SEWARD MOTOR FREIGHT INC

DOT# 73148 MC# 85718 DUNS# 51254191 Seward, NE Authorized For-Hire
(402) 643-4503 ehelge@sewardmotor.com 970 280th Road, Seward NE 68434
49 tractors · all owned 31 drivers 3M mi/yr · ~62k per unit
Strong
FRED Score 85.9 / 100
Moderate confidence
52 yrs history · 45 roadside inspections

FMCSA Live Status

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Fleet & equipment

Power units
49
Drivers · CDL
31 · 0
Annual miles
3M
Type Own Term Trip Total
Trucks 0 0 0 0
Tractors 49 0 0 49
Trailers 190 0 0 190

Registration

Organization
CORPORATION
FMCSA Rating
Satisfactory (03-20-2003) · 23 yr old
Registered
06-01-1974 (52 yrs)
MCS-150 Update
09-08-2025 (Biennial Update)
FRED Score Date
Nov 07, 2026
Officer
JOAN F. TANDERUP
Officer
ERICH H. HELGE

Cargo

55.6
medium risk
Metal: Sheets/Coils/Rolls Meat Refrigerated Food General Freight Logs/Poles/Beams/Lumber Building Materials Beverages Grain/Feed/Hay US Mail Dry Bulk Paper Products Construction
High-Risk Cargo
General Freight, Refrigerated Food, Meat

Note: "General Freight" is a catch-all; the actual cargo mix and its risk may differ.

Estimated from the commodity types reported to FMCSA, not from loss history or the true cargo mix.

Expected crash rate is probably lower than similar fleets (about a 90% chance), but the record is too thin to say by how much.

Similar fleets: for-hire fleets of 20–49 trucks with the same kind of operation, years in business and amount of road activity. Compared using its own crash record and roadside inspections.

This motor carrier 0.64×
ExcellentStrongSatisf.MarginalPoorCritical
▲ Similar fleets 1.0×
Expected crashes, next 12 months
1.1 vs 1.7 for similar fleets
Likely 0–3 crashes
This motor carrier
1.1
Similar fleets
1.7
Chance of a fatal crash, next 12 months
~3%
Below similar fleets.
What's driving the grade
Crash history
betterworse
Leans better, not yet proven. 0 crashes on the FMCSA record in 24 months; similar fleets have about 1.7 a year. The grade counts 3 crashes in its 36-month scoring window, recent ones weighted most.
Roadside inspections
betterworse
Mixed. Unsafe-driving and hours-of-service violations 1.54× the rate expected for its inspections, but violations 0.59× and out-of-service orders 0.67×. Together they barely move its crash estimate: roadside results weigh far less than crash history.

Worth a closer look

From the FMCSA record. The grade already counts the safety items; insurance filings and links to other motor carriers are not in it.

  • Lights and tires
    Lights are 6 of 33 violations (18%). Light or tire defects led to 5 out-of-service orders.
    Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
Strengths
  • No reportable crashes in 24 months.
  • Driver out-of-service rate 2.2% vs 6.7% national.
  • No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
Data flags
  • High speeding: 5

Track record

FMCSA record, Oct 2024 – Sep 2026 · grade scored on Sep 1, 2023 → Sep 30, 2026
Crashes
0
0 fatalities · 0 injuries · 0 tow-aways
Inspections
45
58% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
29.4%
5 of 17
National avg 22.3%
Driver out-of-service
2.2%
1 of 45
National avg 6.7%
Violations
33
6 out-of-service
Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 6 inspections, 1 out of service 6 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 5 inspections, 0 out of service 5 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 6 inspections, 0 out of service 6 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 3 inspections, 0 out of service 3 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 4 inspections, 2 out of service 4 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 10 inspections, 0 out of service 10 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 8 inspections, 2 out of service 8 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 3 inspections, 1 out of service 3 Q3 '26
vs 11,996 peer fleets
This motor carrierPeers
Crashes 0.000 0.027
Inspections 0.71 1.02
Violations 0.34 0.71
Critical violations 0.10 0.14

Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: 20–49 power units, medium-risk cargo.

What they get cited for

33 violations · 24 months
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    14 · 5 OOS
    Lights 6 · Tires 4 · Brakes 3 · Other parts 1
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    12 · 0 OOS
    Reckless / lane 6 · Speeding 5 · Seat belt 1
  • Hours of service No alert
    7 · 1 OOS
    Logbook / ELD paperwork 5 · No log 1 · Over hours limit 1
  • Driver fitness No alert
    0
  • Drugs & alcohol No alert
    0
Out-of-service violations “No alert” = under FMCSA's BASIC intervention threshold

Violations by quarter

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No violation trend data

Crashes

24 months

No reportable crashes on the FMCSA record in the last 24 months.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through Nov 2, 2026
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Liability (BIPD)
$1,000,000 · Great West Casualty Co
on record since Jun 11, 2014 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since Jun 1987
Cargo filing
on file · Great West Casualty Co since Jan 12, 2007
Broker or forwarder bond
required · none on file
36 months to Nov 2, 2026
  • One liability insurer throughout
  • No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required

Operating authority active (FMCSA's new registration system, status since Jun 9, 2026)

Who insures fleets like this →

FMCSA filings only, not a policy audit. Not part of the FRED grade. Wrong or out of date?

Where it happens

Loading map data…
Inspections by state
  • Nebraska (HQ) 10
  • Kansas 7
  • Iowa 5
  • Missouri 5
  • Tennessee 5
  • Illinois 4
  • Indiana 2
  • Wisconsin 2

22% of inspections were in its home state.