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Con-way, Inc. was one of the biggest names in the trucking industry. Since 1929, its parent company, Consolidated Truck Lines, operated from its base in Portland, Oregon. Eventually, Con-Way became the second-largest less than truckload transport provider in the United States.
In October 2015, transportation and logistics company XPO Logistics acquired Con-Way, Inc. Since that time, all Con-Way trucks have been driving for XPO Logistics.
XPO Logistics is a transportation company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. Its freight service operates out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with 12,862 drivers and 34,360 vehicles. In 2018 alone, its drivers were on the road for 664,947,501 miles.
Based on the sheer size of the company — and the number of vehicle miles traveled — the fact that XPO Logistics drivers have been in a number of accidents isn’t shocking. In the 24 months prior to December 1, 2019, XPO Logistics’ trucks were involved in a total of 692 crashes. Of those accidents, there were 12 fatalities, 190 injuries, and 490 vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) collects data on trucking companies. This data is then made available to the public through the SAFER system, allowing us to get a better understanding about the types of commercial motor vehicles operating on our roadways. XPO Logistics has 34,360 vehicles on the road, all of which are authorized for hire on the interstate highway system — carrying general freight, liquids/gases, and chemicals.
XPO Logistics has three types of vehicles. It owns 99 straight trucks and leases another 10 of this type of truck. The company also owns 8,085 truck tractors, and leases 22 of these vehicles. Finally, it owns 25,139 trailers and leases 1,005 trailers. Combined, these vehicles traveled 664,947,501 miles in 2018.
Beyond collecting basic data about the operations of trucking companies, the FMSCA gathers statistics about violations that trucks and/or drivers may have incurred for each company, as well as information about crashes for each trucking company. The public can then access this information through SAFER to learn more about the safety record of trucking companies like Con-Way (now XPO Logistics).
In the 24 month period of time ending on October 25, 2019, XPO Logistics drivers were cited 637 times for unsafe driving violations. No acute or critical violations were listed for these violations. Nevertheless, many of these violations were for behaviors that could lead to a serious accident, such as failure to obey traffic control device, following too close, improper lane change and improper passing.
During that same 2 year period, FMCSA inspectors conducted 5,308 inspections of XPO drivers. They found 1 drug and alcohol violation, 48 driver fitness violations and 90 hours of service compliance violations. Even though the FMCSA did not categorize any of these violations as acute or critical, each of these violations has the potential to be deadly.
The one drug and alcohol violation involved a driver having “…any measured alcohol concentration, or any detected presence of alcohol while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle.” The severity level of this violation was ranked as a 5 (out of a possible 10).
Driver fitness violations typically involve breaking the standards that regulate holders of commercial drivers’ licenses. For example, a driver may receive a citation for violating an airbrake restriction. In other cases, the citation may be for something more severe, such as driving on a suspended license.
The federal government has specific regulations that govern how long truck drivers can be behind the wheel before they are required to take a break — and how long that break must be before they can start to drive again. These “hours of service” rules exist for a reason, as drowsy driving can be incredibly dangerous and lead to accidents. Too often, drivers push past these regulations in order to get to their next destination on time or ahead of schedule — or to put in more miles.
In a 24 month period, XPO Logistics drivers were found to have violated hours of service regulations 90 times. These violations included drivers failing to use the recording devices to log their driving time, driving beyond the 14 hour duty period, or not having a record of duty state. On at least one occasion, a driver was found to have a false report of their status.
In the same time period, FMCSA conducted 3,542 vehicle inspections — and found 1,255 vehicle maintenance violations. The problems with the trucks ranged from the relatively minor, such as missing or defective mud flaps, to the serious — such as failing to secure loads, impaired view, and damaged vehicle structures/anchor points. Even relatively small issues, like no or defective tow-away lamps on rear units, could lead to collisions if another driver wasn’t able to spot the truck because of the missing or damaged lights.
Finally, in the 24 months prior to December 1, 2019, XPO Logistics/Con-Way trucks were involved in 692 accidents. In 2018, its trucks drove 664,947,501 miles. This means that its drivers or trucks were in an accident approximately every 480,453 vehicle mile traveled.
Possible graphic (24 month period ending 10/25/2019):
Crash stats (data for 24 month period ending 12/1/2019):
After buying Con-Way, Inc., XPO Logistics is now one of the leading transportation companies in the United States. With more than 34,000 trucks moving freight across the United States — including dangerous chemicals, liquids, and gases — these trucks are regularly on the streets, highways, and roads in our cities and towns. When a driver or a truck company doesn’t follow the laws and regulations, other drivers and people on the road may pay the price.
Solnick Lawyers is dedicated to helping victims of all types of accidents — including those hurt in collisions with trucks. We understand the complicated nature of these cases, and put our experience to work for you. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation with a Philadelphia truck accident attorney, call our firm today at 215-481-9979 or contact us online anytime.
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