U.S. Trucking Companies with the Most Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that more than 3.5 million commercial trucks deliver consumer products, goods, and materials across the United States. Unfortunately, the number of incidents involving tractor-trailers is also increasingly common.

It might surprise you that certain trucking companies have been involved in truck crashes more often than others. Understanding which companies are behind the cause of these collisions can help identify missing preventative measures and potentially reduce the number of injuries and fatalities.

Truck Accident Prevention and Responsibility to Public Safety 

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), approximately 5,000 people are killed annually due to commercial truck accidents. These vehicles are massive in size and can sometimes weigh more than 80,000 pounds when loaded with cargo.

Trucking companies are primarily responsible for ensuring these trucks make it safely to their destinations. They are obligated to ensure vehicles are in safe working order and are correctly repaired. Trucking companies must also hire responsible truck drivers capable of operating big rigs safely.

Unfortunately, many trucking companies fail to do so, leaving them open to liability claims when victims suffer devastating injuries. Trucking companies have been known to pressure truck drivers into working beyond FMCSA hours of service rules, fail to make necessary repairs, and even fail to ensure safety inspectors examine vehicles before hitting the road.

Trucking Companies in the U.S. with the Most Collisions 

Understanding which trucking companies caused the most accidents and fatalities can help provide valuable evidence to support your case. Suppose a trucking company’s scores, evaluated by the FMCSA, determine they are a dangerous trucking company with many accidents and fatalities. In that case, this evidence could be used to prove their negligence in your case.

FMCSA records indicate that two of the most popular commercial trucking companies, UPS and FedEx Ground, have the most significant number of truck accidents nationwide. Over a two-year span, FedEx had more than 80 fatal truck accidents and more than 900 injuries, while UPS had more than 65 fatalities and over 1,000 injuries.

This is partially because these trucking companies have more trucks and drivers, which means it makes sense that they would have a significant number of collisions and fatalities. Another key factor to consider is how many vehicle miles these trucks travel when considering a trucking company’s potential for crashes involving injuries and deaths.

Which Trucking Companies Have the Most Injuries?

The following trucking companies have some of the highest numbers of accidents, injuries, and deaths:

• Averitt Express
• FedEx Express
• FedEx Ground
• FedEx Freight
• J. B. Hunt Transport

Averitt Express

According to the FMCSA SAFER data, Averitt Express has more than 5,000 commercial trucks and truck drivers on staff. Collectively, they travel nearly 400,000,000 miles annually. In the two years before July 2023, Averitt Express tractor-trailers were involved in 121 collisions involving severe injuries and 11 fatal truck accidents.

FedEx Express

FedEx Express is one of the largest commercial trucking companies in the world, with more than 35,000 big rigs and nearly 45,000 truckers. Collectively, they drive more than 1,000,000,000 miles each year. Before July 2023, FedEx Express was involved in 115 serious injury crashes and seven fatal truck accidents.

FedEx Ground

FMCSA SAFER records indicate that FedEx Ground employs more than 120,000 drivers and has over 100,000 tractor-trailers driving more than 3,000,000,000 miles annually. FedEx Ground trucks were involved in 848 serious injury crashes and 89 fatal truck accidents in the last two years.

FedEx Freight

FedEx Freight is another trucking company known for severe injuries and deaths. As of July 2023, over the last 24 months, they have been involved in 32 fatal truck accidents and 230 collisions involving catastrophic injuries. Collectively, their 20,000+ drivers and 18,000+ semi trucks travel more than 1,000,000,000 miles each year.

J.B. Hunt Transport

Considering the number of trucks and drivers, J.B. Hunt Transport is one of the most dangerous trucking companies. They have just under 25,000 truckers on staff and over 21,000 big rigs. They collectively travel across nearly 1,500,000,000 miles each year.

However, they have been involved in 579 serious injury collisions in 46 fatal truck accidents as of July 2023.

Companies with the Most Fatal Accidents 

Some trucking companies are known for causing fatal injuries more often than others. For example, the FMCSA reported Averitt Express, US Xpress, and XPO Logistics Freight as having some of the most significant numbers of fatalities per million vehicle miles traveled, with ranges anywhere from .015 to .022 as described by the safety and fitness electronic records SAFER system.

What Is a CSA Score?

A Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) score refers to the trucking company’s collective safety record. The FMCSA evaluates trucking companies based on the number of safety violations, OOS rates, motor vehicle accidents, and enforcement cases when determining what a trucking company’s CSA score should be set at. The higher the CSA score, the more dangerous the trucking company is.

Why OOS Ratings Matter 

A company’s out-of-service (OOS) rating refers to the number of inspections the commercial trucks failed, rendering the vehicle OOS. A company’s OOS ratings can help attorneys understand the trucking company’s reputation.

To understand an OOS rating, it is essential to consider how many vehicles in any given inspection were ultimately flagged as OOS. For example, a trucking company with an OOS vehicle inspection rate of 50% means that five out of ten commercial trucks failed inspection and were flagged as OOS. Trucking companies with the most significant number of OOS ratings according to the FMCSA include:

• FedEx Ground
• Jay. Be. Hunt Transport
• Swift Transportation
• YRC Inc.

Interestingly, FedEx Freight, Averitt Express, and UPS have significantly lower OOS ratings when compared to their competitors.

Get Help from a Respected Truck Accident Lawyer Today

If you suffer devastating injuries in a collision with a truck owned by any of the previously mentioned tractor-trailer companies, you may have the right to compensation for your losses. No matter which trucking company employs the truck driver or owns the big rig involved in your collision, having an experienced truck accident attorney on your side increases your chance of recovering the funds you are entitled to. 

Learn more about what is next for your truck accident insurance claims in a civil lawsuit when you schedule a free consultation with our team at John Foy & Associates. You can reach us by phone or through our secured contact form to get started on your case as soon as today.