Every year, thousands of trucking crashes are reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. We analyzed 8,084,683 inspection records and 259,853 crash reports to identify the carriers with the worst safety track records in the United States.
How We Identified the Most Dangerous Carriers
We ranked carriers by total crash count over the most recent 24-month reporting window, then cross-referenced their vehicle out-of-service (OOS) rates and inspection histories. The national average vehicle OOS rate is 23.2% — carriers significantly above this threshold have more frequent safety failures during roadside inspections.
Our safety grading methodology assigns each carrier an A through F letter grade based on OOS rates, crash frequency per power unit, and fatal crash history. An F grade means a carrier's safety record is substantially worse than the national average.
The 20 Carriers with the Most Crashes
The table below lists the 20 carriers with the highest crash counts in the FMCSA database. Note that larger fleet operators will naturally have more total crashes — but their OOS rates and per-vehicle crash rates reveal whether their safety culture keeps pace with their fleet size.
| # | Carrier | Crashes | Fatal | Inspections | Veh. OOS | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedex Express Fedex | 2,789 | 71 | 22,249 | 12.5% | C |
| 2 | UPS | 2,303 | 51 | 29,102 | 8.6% | B |
| 3 | J B Hunt | 1,540 | 45 | 30,932 | 14.5% | C |
| 4 | Swift Transportation Co of Arizona LLC | 826 | 30 | 33,173 | 13.6% | C |
| 5 | Wal-mart Transportation LLC | 799 | 33 | 25,203 | 2.3% | B |
| 6 | Prime INC | 740 | 19 | 25,556 | 5.9% | B |
| 7 | Werner Enterprises INC | 736 | 12 | 17,269 | 11.3% | B |
| 8 | Schneider National Carriers INC | 695 | 10 | 21,832 | 11.8% | C |
| 9 | First Student INC | 663 | 5 | 16,234 | 2.7% | B |
| 10 | Xpo Logistics Freight INC | 637 | 13 | 7,667 | 11.3% | B |
| 11 | Fedex Freight Fedex | 629 | 25 | 9,147 | 8.6% | B |
| 12 | Western Express INC | 622 | 10 | 17,923 | 22.2% | C |
| 13 | Ryder | 613 | 7 | 3,960 | 8.3% | B |
| 14 | Old Dominion Freight Line INC | 600 | 23 | 7,027 | 7.0% | B |
| 15 | R L Carriers | 594 | 17 | 9,851 | 10.2% | B |
| 16 | Estes | 572 | 10 | 7,275 | 12.5% | C |
| 17 | Nj Transit Bus Operations | 470 | 7 | 9,291 | 1.4% | B |
| 18 | Crete Carrier Corp Shaffer Trucking | 451 | 15 | 14,178 | 8.6% | B |
| 19 | Penske Logistics | 429 | 12 | 8,687 | 9.2% | B |
| 20 | Penske Truck Rental | 427 | 5 | 5,862 | 4.0% | B |
Key Findings
4,736 carriers currently hold an F safety grade — meaning their out-of-service rates, crash frequency, and violation history are all substantially worse than the national average.
Large fleet operators like Schneider National, FedEx Freight, and XPO Logistics dominate the raw crash totals but many maintain B or C grades, reflecting fleet size rather than poor safety culture.
The most dangerous carriers by rate — those with F grades and double-digit OOS percentages — are often mid-size operators that fly under the radar.
What These Numbers Mean for You
If you've been involved in an accident with a trucking company, the carrier's FMCSA safety record can be critical evidence. A pattern of prior crashes, out-of-service violations, and high OOS rates may indicate systemic negligence rather than an isolated incident.
You can look up any carrier's full safety profile on CarrierRecord by searching their name or DOT number. Each profile includes inspection history, crash records, and a safety grade based on our weighted methodology.
About This Data
All data in this analysis comes from the FMCSA's publicly available safety records, including inspection results and crash reports over the most recent 24-month reporting window. Crash counts reflect incidents reported to the FMCSA — not all of which involve carrier fault. Our analysis includes only carriers with 50 or more inspections to ensure statistical relevance.