Carrier Risk Intelligence
High-Risk Carriers in Maryland
Analysis of motor carriers with elevated crash histories based on federal safety data. This report identifies carriers with the highest severity scores within the 24-month monitoring period.
Understanding Carrier Risk Assessment
This analysis identifies motor carriers in Maryland with elevated crash frequencies using a weighted severity scoring methodology. The severity score weights incidents by their human impact: fatal crashes receive the highest weight (10 points), followed by injury crashes (5 points), and tow-away incidents (1 point). This approach prioritizes carriers whose crashes resulted in the most serious outcomes.
Important context: A carrier's appearance on this list does not necessarily indicate negligence or poor safety practices. DOT-reportable crashes can occur through no fault of the commercial vehicle operator. Large fleet operators with more trucks and higher mileage will statistically experience more incidents than smaller carriers, even with equivalent safety performance on a per-mile basis.
Shippers, freight brokers, and insurers should use this data as one component of a comprehensive carrier vetting process. Additional factors to consider include the carrier's SMS percentiles, out-of-service rates, driver fitness scores, and whether crashes were determined to be preventable through FMCSA's DataQs review process.
Maryland Carrier Landscape
NHTSA Safety Context
Major Corridors: I-95 (NE Corridor), I-70 (W), Port of Baltimore
How We Calculate Risk Rankings
Our risk ranking methodology uses a weighted severity scoring system designed to prioritize carriers whose crash histories indicate the greatest potential harm to public safety. Unlike simple crash counts, which treat all incidents equally, our severity score assigns different weights based on the human impact of each crash type. This approach reflects the reality that a carrier involved in multiple fatal crashes presents a fundamentally different risk profile than one with only minor tow-away incidents.
The formula assigns 10 points per fatal crash, 5 points per injury crash, and 1 point per tow-away crash. This weighting is consistent with the FMCSA's own approach to evaluating crash severity within the Safety Measurement System (SMS). The resulting score provides a single, comparable metric that accounts for both the frequency and severity of a carrier's crash history within the most recent 24-month federal monitoring period.
It is important to note several limitations of this approach. First, DOT-reportable crashes include incidents where the commercial vehicle may not have been at fault. A carrier rear-ended at a traffic light is included in the same dataset as a carrier that caused a rollover through negligent driving. The FMCSA's DataQs process allows carriers to challenge crash records they believe are inaccurate or non-preventable, but this process does not always result in records being removed.
Second, fleet size normalization is not applied to these rankings. Large national carriers operating thousands of trucks across millions of miles will statistically accumulate more crashes than small local operators, even with superior safety programs. For a more balanced assessment of individual carriers, we recommend viewing their complete safety profile where you can compare crash rates relative to fleet size, or use our carrier comparison tool for direct side-by-side analysis.
What You Can Do With This Data
- Shippers: Cross-reference carriers on your approved list. If a current partner appears in the top rankings, request their corrective action plan and consider additional monitoring.
- Freight Brokers: Use this data as part of your carrier vetting process. High severity scores should trigger enhanced due diligence before load assignment.
- Consumers: If you are hiring a moving company or other carrier, verify they do not appear on high-risk lists. Learn how to check a carrier's safety record.
- Insurance Professionals: State-level risk rankings support territorial rating analysis and portfolio risk assessment for commercial auto underwriting.
Top 50 High-Risk Carriers in Maryland
Ranked by weighted severity score. Click carrier name for detailed safety report.
| Rank | Carrier Name | City | Trucks | Crashes | Fatal | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | COWAN SYSTEMS LLC USDOT: 548880 | BALTIMORE | 1,882 | 133 | 5 | 623 |
| #2 | COWAN INTERMODAL GROUP LLC USDOT: 215194 | BALTIMORE | 239 | 25 | 2 | 118 |
| #3 | WILLIAMS SCOTSMAN INC USDOT: 350040 | BALTIMORE | 1,426 | 30 | — | 110 |
| | ||||||
| #4 | LIGHTNING TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 326966 | HAGERSTOWN | 309 | 24 | 2 | 93 |
| #5 | CHANEY MATERIALS LLC USDOT: 186407 | ANNAPOLIS | 964 | 16 | — | 83 |
| #6 | D M BOWMAN INC USDOT: 135530 | WILLIAMSPORT | 265 | 16 | 3 | 81 |
| #7 | 1920 TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 2109662 | SALISBURY | 486 | 16 | 2 | 81 |
| #8 | PERDUE TRANSPORTATION INCORPORATED USDOT: 204935 | SALISBURY | 444 | 14 | — | 79 |
| #9 | MTS TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 2029816 | BALTIMORE | 109 | 17 | 1 | 72 |
| #10 | BATES TRUCKING CO INC USDOT: 653767 | BLADENSBURG | 172 | 13 | — | 66 |
| #11 | ABSOLUTE BUS SERVICE INC USDOT: 4025015 | OXON HILL | 1 | 1 | — | 61 |
| #12 | QUEST TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 1425906 | BALTIMORE | 104 | 7 | — | 57 |
| #13 | ROY JORGENSEN ASSOCIATES INC USDOT: 530034 | BUCKEYSTOWN | 164 | 18 | — | 57 |
| #14 | GIANT OF MARYLAND LLC USDOT: 110018 | JESSUP | 121 | 13 | — | 53 |
| #15 | APEX COMPANIES LLC USDOT: 1259442 | ROCKVILLE | 604 | 2 | 1 | 52 |
| #16 | CHESAPEAKE CHARTER INC USDOT: 350703 | ANNAPOLIS | 107 | 6 | — | 48 |
| #17 | CW TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 326274 | FEDERALSBURG | 41 | 7 | — | 47 |
| #18 | UNITED BROTHERS SERVICES LLC USDOT: 3267070 | OWINGS MILLS | 10 | 16 | — | 46 |
| #19 | CARROLL INDEPENDENT FUEL LLC USDOT: 336632 | SPARKS GLENCOE | 98 | 9 | — | 44 |
| #20 | FREIGHT UNLIMITED LLC USDOT: 3480580 | FOREST HILL | 5 | 2 | — | 42 |
| #21 | OAKLEIGH TOWING SVC USDOT: 503994 | BALTIMORE | 3 | 2 | 4 | 42 |
| #22 | D D & S EXPRESS INC USDOT: 361802 | ANNAPOLIS | 105 | 7 | 1 | 42 |
| #23 | PORTNER TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 2024076 | THURMONT | 22 | 6 | 1 | 41 |
| #24 | LOVING CARE LLC USDOT: 2328956 | GAITHERSBURG | 14 | 1 | — | 41 |
| #25 | MBG REFUSE SERVICE USDOT: 2887228 | HARMANS | 54 | 13 | 1 | 41 |
| #26 | SCHUSTER CONCRETE READY MIX LLC USDOT: 2570926 | OWINGS MILLS | 243 | 10 | — | 40 |
| #27 | PJK FOOD SERVICE CORPORATION USDOT: 404782 | LANDOVER | 253 | 19 | — | 39 |
| #28 | MARINER DISTRIBUTION INC USDOT: 999376 | ABERDEEN | 39 | 10 | — | 39 |
| #29 | ADVENTURES BY DAWN LLC USDOT: 779981 | ACCOKEEK | 102 | 4 | — | 38 |
| #30 | GUARDADO CONSTRUCTION INC USDOT: 1574715 | POOLESVILLE | 18 | 2 | — | 36 |
| #31 | JOHN EDWARD PALMER USDOT: 2010311 | WILLIAMSPORT | 2 | 1 | — | 36 |
| #32 | LANDCARE USA LLC USDOT: 867467 | FREDERICK | 940 | 6 | — | 36 |
| #33 | UNITY DISPOSAL & RECYCLING LLC USDOT: 672770 | LAUREL | 118 | 8 | — | 36 |
| #34 | MHE TRASH SERVICE LLC USDOT: 1478941 | BOONSBORO | 4 | 1 | — | 36 |
| #35 | COCKEY'S ENTERPRISES INC USDOT: 550731 | BALTIMORE | 135 | 6 | — | 36 |
| #36 | R W BOZEL TRANSFER INC USDOT: 84618 | ABERDEEN | 47 | 5 | — | 35 |
| #37 | AMBERS DISPOSAL LLC USDOT: 1799416 | AQUASCO | 24 | 5 | 1 | 35 |
| #38 | SMITH BUS SERVICE INC USDOT: 580046 | ODENTON | 185 | 5 | — | 35 |
| #39 | THOMPSONGAS LLC USDOT: 2812287 | FREDERICK | 1,210 | 14 | — | 33 |
| #40 | MONEL & SONS TRUCKING INC USDOT: 2304625 | SALISBURY | 7 | 3 | — | 33 |
| #41 | EMG TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 2873092 | LAPLATA | 2 | 3 | — | 33 |
| #42 | WHITE MARSH TRANSPORT INC USDOT: 1251675 | EDGEMERE | 41 | 8 | — | 33 |
| #43 | SWEEPRITE SERVICES INC USDOT: 1033432 | BALTIMORE | 25 | 2 | — | 32 |
| #44 | JOSEPH DISTRIBUTION LLC USDOT: 3411189 | HANOVER | 25 | 7 | — | 32 |
| #45 | BRODY TRANSPORTATION CO INC USDOT: 1176731 | BALTIMORE | 0 | 8 | — | 32 |
| #46 | COMMUNICATIONS CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC USDOT: 546919 | RISING SUN | 204 | 2 | 2 | 32 |
| #47 | BALTIMORE TANK LINES LLC USDOT: 84666 | GLEN BURNIE | 100 | 17 | — | 31 |
| #48 | CHARLES COUNTY NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER USDOT: 1043354 | LA PLATA | 5 | 1 | 3 | 31 |
| #49 | AMIINSTALLATIONS USDOT: 1337204 | JESSUP | 12 | 1 | — | 31 |
| #50 | RD FARMS & LIVESTOCK HAULING LLC USDOT: 3242321 | WILLIAMSPORT | 8 | 1 | — | 31 |
Methodology & Data Sources
Severity Score Calculation
The severity score is calculated as: (Fatal Crashes × 10) + (Injury Crashes × 5) + (Tow-Away Crashes × 1). This weighting prioritizes carriers whose incidents resulted in the most serious human consequences. The formula is consistent with FMCSA's approach to evaluating crash severity in the Safety Measurement System.
Data Period
Crash data reflects the 24-month federal monitoring period maintained in the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). This rolling window ensures rankings reflect current safety performance rather than historical incidents that may no longer be relevant to carrier operations.
Limitations
This analysis does not account for fleet size normalization, vehicle miles traveled, or fault determination. Large carriers operating extensive fleets will naturally appear more frequently than smaller operators. Users should review individual carrier profiles for complete safety assessments.
Disclaimer
Rankings are provided for informational purposes only. Inclusion on this list should not be interpreted as an indication of carrier negligence or unsafe operations. Users should conduct comprehensive due diligence before making carrier selection decisions.