Benefits

- Competitive salary & an enticing bonus program - we want our success to be yours too

- Unlimited PTO with 11 paid holidays each year

- Medical, Dental, Vision, Short/Long Term Disability, Basic Life, and AD&D to support you and your well-being

- FSA / HSA programs

- 401(k) retirement plan with company match contribution

- Inclusive Parental Leave policy that supports all parents

- Wednesdays are standing meeting-free, allowing you to focus on deep work without distractions

- Birthday meal reimbursement, because celebrating our employees is part of our company culture

- A remote-friendly environment with the opportunity to participate in periodic in-person team offsites

- All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer. HDVI will not sponsor candidates for employment visa status, such as an H1-B visa. HDVI does not interview or hire students or recent graduates with J-1 or F-1 visa or similar temporary work authorization

- If California Resident, please review HDVI’s enhanced Privacy Policy

Employment Practices

All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer. HDVI does not sponsor employment visas (such as H-1B) for new hires.

If you are interested in this position, please contact our Senior People Operations Specialist, Morgan Harrison. You can reach him at [email protected].