Carrier Risk Intelligence
High-Risk Carriers in South Dakota
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 South Dakota 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.
South Dakota Carrier Landscape
NHTSA Safety Context
Major Corridors: I-90 (E-W), I-29 (N-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 South Dakota
Ranked by weighted severity score. Click carrier name for detailed safety report.
| Rank | Carrier Name | City | Trucks | Crashes | Fatal | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | HEYL TRUCK LINES INC USDOT: 65762 | SIOUX FALLS | 490 | 24 | — | 69 |
| #2 | CLIFF VIESSMAN INC (A SOUTH DAKOTA CORPORATION) USDOT: 164259 | GARY | 323 | 20 | — | 60 |
| #3 | JAY-TRUX INC USDOT: 1340464 | HURLEY | 12 | 3 | 3 | 53 |
| | ||||||
| #4 | JOHNSON FEED INC USDOT: 130271 | CANTON | 278 | 18 | 1 | 48 |
| #5 | COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY HIGH COUNTRY USDOT: 910520 | RAPID CITY | 266 | 6 | 1 | 46 |
| #6 | DOUG MARQUARDT INC USDOT: 2200255 | YANKTON | 52 | 6 | — | 41 |
| #7 | DAKOTA CARRIERS INC USDOT: 492947 | SIOUX FALLS | 85 | 10 | — | 34 |
| #8 | WINDWALKER TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 928809 | SIOUX FALLS | 81 | 13 | — | 33 |
| #9 | SIOUX FALLS TOWER SPECIALISTS INC USDOT: 377080 | SIOUX FALLS | 99 | 2 | 1 | 32 |
| #10 | SILCHUK TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 2072826 | SIOUX FALLS | 100 | 4 | — | 29 |
| #11 | ROLLIN DICE EXPRESS LLC USDOT: 3337033 | SCOTLAND | 10 | 3 | 1 | 28 |
| #12 | RUDE TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 1391 | SIOUX FALLS | 68 | 7 | — | 27 |
| #13 | SCHWANTES TRANSPORT LLC USDOT: 3941068 | SIOUX FALLS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 |
| #14 | T BROTHERS TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 821186 | SIOUX FALLS | 98 | 10 | — | 25 |
| #15 | K & J TRUCKING INC USDOT: 171766 | SIOUX FALLS | 132 | 12 | — | 22 |
| #16 | CASEY TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 3332329 | LEMMON | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| #17 | LLOYD BULTSMA TRUCKING INC USDOT: 692522 | SIOUX FALLS | 10 | 1 | — | 20 |
| #18 | KLB LLC USDOT: 3213827 | HERRICK | 6 | 4 | — | 19 |
| #19 | SELLAND LIVESTOCK INC USDOT: 146447 | WOONSOCKET | 28 | 3 | — | 18 |
| #20 | JEFF PAPLOW HARVESTING LLC USDOT: 2408956 | ROSCOE | 11 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| #21 | GET FIT HOLDINGS INC USDOT: 1289863 | SIOUX FALLS | 9 | 1 | — | 16 |
| #22 | DALE MADSEN USDOT: 4066389 | NEW UNDERWOOD | 1 | 1 | — | 16 |
| #23 | RANDY WILLMOTT USDOT: 1034913 | WHITE | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| #24 | HARMS OIL COMPANY USDOT: 175877 | ABERDEEN | 190 | 5 | — | 14 |
| #25 | VALLEY QUEEN CHEESE FACTORY INC USDOT: 66346 | MILBANK | 39 | 4 | — | 14 |
| #26 | PREMIUM LOGISTICS INC USDOT: 3476166 | SIOUX FALLS | 19 | 4 | — | 14 |
| #27 | TAKE TRUCK INC USDOT: 4118532 | SIOUX FALLS | 33 | 4 | — | 14 |
| #28 | DAKOTA SAYAKS LLC USDOT: 4057731 | SIOUX FALLS | 24 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| #29 | JIM BROCK TRUCKING INC USDOT: 797031 | HURON | 32 | 3 | — | 13 |
| #30 | JZ TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 3946575 | JEFFERSON | 3 | 3 | — | 13 |
| #31 | H & I TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 2575 | HETLAND | 9 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| #32 | BLACK HILLS SERVICE COMPANY LLC USDOT: 1843482 | RAPID CITY | 533 | 3 | — | 13 |
| #33 | MOELLER TRUCK SERVICE INC USDOT: 819 | BRYANT | 2 | 2 | — | 12 |
| #34 | HEDGE AND HERBERG INC USDOT: 148915 | BIG STONE CITY | 37 | 2 | — | 12 |
| #35 | WEBSTER SCALE INC USDOT: 721585 | WEBSTER | 20 | 2 | — | 12 |
| #36 | EASTMAN INC USDOT: 867333 | EASTER TOWNSHIP | 25 | 2 | — | 12 |
| #37 | JAMES RIVER TRANSPORTATION LLC USDOT: 2920339 | OLIVET | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| #38 | CRYSTAL RED TRANSPORTATION INC USDOT: 335354 | SIOUX FALLS | 7 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| #39 | BUTCHS PROPANE INC USDOT: 1500383 | BERESFORD | 11 | 2 | — | 12 |
| #40 | PATRICK J BREEN LLC USDOT: 176893 | SENECA | 10 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #41 | ACE TOWING INC USDOT: 230994 | SIOUX FALLS | 29 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #42 | BRUCE STOCKWELL USDOT: 510319 | HUMBOLDT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #43 | JIM'S HONEY FARM LLC USDOT: 834667 | ONIDA | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #44 | CALVIN PIES USDOT: 1055278 | SUMMIT | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #45 | LOCKEN OIL LLC USDOT: 1891781 | ISABEL | 16 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #46 | CENTRAL PLAINS INDUSTRIES LLC USDOT: 2259730 | CLARK | 10 | 1 | — | 11 |
| #47 | T-BROTHERS LOGISTICS LLC USDOT: 2223489 | SIOUX FALLS | 0 | 1 | — | 11 |
| #48 | M & W TRUCKING LLC USDOT: 2554935 | WATERTOWN | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #49 | GROTHAUS CATTLE COMPANY LLC USDOT: 3086706 | LENNOX | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| #50 | CLAFLIN EXCAVATING INC USDOT: 3320906 | FLANDREAU | 27 | 1 | — | 11 |
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.