Carrier Risk Intelligence
High-Risk Carriers in Minnesota
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 Minnesota 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.
Minnesota Carrier Landscape
NHTSA Safety Context
Major Corridors: I-94 (E-W), I-35 (N-S), I-90 (S)
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 Minnesota
Ranked by weighted severity score. Click carrier name for detailed safety report.
| Rank | Carrier Name | City | Trucks | Crashes | Fatal | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | ATS SPECIALIZED INC USDOT: 606056 | ST CLOUD | 916 | 62 | 1 | 222 |
| #2 | STAN KOCH & SONS TRUCKING INC USDOT: 146060 | GOLDEN VALLEY | 750 | 60 | 2 | 182 |
| #3 | DART TRANSIT COMPANY USDOT: 75525 | EAGAN | 971 | 56 | 1 | 155 |
| | ||||||
| #4 | TA DEDICATED INC USDOT: 183949 | EAGAN | 838 | 53 | 1 | 152 |
| #5 | J & R SCHUGEL TRUCKING INC USDOT: 116455 | NEW ULM | 759 | 54 | — | 149 |
| #6 | TRANSIT TEAM INC USDOT: 1659325 | MINNEAPOLIS | 99 | 30 | — | 138 |
| #7 | BAY AND BAY TRANSFER CO INC USDOT: 125630 | EAGAN | 360 | 40 | — | 135 |
| #8 | VALLEY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE INC USDOT: 456821 | GRAND MEADOW | 195 | 23 | 3 | 106 |
| #9 | DART X INC USDOT: 2953404 | EAGAN | 211 | 19 | — | 103 |
| #10 | E A SWEEN COMPANY USDOT: 188852 | EDEN PRAIRIE | 132 | 12 | 2 | 87 |
| #11 | FASTENAL COMPANY USDOT: 242294 | WINONA | 675 | 31 | 1 | 84 |
| #12 | ATS INC USDOT: 606920 | SAINT CLOUD | 318 | 35 | — | 79 |
| #13 | R & R TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 305573 | LAKE PARK | 255 | 18 | — | 73 |
| #14 | BLUE SKY FREIGHT CARRIER LLC USDOT: 1441340 | EAGAN | 42 | 5 | 1 | 70 |
| #15 | SCHWAN'S SALES CO INC USDOT: 1067095 | HOPKINS | 640 | 15 | — | 69 |
| #16 | TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC USDOT: 124500 | NORTHFIELD | 402 | 32 | 2 | 62 |
| #17 | ANDERSEN DISTRIBUTION INC USDOT: 890682 | BAYPORT | 267 | 12 | 2 | 62 |
| #18 | IVY FARMS INC USDOT: 1040714 | RUSH CITY | 88 | 6 | — | 61 |
| #19 | AGILITI HEALTH INC USDOT: 152317 | EDEN PRAIRIE | 369 | 15 | 1 | 60 |
| #20 | ELLIOTT AUTO SUPPLY CO INC USDOT: 464013 | EAGAN | 199 | 7 | 3 | 56 |
| #21 | 4 POINT 0 SCHOOL SERVICES OF WABASSO USDOT: 2798507 | WEBSTER | 11 | 1 | — | 56 |
| #22 | ANDY JOBE TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 578857 | GRAND RAPIDS | 3 | 1 | 4 | 56 |
| #23 | SHUKRI ENTERPRICE LLC USDOT: 3441120 | ST PAUL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 52 |
| #24 | CALEDONIA HAULERS LLC USDOT: 124608 | CALEDONIA | 287 | 21 | — | 51 |
| #25 | SMITH TRUCKING INC USDOT: 54488 | WORTHINGTON | 135 | 10 | 3 | 50 |
| #26 | CALIFORNIA OVERLAND LTD USDOT: 988429 | WABASHA | 137 | 9 | 2 | 49 |
| #27 | RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGIES INC USDOT: 868454 | MENDOTA HEIGHTS | 337 | 14 | — | 49 |
| #28 | DAVIDS HYDRO VAC INC USDOT: 2130392 | COLUMBUS | 130 | 3 | 1 | 48 |
| #29 | METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION NETWORK INC USDOT: 1501497 | FRIDLEY | 235 | 19 | — | 48 |
| #30 | LONG HAUL TRUCKING INC USDOT: 282451 | CLEARWATER | 298 | 18 | — | 48 |
| #31 | JEFFERSON PARTNERS LP USDOT: 116763 | MINNEAPOLIS | 96 | 2 | — | 47 |
| #32 | NORTHSTAR BUS LINES LLC USDOT: 2918561 | MAPLE GROVE | 205 | 13 | — | 47 |
| #33 | FARMWARD COOPERATIVE USDOT: 817386 | MORGAN | 163 | 2 | 2 | 47 |
| #34 | EXPEDITE TRANSPORTATION LLC USDOT: 1697836 | LAKEVILLE | 24 | 7 | — | 47 |
| #35 | NORTHSTAR RECYCLING LLC USDOT: 2912022 | HUGO | 9 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
| #36 | MO LOGISTICS LLC USDOT: 3426806 | BURNSVILLE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 46 |
| #37 | MINNESOTA LOGISTICS LLC USDOT: 2287546 | ROSEVILLE | 1 | 1 | — | 46 |
| #38 | CST TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 2380287 | NOWTHEN | 34 | 6 | 1 | 45 |
| #39 | FREERKSEN TRUCKING INC USDOT: 461082 | DODGE CENTER | 101 | 14 | — | 44 |
| #40 | KOTTKES' BUS SERVICE INC USDOT: 844074 | ANDOVER | 184 | 4 | 1 | 44 |
| #41 | BILLE BUS TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 1405680 | MINNEAPOLIS | 340 | 9 | — | 43 |
| #42 | MCHUGH GROUP INC USDOT: 1429009 | BLOOMINGTON | 74 | 7 | 2 | 42 |
| #43 | CLEAN EARTH SPECIALTY WASTE SOLUTIONS INC USDOT: 1348411 | BLAINE | 831 | 17 | — | 41 |
| #44 | WALETICH CORPORATION USDOT: 917240 | KASOTA | 140 | 11 | — | 41 |
| #45 | TRANSPORT DESIGNS INC USDOT: 272811 | SAVAGE | 95 | 12 | — | 40 |
| #46 | READING BUS LINE INC USDOT: 372787 | READING | 21 | 1 | — | 40 |
| #47 | COLLINS BROTHERS TOWING OF ST CLOUD INC USDOT: 2152934 | SAINT CLOUD | 285 | 13 | — | 38 |
| #48 | RETURN LLC USDOT: 2002906 | STEWARTVILLE | 5 | 3 | 2 | 38 |
| #49 | KIVI BROS TRUCKING INC USDOT: 593718 | DULUTH | 278 | 19 | — | 38 |
| #50 | WACONIA TRANSPORT COMPANY INC USDOT: 234391 | YOUNG AMERICA | 9 | 3 | 2 | 38 |
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.