The biggest factor affecting the number of accidents a particular trucking company is involved in yearly is the number of vehicle-miles driven. For the UPS delivery service, that is a huge number. With more than 120,000 trucks and other vehicles on the road, UPS has about six times as many vehicles as FedEx.

UPS (its formal legal name is still United Parcel Service, Inc.) traces its corporate roots to the American Messenger Co. delivery service founded in Seattle in 1907. After expanding into California after World War I and switching from message delivery by foot and bicycle to package delivery by motor vehicles, the company changed its name to United Parcel Service. The company expanded to the East Coast by the 1930s and added air delivery to its services. By the early 1970s, UPS provided service throughout the United States and began international services.

Currently, UPS has nearly half a million employees and annual revenues of more than $70 billion. Its brown-and-yellow logo is instantly familiar.

UPS has a satisfactory safety rating with federal regulators. Nevertheless, due to its extensive operations, encompassing over 3 billion road miles traveled in the United States every year, accidents will eventually occur. Consequently, UPS presently records an average of approximately 24 fatal accidents annually in the U.S., along with about 500 accidents resulting in severe injuries.

Additionally, the types of large trucks operated by UPS are more likely to cause serious injuries or deaths when crashes occur. These large vehicles are much more challenging to stop and steer at high freeway speeds.

Compared with FedEx, UPS employs almost all its truck drivers. These drivers are expected to make their long-distance deliveries on time, and this pressure can result in some of them working too many hours, getting too little rest, and, as a result, being less safe behind the wheel. Though prominent trucking firms such as UPS generally implement comprehensive and efficient driver training programs, based on their accumulated experience of recognizing the perils associated with the absence of such programs, there are instances where these companies may exhibit less effectiveness in ensuring strict adherence to their training protocols and safety regulations by their drivers.

For companies such as UPS, which directly employ their drivers instead of relying on numerous contractors, the accountability for injuries and fatalities resulting from these drivers’ negligence is notably direct.

The following video shows a scary moment when a UPS truck accidentally rolled backward in a neighborhood.

Trucking accident personal injury claims involving United Parcel Service (UPS) trucks frequently have a notably higher valuation than other traffic-related injury claims. This is attributed to several factors, including the severity of the injuries sustained, the substantial insurance coverage available, and the corporate stature of UPS itself.

The biggest factor in valuing a personal injury is the severity of the injury itself. Because accidents involving trucks such as those operated by UPS are more likely to cause death or significant injuries (due to the size of the trucks and the difficulties they have in braking and maneuvering), the incidents often cause more severe injuries and death, directly resulting in larger average settlements and verdicts.

Furthermore, when dealing with a prominent corporation like UPS, there is no risk of insufficient insurance coverage regarding claims related to severe injuries or fatalities. This contrast can frequently be observed when dealing with smaller businesses, where personal liability insurance and liability policies may not provide adequate coverage. UPS, being a substantial company, boasts substantial financial resources.

Additionally, the sheer size and fame of a company like United Parcel Service mean that jurors are more likely to award larger verdict amounts to victims of negligent UPS drivers – and the size of those verdicts similarly impact those claims against UPS that are settled at earlier stages of litigation.

Lawyers accustomed to dealing with typical car accident cases might not possess the requisite expertise and experience to effectively manage claims involving severe injuries and fatalities arising from collisions with trucking companies like United Parcel Service (UPS). Such cases involve delving into numerous intricate facets and pursuing different legal avenues.

Major trucking companies will typically maintain extensive records on their drivers, including driver training, accident, and driving records, that must be thoroughly examined to determine if they have been adequately trained and supervised by the company.

Furthermore, sizeable commercial trucks commonly gather driving and accident data using GPS systems, onboard sensors, and recording devices. These sources offer various means of establishing the accident’s particulars, including speed, travel direction, braking occurrences, and the driver’s hours on the road leading up to the incident.

Severe accident cases involving trucking companies such as UPS typically demand extensive investigation and thorough document examination, far beyond the scope of routine car crash cases.

As with any traffic accident, look after yourself and the other people involved. Call for help from law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel.

Be sure to make contact with the police officers who investigate the accident. Often, large trucking accidents may involve numerous vehicles and many people, and determining just how the accident occurred can be more difficult for investigators than with typical accident cases — be sure the police get an accurate statement from you and your passengers about how it seemed to you that the accident happened.

Be careful about making statements about the accident and your injuries to anyone else. Many times, the trucking company will promptly start interviewing other drivers and witnesses. If it was a serious enough crash to make the news, you might be contacted by news reporters. Alternatively, if numerous individuals sustained injuries during the incident, you may receive inquiries from other attorneys representing the injured victims. In such cases, seeking legal counsel from an attorney who prioritizes safeguarding your interests is strongly advisable.

If you or a family member is injured in an accident involving a United Parcel Service truck, be sure to seek help from an experienced personal injury attorney. These trucking cases are often more complex and challenging to resolve than common car crash incidents. Our legal team has handled major personal injury cases, including trucking accidents involving companies like UPS, since 1982. Call our seasoned injury attorneys today for free, friendly advice at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.

^{Editor’s Note: updated 11.27.23 Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash gm cha [cs 1108]}