Werner Enterprises - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Werner Enterprises is Medium Risk.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Werner received a score of 20 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Code of Corporate Conduct require[s] international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (3). However, Werner has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (4).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Werner does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Werner appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Director Selection Guidelines and Recommendation Policy: “The Board considers it desirable if potential candidates complement and contribute to the Board’s overall diversity and composition… the Board broadly construes diversity to mean an array of opinions, perspectives, skills, personal and professional experiences and backgrounds and other attributes including gender, race and ethnic diversity” (1). The company operates a supplier diversity program. “In 2023, as a part of continuous improvement, we worked hard to revamp, formalize and expand our Supplier Diversity Program.” (2). Werner does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Werner supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI Partner (1). From its 2023 CSR Report: “Diversity contributes to innovation and connection to the many communities we service. We commit to embracing these values as we move forward toward an increasingly inclusive culture” (2). In 2025, Werner rebranded its DEI language as Inclusion; however, it remains unclear whether the underlying divisive corporate policies and practices materially changed following the rebrand (3). Werner supports ESG within its business practices. From its ESG Overview webpage: “Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives help us better communicate successes and progress to associates, customers, shareholders, suppliers and the general public and help us identify new areas of focus for further improvement” (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Werner has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Werner has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes and does not report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).