The life of thriving commerce throughout the United States depends on semi-trucks to transport freight from place to place. Presently, there are about 12 million large trucks and buses registered to operate on American roadways.
In 2021, the trucking industry earned nearly $880 billion in revenue and moved nearly 73% of America’s freight by weight. With so many trucks on the road and tight deadlines to meet, some trucking companies put profit and expediency over the safety of its drivers and other motorists. Tragically, this is a recipe for disaster.
Below we profile the companies involved in the most accidents each year.
Which Trucking Companies Are Involved in the Most Accidents?
According to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Safety Measurement System (SMS), FedEx and UPS consistently have the highest number of truck crashes among all trucking companies in the U.S.
The data below represents the number of trucking accidents and violations in a 24-month period ending on December 30, 2022. As you can see, FedEx and UPS have the highest number of truck accidents. But the data from some of the other companies tells another story; some have a higher number of accidents relative to their fleet size, which means the accident rate is high. Others have higher rates of unsafe driving violations, which also threaten highway safety.
FedEx
Number of Vehicles: 101,975
Number of Drivers: 124,527
Total Accidents: 2,781
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 3,850
Number of Vehicles: 18,927
Number of Drivers: 23,099
Total Accidents: 843
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 577
Number of Vehicles: 35,535
Number of Drivers: 42,218
Total Accidents: 380
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 203
UPS
Number of Vehicles: 134,070
Number of Drivers: 127,017
Total Accidents: 2,845
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 2,682
J.B. Hunt
Number of Vehicles: 24,040
Number of Drivers: 26,977
Total Accidents: 1,858
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 3,007
Knight-Swift
Number of Vehicles: 3,200
Number of Drivers: 3,200
Total Accidents: 229
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 442
Number of Vehicles: 15,902
Number of Drivers: 15,000
Total Accidents: 1,059
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 1,833
Number of Vehicles: 2,865
Number of Drivers: 2,972
Total Accidents: 184
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 165
Number of Vehicles: 704
Number of Drivers: 704
Total Accidents: 49
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 89
Number of Vehicles: 365
Number of Drivers: 396
Total Accidents: 17
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 24
Landstar System
Number of Vehicles: 6,855
Number of Drivers: 7,027
Total Accidents: 430
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 1,012
Number of Vehicles: 4,778
Number of Drivers: 3,883
Total Accidents: 303
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 752
Number of Vehicles: 258
Number of Drivers: 371
Total Accidents: 12
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 31
Werner Logistics
Number of Vehicles: 9,507
Number of Drivers: 10,533
Total Accidents: 912
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 1,590
Schneider
Number of Vehicles: 10,612
Number of Drivers: 12,468
Total Accidents: 818
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 1,786
Number of Vehicles: 935
Number of Drivers: 1,089
Total Accidents: 86
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 213
Schneider National Bulk Carriers
Number of Vehicles: 660
Number of Drivers: 763
Total Accidents: 33
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 84
Old Dominion Freight Line
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
Number of Vehicles: 10,719
Number of Drivers: 12,855
Total Accidents: 738
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 609
XPO Logistics
Number of Vehicles: 8,800
Number of Drivers: 11,172
Total Accidents: 692
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 485
Estes Express Lines
Number of Vehicles: 7,856
Number of Drivers: 8,060
Total Accidents: 550
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 552
YRC Worldwide
Number of Vehicles: 7,654
Number of Drivers: 9,107
Total Accidents: 491
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 416
Averitt Express
Number of Vehicles: 5,129
Number of Drivers: 5,166
Total Accidents: 385
Total Unsafe Driving Violations: 380
Trucking Company Insights: 2022
To better understand the volume of these trucking companies, below you will find the annual revenue and number of employees for each.
FedEx
Consolidated Revenue: $93,512 Million
Number of Employees:
Full-time: 345,000
Part-time: 202,000
Contracted service providers: 6,000
UPS
Consolidated Revenue: $97.3 Billion
Number of Employees: 534,000
J.B. Hunt
Consolidated Revenue: $12,168 Million
Number of Employees: 33,000
Knight-Swift
Consolidated Revenue: $965.7 Million (2021)
Number of Employees: 27,900
Landstar System
Consolidated Revenue: $1.816 Billion (End of the 3rd Quarter, 2022)
Number of Employees: 1,273
Werner Logistics
Gross Revenue: $1.837 Billion (2021)
Number of Employees: 9,342 (2020)
Schneider
Consolidated Revenue: $5,042.7 Million (End of the 3rd Quarter, 2022)
Number of Employees: 15,691 (2021)
Old Dominion Freight Line
Consolidated Revenue: $5.3 Billion (2021)
Number of Employees: 23,663
XPO Logistics
Consolidated Revenue: $3.36 Billion (2021)
Number of Employees: Approximately 42,000
Estes Express Lines
Consolidated Revenue: $4.4 Billion (2022)
Number of Employees: Approximately 22,000
YRC Worldwide
Operating Revenue: $1.309 Billion (2021)
Number of Employees: 32,000
Averitt Express
Gross Revenue: $399 Million
Number of Employees: 5,000
As you can see from the data above, these trucking companies generate enough profit to ensure all of their employees are properly trained and taken care of at all times. There is no reason to cut corners, especially when the risk is the health and safety of everyone on the road.
Trucking Companies Must Focus on Accident Prevention
Truck Drivers Need Proper Training
First and foremost, commercial trucking companies should ensure that their drivers are properly trained. This means providing professional training courses on driving techniques, defensive driving, and other safety protocols. Drivers must be able to recognize dangerous situations before they happen and know how to handle them appropriately. They should also understand the importance of following traffic laws and regulations.
Truck Drivers Should Have the Resources They Need
Second, commercial trucking companies should create a safe work environment for their drivers. This includes providing necessary resources such as comfortable seating, ergonomic steering wheels, and mirrors, additional lighting for night drives, etc., that will help prevent driver fatigue. Proper rest breaks should also be taken by drivers during long trips to avoid any adverse effects of fatigue or exhaustion. Any company that prioritizes expedience by forcing its drivers to make unreasonable deadlines runs the risk of being held accountable of an accident occurs.
Modern Safety Technology Is Critical
Finally, commercial trucking companies should invest in the latest safety technology. This includes driver monitoring systems that can alert drivers when they make unsafe maneuvers, lane departure warning systems that notify drivers if they drift out of their intended lane, and automatic emergency braking systems that activate brakes when necessary to help avoid a crash. As truck accident lawyers we believe that many crashes could be avoided if certain trucking safety technology was implemented at scale.
Wisner Baum Has Experience Against Many of the Nation’s Top Trucking Companies
Our team here at Wisner Baum has experience litigating cases against the following trucking companies:
● FedEx
● UPS
In total, our firm has handled cases on behalf of clients against more than 150 trucking companies. If you have suffered injuries in a truck accident due to negligence, you may be able to pursue compensation.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our skilled team of experienced truck accident attorneys right away with any questions you may have about your case or the legal process in general. We are ready and willing to do everything in our power to help you now.
Contact our office of experienced legal professionals by calling (855) 948-5098 or submitting an online contact form today to schedule your free consultation with one of our skilled trucking accident attorneys.