Why Landstar · Safety
A good rate means nothing if the freight doesn’t arrive in one piece. Here’s how loads I book through the Landstar network are protected, and how you can check any carrier’s safety record yourself, Landstar’s included.
The record
Freight in the Landstar network moves with independent owner-operators, known as BCOs, and with qualified outside truck carriers. Both have to meet Landstar’s safety and insurance standards before they haul a load, and keep meeting them to stay. Every Landstar agency, Landstar Agency AFG included, also has a Landstar Safety Officer (LSO) on staff to support customers’ safety programs.
Landstar tracks DOT-reportable accidents for every million miles its owner-operators drive. Its 2022 sustainability report shows 0.62, and 0.18 for accidents that were preventable, against a national average of 0.96 for all motor carriers. Landstar’s rate was well below that average in each of the five years the report covers.
The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA), the heavy-haul and rigging industry group, has given Landstar its fleet safety award for the lowest accident frequency among fleets running more than 100 million miles in several years, including 2024 and 2025.
Protection
Safety isn’t one thing. It’s who drives, what they drive, how the freight is secured and who keeps an eye on it.
Owner-operators have to meet Landstar’s driver, safety and insurance requirements before they join. Those who drive a million consecutive miles for Landstar without a preventable accident are honored as Million Mile Safe Drivers; about 1,000 are active.
Trucks and trailers leased to Landstar are inspected every 120 days at Landstar-approved facilities. Federal rules only require a yearly inspection.
Landstar is certified in C-TPAT and FAST, the border security programs for trusted shippers and carriers, and I hold TSA certification for security-sensitive and air cargo.
Canada & MexicoHazmat loads go with hazmat-endorsed drivers, correct shipping papers and placards, and Landstar’s safety standards behind them.
HazmatFood and beverage loads follow the FSMA Sanitary Transportation rule: clean, suitable equipment and controlled temperatures.
Food-grade & FSMAI book the carrier, track the load and keep you posted, so there’s one person to call if anything changes on the road.
Before you book
Whoever you work with, these are the questions worth asking. You can start with Landstar: look up MC # 166960 on FMCSA’s SAFER website.
Landstar reports a DOT accident rate well below the national average: 0.62 DOT-reportable accidents per million miles in its 2022 sustainability report, against an FMCSA national average of 0.96 for all motor carriers in 2021. It has also won the SC&RA fleet safety award for the lowest accident frequency among fleets over 100 million miles in several years.
A Landstar owner-operator who has driven one million consecutive miles for Landstar without a preventable accident. Landstar honors new ones every year, and about 1,000 are active.
An independent owner-operator leased to Landstar, or a qualified outside truck carrier. Either way, the carrier has to meet Landstar’s safety and insurance standards, and I book and track the load from pickup to delivery.
Carriers in the Landstar network carry the liability and cargo insurance Landstar requires. Coverage limits vary, so tell me the value of the freight when you ask for a quote, especially for high-value loads, and I’ll confirm the coverage before booking.
Use FMCSA’s SAFER website. Search by MC or USDOT number to see operating status, safety rating, inspections and crashes. You can look up Landstar Ranger, Inc. with MC # 166960.
Safety figures are as reported by Landstar for the years stated and may have changed since. They describe the Landstar network as a whole, not a guarantee for any single load. Disclaimer
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