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The NEMT Experts Podcast
Industry & Events
Episode
120
Published
August 25, 2026
·
34 min 45 sec
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16 NEMT Leaders Reveal Industry Secrets | Live from NEMTAC Transform 2026

What did 16 show floor interviews at NEMTAC Transform 2026 agree on? Cameras cut claims, not day one premiums, so pull loss runs quarterly.

In this episode

Eva Keidel, John Masselli, Hayes Stills, Scott Symonds, Hossein Mokhtari, Nikola Simic, Lakeisha, Jim Cermak, John Rinaldi, Howard Berkowitz, Dave Swanner, Jeff Hoff, Tom Clancy, Evan Chambers, Mark Crawford, Hamed Yazdi, and Rebecca Tonkinson
NEMTAC, BraunAbility, ADAboy Van Conversions, SmartRide, ReliaWheels, ReliaWheels, Right Hand Transportation Services, Driverge, Green Cab, MyRide SC, MyRide SC, Reliant Transport, Research Underwriters, Higginbotham, Swan Insurance, Bright Inspect, and TTA
Hosted by
Nirav Chheda
CEO and co-founder of Bambi
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About this episode

Recorded on the NEMTAC Transform 2026 show floor in Orlando, this episode packs 16 interviews into 35 minutes, led by Tom Clancy of Research Underwriters, Evan Chambers of Higginbotham, and Jeff Hoff of Reliant Transport in western North Carolina. Clancy and Chambers agree that dashcams and telematics will not cut a premium on day one but will kill the frivolous claims that drive your loss ratio, and Clancy wants loss runs reviewed quarterly so renewal brings no surprises. Hoff, who has doubled Reliant since buying it in June 2019, screens any acquisition for customer concentration first, then fleet age and turnover.

Key takeaways

  • Tom Clancy of Research Underwriters says no carrier knocks 20% off for installing cameras, but one claim a camera makes disappear can save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  • Evan Chambers of Higginbotham calls insurance an operator's second largest cost, priced on the loss ratio, and says one NEMT specialist agent shopping the full market beats several agents competing.
  • Jeff Hoff of Reliant Transport values an NEMT business on customer concentration first, making sure one customer is not 30 to 50% of revenue, then fleet age and turnover.
  • BraunAbility's new rear entry Toyota Sienna XL has a 39.5 inch ramp that takes 15 pounds of operating force, down from 22 on earlier models, with production starting in early November.
  • Hamed Yazdi of Bright Inspect, formerly Rideshare Mechanic, runs vehicle inspections virtually over a video call in 15 to 30 minutes and adds spot inspections to catch fraud after approval.

Chapters

  • 0:00 Cold open
  • 0:09 Eva Keidel, NEMTAC: what's new at Transform 2026
  • 1:52 John Masselli, BraunAbility: the new rear-entry Toyota Sienna XL
  • 6:19 Hayes Stills, ADAboy: new minivan conversion debut
  • 7:33 Scott Symonds, SmartRide: managed care growth + adding Broda
  • 9:11 Hossein Mokhtari and Nikola Simic, ReliaWheels: doubling the fleet
  • 10:53 Lakeisha, Right Hand Transportation: onboarding a dispatcher in a day
  • 11:55 Jim Cermak, Driverge: the driver training module that pays for itself
  • 13:46 John Rinaldi, Green Cab: 30% efficiency and credentialing by agency
  • 15:43 Howard Berkowitz and Dave Swanner, MyRide SC: stretcher standards
  • 18:21 Jeff Hoff, Reliant Transport: how to evaluate buying an NEMT business
  • 20:51 Tom Clancy, Research Underwriters: telematics, cameras, loss runs
  • 23:17 Evan Chambers, Higginbotham: picking an agent who knows NEMT
  • 27:09 Mark Crawford, Swan Insurance: the 2026 hard market
  • 28:27 Hamed Yazdi, Bright Inspect: virtual vehicle inspections
  • 33:47 Rebecca Tonkinson, TTA: Mobilize, Anaheim, Oct 26-28

Fuel for Your Fleet (and Your Brain).

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