Swift Transportation Truck Accident Lawyers

Billions Won by Swift Transportation Trucking Attorneys Nationwide

Based in Phoenix, Swift Transportation is the largest common carrier carrier in the United States. It operates using 23,000 trucks nationwide (as reported on their site). According to federal data collected in August 2018, Swift Transportation has been cited 19,107 times for safety violations from 2016 to 2018.

Unlike most carriers, Swift Transportation's citation record is nearly as large as its fleet.

Swift Transportation's recent safety violations include:

  • Driving a commercial vehicle while texting
  • Speeding 15+ mph over the limit
  • Violating hours-of-service regulations
  • Operating while impaired by illness
  • Operating while impaired by fatigue
  • Operating without a license

On top of its safety record, Swift Transportation trucks have been in 2,120 crashes in the same time period—causing injury to 883 people and killing 70. Numbers like these aren't rare among carriers. While 18-wheelers and other large commercial trucks make up less than 5 percent of vehicles on the highway, they're involved in 11 percent of traffic deaths. The Swift Transportation truck accident lawyers at Arnold & Itkin want to shine a light on truck industry practices by holding shipping companies accountable on behalf of the people they hurt.

If you've been injured in a Swift Transportation truck accident, review your case with an attorney for free. We've won billions of dollars helping people hold wrongdoers accountable. Call (888) 493-1629 or use our short form to find out if we can help you reclaim your medical costs and lost wages.

We Hold Trucking Companies Responsible

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How Freight Transportation Companies Make the Roads Less Safe for Everyone

Every year, FMCSA data predicts that trucker fatigue directly causes 1 in 7 large truck accidents. Experts believe that fatigue contributes to even more accidents than that because truck drivers don't report how tired they are when they cause an accident. Tired driving is a real hazard, though—as many as 1 in 4 truck accidents occur when a long-haul driver has been working for 17 hours or longer in a 24-hour period. Thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities occur every year because truck drivers don't get enough sleep while on the road.

Why is tired trucking such an issue? What's keeping drivers from getting a full night's sleep? It's simple: trucking company policies. Carriers and shippers often pay their new drivers 25 to 40 cents per mile they drive, promising them that they'll be able to set their own pace and make whatever pay they'd like. Drivers quickly realize that trucking involves a great deal of non-driving work—all of which is unpaid.

Vital non-driving trucking work includes:

  • Driving to pick up new loads
  • Planning routes
  • Abiding by federally-mandated rest breaks
  • Waiting for loading
  • Waiting for unloading
  • Submitting to rig inspections

On top of that, it's difficult to make a living driving less than several hundred miles a day—all within the federally-mandated window of 11 hours. That means traffic, bad weather, a flat tire, or any unexpected delay can mean a driver can work all day and lose money. The industry culture of "hard-driving"—which companies develop through their policies and marketing—convinces drivers that they need drive longer and longer hours, regardless of what the law says. Truck driving school instructors or veteran drivers will teach new drivers how to get around federal regulators by falsifying logs or keep multiple logbooks to appear compliant. This practice, though widely accepted, is highly dangerous. It's a culture like this that has resulted in drivers regularly hauling for 20-24 hours without breaks, putting motorists at risk with every passing hour.

Truck accidents often cause catastrophic injuries like:

Despite thousands of deaths every year from truck accidents, freight carriers don't see the culture of hard-driving as a problem. To them, drivers working longer hours to make ends meet is a competitive advantage—it keeps their profit margins wide by not requiring them to hire extra drivers. Meanwhile, the rest of us pay the price, many of us with our lives or our livelihoods.

Speak with Swift Transportation Truck Accident Attorneys

Truck companies don't have sympathy for the people their practices injure or hurt. Even if you just want to recover your medical expenses, carriers will fight tooth and nail to make sure you either give up your claim or settle for far less than you need. The only way to fight back is to have an advocate—someone who has faced companies like these before and won billions for their clients.

The Swift Transportation truck accident lawyers at Arnold & Itkin have helped 18-wheeler victims recover compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and more. Our approach has allowed our clients to provide for their families and face the future with confidence and hope. Our firm covers the cost of every case from start to finish, allowing accident victims to focus solely on healing. Our clients only pay if we win their case.

Speak with Arnold & Itkin today! Call (888) 493-1629 or contact us online for your free consultation.

Common Questions

  • What Are Some Potential Causes of Swift Transportation Truck Accidents?

    Accidents involving 18-wheelers and other large commercial vehicles may be caused by driver negligence, defective vehicle parts, and dangerous roads—like any traffic collision. They also have causes that are unique to trucks, which include imbalanced or unsecured loads and overloaded vehicles. Companies like Swift Transportation are held to strict safety standards when it comes to driving hours, vehicle maintenance, and loading cargo. Swift Transportation has been linked to safety violations involving drivers operating their vehicles for too many hours in a day, texting while driving, speeding, driving while fatigued, and more. From 2016 to 2018, the company’s fleet has been involved in traffic accidents that caused 70 deaths and 883 injuries.
  • How Will You Determine What Caused My Truck Accident?

    If you were injured in a traffic accident with a Swift Transportation vehicle, you probably have a lot of questions. One of the most important is how the cause of the crash can be determined—which will influence who will pay your claim and even what it’s worth. In our firm’s experience handling trucking accident cases across the U.S., we’ve amassed a considerable amount of knowledge and experience that helps our investigators, accident reconstruction specialists, experts, and attorneys build powerful cases against large companies like Swift Transportation. We’ve represented David and taken on Goliath time and again—and won billions for our clients.
  • Can You Help If I’m a Swift Transportation Truck Driver Who Was Injured?

    Yes. Our team represents truck drivers who have been injured through no fault of their own while driving for companies like Swift Transportation. These cases can be highly complex, depending on truck ownership, whether you’re classified as an independent contractor, and what company or companies were responsible for maintaining and loading your vehicle. Fortunately, our truck accident attorneys have the resources and manpower to investigate these collisions and determine fault. We know when truck drivers are taken advantage of or put in situations where they can’t stay safe on the road, even when they’re experienced and follow all the rules.
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