As one of the largest and most profitable trucking companies in the nation, Knight-Swift Transportation has a duty to ensure the safety of its drivers and others on the road. Unfortunately, with a history of questionable driving practices and preventable crashes that have claimed over 40 lives and injured more than 415 people since March 2023, the company has consistently failed to meet that duty.
Read on to learn how to protect yourself after a Knight-Swift truck crash, and how our undefeated Texas truck accident lawyers can secure the justice and full compensation you deserve.
About Knight-Swift Transportation
Formed through the 2017 merger of two industry giants — Knight Transportation Inc. and Swift Transportation Company — Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. is the largest full truckload carrier in the United States. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company generates over $4.6 billion in annual revenue, with more than $1.1 billion attributed to full truckload freight operations alone.
Today, Knight-Swift operates a fleet of over 17,000 drivers and just as many trucks, including 3,200 drivers under the Knight Transportation banner and 13,875 drivers under Swift Transportation. These drivers and their big rigs are on the road around the clock, hauling millions of freight loads across billions of miles each year.
While the company is best known for its full truckload services, it also offers a wide range of freight and logistics solutions, including less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. Unfortunately, the demanding schedules and pressure to meet tight delivery windows — especially for LTL shipments — can lead to safety shortcuts. Speeding, driver fatigue, and other preventable mistakes have contributed to serious accidents involving Knight-Swift trucks nationwide.
Knight-Swift Truck Safety Violations
Although Knight-Swift has a “satisfactory” rating according to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Safety Measurement System (SMS), its track record reveals significant safety concerns. Over the 24-month period ending March 28, 2025, both Knight and Swift trucks were involved in numerous preventable crashes and serious safety violations, highlighting a pattern of unsafe practices.
Knight trucks were involved in:
- 173 truck crashes, including 5 fatal crashes and 54 crashes causing injuries
- 721 Hours of Service (HOS) violations
- 499 unsafe driving violations, including citations for speeding, running stoplights, and unsafe lane changes
- 2,423 vehicle maintenance violations, including 416 severe tire violations (e.g., flats and leaking air)
Swift trucks experienced even more alarming numbers, including:
- 612 truck crashes, including 35 fatal crashes and 361 crashes causing injuries
- 2,342 Hours of Service (HOS) violations
- 1,928 unsafe driving violations, including at least 157 severe distracted driving violations (e.g., texting or using a hand-held mobile device)
- 7,441 vehicle maintenance violations, including more than 1,328 severe tire violations
Knight-Swift’s drivers have one of the highest rates of unsafe driving incidents compared to other major trucking companies. Knight’s on-road performance score of 1.54 and Swift’s score of 1.18 — where a score of 0 is best — are significantly higher than its close rivals, such as full load trucking competitor JB Hunt, which has a score of 0.88.
Common Causes of Knight-Swift Truck Accidents
Most truck accidents involving Knight-Swift are the result of entirely preventable issues — from mechanical failures to reckless driving — that could have been avoided with proper safety practices, training, and oversight.
Commercial trucking companies (and their drivers) are required to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) — a comprehensive set of safety rules that govern everything from maintenance that trucking companies are required to perform on their vehicles to the training they must provide to their drivers.
Unfortunately, Knight-Swift’s track record reveals a company culture of ignoring these very rules and endangering everyone on the road.
Malfunctioning Equipment & Poor Maintenance
Nearly 40% of Knight-Swift’s vehicle inspections resulted in a violation — a rate considerably higher than its rival trucking companies. For every vehicle flagged during inspections, there are many others on the road with equally serious maintenance issues, including faulty brakes, bald tires, and inoperable headlamps.
Poor maintenance dramatically increases the risk of tire blowouts, brake failures, and reduced visibility — all of which can lead to deadly rear-end collisions, rollovers, or multi-vehicle crashes.
Fatigue & Hours of Service Violations
Fatigue contributes to at least 30% of all preventable truck accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board — and Knight-Swift’s record shows a troubling pattern of Hours of Service (HOS) violations that directly increase the risk of fatigued driving. Over a recent 24-month period, Knight-Swift drivers were cited for over 438 citations for falsify records of duty status (or attempting to) and at least 515 citations for exceeding driving time limits and hours restrictions.
These violations reveal systemic problems with Knight-Swift’s safety practices — problems that continue to put other drivers, passengers, and communities at serious risk. Recent studies by AAA and the National Safety Council show a fatigued driver is just as impaired as a drunk driver — and often results in dangerous lane-drifting, head-on collisions, and delayed (or non-existent) brake reactions.
Speeding & Reckless Driving
Knight-Swift drivers have also been repeatedly cited for ignoring speed limits, running stop signs, and making unsafe lane changes — all reckless behaviors that increase the likelihood of deadly accidents. Excessive speed and aggressive maneuvers make it nearly impossible for truck drivers to stop in time to avoid crashes, especially in heavy traffic, bad weather, or near construction zones.
Inexperienced Drivers & Negligent Hiring
As the trucking industry faces an ongoing driver shortage, fatal accidents caused by inexperienced drivers are surging across the nation. Swift Transportation, in particular, is known for negligently hiring inexperienced drivers, which even other truckers criticize. While Swift offers paid training and mentorship through its Swift Academy, many of these new drivers still lack the experience needed for the high-pressure situations they face on the road. This lack of experience often leads to poor decision-making, unsafe maneuvers, and a higher likelihood of preventable accidents.
Common Injuries in Knight-Swift Truck Crashes
Truck accidents are nothing like car accidents. When a 60,000+ pound truck combines with reckless behavior like fatigue, speeding, or ignored safety regulations, the consequences are often devastating — and tragically, it’s usually the occupants of the passenger vehicle who suffer the most.
These crashes frequently result in serious injuries, many of which have lasting or even permanent consequences, including:
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): TBI occurs when a victim’s head hits a hard surface during a crash. These injuries can range from concussions to severe brain damage, leaving victims with memory problems, cognitive issues, and physical impairments. Head-on collisions or rollovers are common causes of TBIs in truck accidents.
Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries often result in paralysis or significant loss of mobility. These injuries are frequently seen in jackknife accidents or rollovers, where the force of the crash can compress or sever the spinal cord, requiring extensive medical care and long-term rehabilitation.
Broken Bones and Fractures: In accidents like rear-end collisions or t-bone crashes, victims often suffer broken bones, especially in the legs, ribs, or arms. In severe cases, fractures may require surgery, and recovery can take months. In some cases, broken bones may lead to permanent disabilities or chronic pain.
Internal Injuries: The force of a truck crash can cause internal bleeding, damage to vital organs, and other serious internal injuries. Victims of rollover accidents or head-on collisions are especially susceptible to these injuries, which often require immediate surgery and long recovery periods.
When the physical and emotional toll of an accident is life-altering, having the best truck accident attorneys on your side is critical.
At Zehl & Associates, you get more than just a team that knows how to stand up, fight, and win — you get a team that goes above and beyond: connecting you with the top doctors and specialists in the country to treat your injuries, covering your medical bills and living expenses while your case is pending, and doing whatever it takes to ensure you never have to worry about your future ever again.
Recovering Compensation After a Knight-Swift Truck Accident Lawsuit
When you’re up against a trucking giant like Knight-Swift, you need a team that knows how to win — and how to win big. Truck accident cases aren’t just about covering your immediate losses; they’re about making sure you and your family are protected for the long haul.
At Zehl & Associates, we fight for maximum compensation — and we refuse to settle for anything less. From day one, we aggressively pursue every dollar you’re entitled to, including:
- Medical Expenses (past, present, and future)
- Lost Wages & Reduced Earning Capacity
- Pain & Suffering
- Disfigurement & Permanent Disability
- Punitive Damages
- Wrongful Death Damages
Not only have we won Billions, including the largest truck accident verdicts and settlements in Texas and across the U.S., but we’ve also fought for — and secured — the futures of thousands of families against the biggest trucking companies in the world. When we fight for you, we won’t stop until the company is held FULLY accountable and you recover everything you deserve.
How Our Texas Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help After Knight-Swift Truck Accident in Texas
From the moment of impact, a trucking company and its lawyers and insurers have but one goal in mind: to protect their bottom line, not yours. They will stop at nothing to discredit your injuries, shift the blame onto you, and pay you as little as possible for all of your injuries and losses.
Only a team with a track record of standing up to the largest trucking companies in the world and not only winning, but setting records, has what it takes to fight for your family. And at Zehl & Associates, it’s why we’re the name trucking companies fear.
From day one, our law firm does whatever it takes to secure the maximum compensation you deserve and stand by you every step of the way.
Here’s how we can help you after a Knight-Swift truck accident:
- We immediately launch a full investigation with leading crash reconstructionists — preserving black box data, obtaining dash cam footage, and securing critical evidence before it can be lost, altered, or destroyed.
- We connect you with the best doctors and medical specialists — even if you don’t have health insurance — so you receive the treatment and care you need without delay or out-of-pocket costs.
- We NEVER settle for less than full compensation — We will always refuse any settlement offer that doesn’t provide our clients with the maximum compensation possible for all of their injuries and losses.
- We prepare every case for trial from the very beginning —If the trucking company refuses to offer a settlement that fully compensates our clients, they will see us in the courtroom, where we remain undefeated.
- We’ve recovered record-breaking verdicts and settlements — including the largest truck accident recoveries in Texas and U.S. history — for accident victims and their families.
- We advance all costs and only get paid if we win your case — meaning you never have to worry about how you’ll afford to fight back.
- We limit the number of cases we take — so every client receives our full resources, attention, and commitment.
- We are here for you around-the-clock — answering your questions, keeping you updated, and making sure you never feel like just another case file.
Our clients aren’t just cases — they are family. When you trust us with your case, you trust us with your future, and we take that responsibility personally. We’ll stand by your side, fight for you like we would for our own, and do whatever it takes to make sure you and your family have the financial security, care, and justice you deserve — no matter how big the trucking company or how dirty their tactics.
Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers: 1-88-603-3636 for a Free Consult
Having recovered the largest verdicts and settlements in history against the biggest trucking companies in the United States, our undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers have the experience, skills and resources to hold trucking companies accountable and ensure that you and your family receive the maximum compensation possible for your injuries and damages.
If you or a loved one were injured in a Knight-Swift truck accident, call us at 1-888-603-3636 for a free consultation or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us page.
We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and provide you with the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.
We proudly serve Harris County, Midland County, and throughout the state of Texas. We are located in Houston and Midland and throughout the state of Texas:
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Houston
2700 Post Oak Blvd #1000, Houston, TX 77056
(888) 603-3636
Open 24 hours
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Midland
306 W Wall St Suite 701, Midland, TX 79701
(432) 220-0000
Open 24 hours