Semi-truck accidents remain a significant public safety concern on U.S. roadways, and key federal data emphasizes the scale and complexity of the problem.
Every year, large trucks are involved in around 140,000 crashes, many of which cause fatalities.
This study will consider which U.S. states suffer the biggest truck crash problems, which types of trucks are most involved, what causes the high annual numbers of truck crashes, and where and when the crashes occur.
Before we dig into the specific details, let’s first consider some broad statistics around truck crashes in the U.S. between 2021 and 2025.
U.S. Semi Truck Crashes: 2021 to 2025
Between 2021 and 2025, semi-truck crashes accounted for a significant share of serious U.S. road accidents. The scale of the issue confirms the extent to which large commercial vehicles are a key traffic safety factor.
Over the five years in question, large commercial vehicles were the key factor in crashes involving 823,600 vehicles. In total, just under 767,000 fatal and non–fatal crashes involving semi-trucks were reported, causing approximately 362,400 reported injuries and nearly 24,800 fatalities. These high numbers clearly illustrate the heightened severity associated with collisions involving large trucks.
While 745,000 incidents and 798,800 vehicles involved non-fatal crashes, there were also 22,100 fatal crash cases involving 24,700 vehicles over the five years: an average of over 4,400 deadly crashes per year involving semi-trucks.
The numbers tell us that, while most truck-related crashes are survivable, they frequently result in injuries, property damage, and long-term physical and financial consequences.
Viewed cumulatively, these figures demonstrate that semi-truck crashes remain a persistent public safety issue. The combination of high vehicle involvement, hundreds of thousands of injuries, and tens of thousands of deaths over a short five-year window emphatically confirms the disproportionate risk large commercial vehicles represent due to their size, weight, braking distance, and prevalence on American roads.
This collective data provides the critical context needed by traffic safety overseers and policymakers so they can understand the ongoing safety challenges associated with semi-truck traffic.
And, it underscores the importance of sustained efforts regarding crash prevention, enforcement, infrastructure planning, and commercial vehicle safety regulation.
It’s also important to understand where the large truck accident hotspots are. The following data confirms which states have the largest truck crash issues.
Top 10 States for Large Truck Crashes
Large truck crashes in 2025 were heavily concentrated across a relatively small group of states, reflecting an uneven distribution of freight traffic, interstate travel, and commercial vehicle activity across the United States.
Texas reported the highest number of large trucks involved in crashes in 2025. The state’s posted figures of 17,436 vehicles were far in excess of any other state’s numbers, and clearly confirmed the scale of commercial trucking on Texan roads and highways.
California was the state involved in the next highest number of large truck crashes (9,484), while Georgia (8,663) and Pennsylvania (6,608) also ranked among the states with the highest levels of large-truck crash involvement.
Other major freight and transportation hubs (including Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana) recorded over 5,000 large truck crashes on state roads, confirming that high traffic volumes, extensive road systems, high population density, and key logistics corridors are consistent factors in crash hotspots.
Collectively, these top-ranking states account for a significant share of the country’s large truck crash numbers. Clearly, U.S. commercial vehicle crash risk is concentrated as opposed to evenly distributed.
While raw totals don’t adjust for truck miles traveled or population size, the numbers do provide critical insight into where large-truck crash exposure is most prevalent and where safety interventions, enforcement efforts, and infrastructure investments could deliver the greatest potential impact.
Overall, these figures reinforce the continued importance of addressing large truck safety, with freight movement a core part of the U.S. transportation system.
We’ve measured which states feature the highest involvement of large trucks in crashes. Now, let’s turn our attention to the states that feature the most fatalities caused by large trucks.
Top 10 States For Fatal Large Truck Crashes
Fatal crashes involving large trucks in the United States are unequally distributed and cluster heavily in a small group of states that serve as critical arteries for commercial freight and long-haul transport.
Texas once again stands out. The state’s 538 large–truck–related fatalities are by far the highest in the U.S., and underscore the risks associated with operating and sharing roads in one of the nation’s busiest trucking corridors.
Second– and third–placed Georgia (180) and California (175) both suffered significant fatalities, with dense traffic, sprawling metropolitan regions, and constant freight movement along major interstate routes being major factors.
Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, and Oklahoma also rank in the top ten. Their combined presence further indicates a pattern in which Southern and Midwestern states dominate the top tier of large-truck crash fatalities.
All top-ranking states are heavily populated and are key parts of the United States’ logistical economic backbone, with extensive and incessantly busy highways designed to move goods quickly across regions.
Yet these commercial thoroughfares are also key passenger vehicle corridors, increasing the chances of a truck being involved in an accident with a much smaller vehicle, and increasing the likelihood that crashes, when they occur, result in catastrophic outcomes.
Large trucks require long stopping distances, feature significant blind spots, and often travel long hours under tight delivery schedules. All these factors can compound the risk of a crash on congested or poorly maintained roadways.
The data suggests that fatal large truck crashes are not usually due to isolated incidents, but to systemic exposure tied to freight activity, road design, and overall traffic volume.
As freight demand continues to rise and U.S. roads become increasingly crowded, the concentration of fatalities in the aforementioned states raises important questions about infrastructure investment, truck safety regulations, and enforcement efforts.
Ultimately, the data illustrates a sobering reality: in the states where commerce moves fastest and farthest, the human cost of large truck crashes remains disproportionately high.
In terms of a share of large truck crashes, study data suggests that rural areas come out ahead of urban environments, despite featuring lower volumes of traffic.
Large Truck Crashes: Rural vs. Urban Areas
An analysis of 2023 large–truck crash data reveals that, over the year, 56% of large truck crashes occurred in rural settings, with 3,002 large trucks involved in crashes on rural roads, and 2,359 in urban areas. This imbalance highlights how crash risk for large trucks is not just a matter of busy roads and congestion, but also involves rural road conditions, such as higher speed limits, long uninterrupted stretches of highway, poor lighting, and limited access to emergency services.
While urban areas often present their own specific truck hazards, such as dense traffic and complex driving environments, rural roads amplify crash severity when incidents occur. Trucks traveling at highway speeds on rural interstates, state routes, and freight corridors face conditions that increase the likelihood of high-impact crashes.
According to this dataset, large truck safety risks are disproportionately concentrated in rural America. This means that targeted safety measures must prioritize rural freight routes, across which crashes are more likely to result in serious or fatal outcomes.
When we say ‘large truck,’ we’re referring to a broad spectrum of truck types. It’s worth considering which truck types are most involved in fatal accidents to find out which represents the highest statistical danger factor.
Van and enclosed box trucks are involved in more fatal crashes (1,569) than any other cargo type. Yet it’s worth pointing out that such high figures are more indicative of the number of vehicles on the road and the amount of miles covered than implicit vehicle danger.
For example, box trucks are one of the most common commercial vehicles in the U.S., and routinely operate in urban and suburban settings. Box trucks are as familiar a sight in residential zones as they are in commercial districts: as such, they’re often in close proximity to passenger vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Unlike long-haul tractor-trailers that primarily travel on interstates, box trucks often frequently stop, execute tight turns, and operate on roads not designed for large commercial vehicles. These combined factors increase the likelihood of a fatality during a crash.
Beyond box trucks, flatbed trucks, commonly used for hauling construction materials, heavy equipment, and oversized loads, often travel on high-speed highways or industrial corridors and may carry unsecured or shifting cargo that can exacerbate crash circumstances.
Dump trucks heavily feature around construction zones, work sites, and developing roadways, environments already associated with abrupt lane shifts, low visibility, and variable traffic conditions.
Cargo tank vehicles, which carry liquids and hazardous materials, represent unique stability challenges due to their shifting loads. This increases the likelihood of a rollover and can worsen crash severity, particularly on curves or during sudden maneuvers.
The dataset also attributes a significant number of fatal crashes to ‘Other/unknown’ cargo types, suggesting that many fatal incidents involve mixed-use or unclassifiable vehicles.
Other cargo types (auto transporters, log trucks, grain haulers, and intermodal container chassis) appear infrequently in datasets. Yet even in low numbers, their presence underscores the diverse range of commercial vehicles that share U.S. roadways, and the varied conditions under which fatal crashes occur.
(Important to note: these figures represent fatal crashes, not the number of people killed, and are not adjusted for fleet size, miles traveled, or traffic volume. As a result, cargo types that are more prevalent and operate in high-conflict traffic environments naturally appear more often in fatal crash records.)
The overall data tells us that fatal crashes involving large trucks are caused less by the type of cargo being hauled and more by how often, where, and under what conditions certain trucks operate. This raises critical questions about urban road design, construction-zone safety, commercial vehicle oversight, and the growing presence of delivery and freight trucks in everyday traffic.
Distracted drivers are another danger factor we need to consider when we look at truck accident statistics.
The Distracted Truck Driver Factor
While comprehensive national data specifically measuring truck drivers crashing while using their phones are limited, broader 2023 traffic data confirms that distracted driving was a measurable factor in fatal crashes, including those involving large trucks.
According to federal data, in 2023, an estimated 3,275 deaths were due to distracted driving, around 8% of all U.S. fatal crashes. In those distraction-affected fatalities, nearly 400 involved cellphone use at the time of the crash — about 12% of distraction–related fatal crashes overall.
While these figures reflect all distracted crashes (not just those involving large trucks), past FMCSA research has shown that truck drivers using a cellphone are disproportionately likely to be involved in a collision.
Additionally, texting while driving dramatically increases the risk of a collision by more than 20-fold (according to some estimates) compared to driving attentively.
These patterns suggest that distraction behind the wheel (including the use of mobile phones) is a critical safety issue for commercial drivers, and contributes to a substantial share of serious and fatal crashes on U.S. roads.
Of all crashes involving large trucks on American roads, the majority occur on working weekdays, as the following dataset underlines.
The Days Of The Week That Feature Most U.S. Truck Crashes
A close examination of large truck fatalities by the day on which they occur reveals that deadly crashes are not evenly distributed across time, and follow a predictable pattern aligned with commercial freight activity and weekday travel.
Over the period during which 3,596 large truck fatalities were recorded, Wednesday marginally stood out as the deadliest day, accounting for 616 deaths (17.1% of the total).
This midweek peak was closely followed by Tuesday (604 fatalities, 16.8%), Monday (596 fatalities, 16.6%), and Thursday (592 fatalities, 16.5%), forming a sustained four-day core working period of elevated risk.
Combined, nearly two-thirds of all fatal large-truck crashes occur between Monday and Friday, emphasizing how the overlap of freight delivery schedules, commuter traffic, and long-haul trucking creates prolonged periods of condensed activity on the nation’s roadways.
While Friday remains a high-risk day (563 fatalities), the slight decline compared to prior weekday numbers reflects shifts in delivery patterns and fewer commuters on roads later in the working day.
Weekend figures account for a markedly smaller share of fatal outcomes, with Saturday recording 344 deaths (9.6%) and Sunday just 281 (7.8%). Clearly, large-truck fatality risk is driven far more by weekday economic activity than by recreational travel.
The pronounced concentration of fatalities between Tuesday and Thursday confirms that risk intensifies as the working week progresses. Growing driver fatigue, extended hours behind the wheel, tightening delivery deadlines, and increasing congestion on major freight corridors are all key factors.
Unlike passenger-vehicle crashes, which spike during weekends or holidays, large-truck fatalities are tied to routine commerce windows, when trucks and passenger vehicles share the road for long stretches at high speeds.
Additionally, urban delivery routes, construction zones, and logistics hubs are all far more active during weekdays, increasing the likelihood that weekday crashes will involve large commercial vehicles and result in severe or fatal outcomes.
These combined findings highlight the importance of targeted safety strategies during peak weekday periods. They include fatigue management, enforcement planning, infrastructure planning, and traffic-flow design, particularly in regions subject to heavy freight movement.
Ultimately, weekdays – when America’s supply chain operates at full capacity – are when the human cost of large-truck crashes is at its highest.
While we’re pinpointing the periods that involve the highest level of truck crash danger, it’s also worth considering which times of day represent the highest level of risk.
Riskiest Times of Day For Truck Crashes
Study data confirms that midday and afternoon hours pose the greatest risk for truck drivers (not overnight driving hours, as is often assumed).
The deadliest window occurs between 12 pm–2:59 pm (907 fatalities), followed closely by 3 pm–5:59 pm (833 deaths) and 9 am–11:59 am (825 deaths). These peak periods align with heavy freight movement and congested roadways, when fatigue can begin to set in, and driving can be incremental and stressful.
Morning hours (6 am–8:59 am) also feature a substantial number of fatalities (758), reflecting the overlap between commercial trucking and commuter traffic.
By contrast, fatal crash numbers fall during evening and overnight hours, with fewer incidents occurring after 6 pm and the lowest counts recorded late at night.
Overall, the data suggest that fatal crash risk for truck drivers is at its highest during peak operating hours, highlighting the dangers of everyday freight schedules and daytime traffic conditions.
And when we look at driver risk, specific age groups are more susceptible to danger than others.
The Truck Drivers Most At Risk
Study data reveals that truck driver fatalities are overwhelmingly concentrated among working-age adults, with a quarter of the 3,596 large truck fatalities suffered by drivers in the 36–45 age range (911 deaths, 25.3%). This highlights the extent to which crash risk is a matter of occupational exposure, time spent behind the wheel, and the demands of freight transportation.
For drivers in this age range, a driver’s career is at its busy peak, with a high likelihood of long hours, tight schedules, and activity during all danger periods, compounding crash risk.
Drivers aged 46–55 are also highly susceptible to danger (821 fatal crash involvements, 22.8%), while those aged 56–65 accounted for a significant 765 fatalities (21.3%). Together, these three age groups comprise nearly 70% of all fatal large–truck crashes, confirming the high-risk factor that a truck driver’s mid-career years represent, with heavy workloads and long driving hours on busy roads the norm.
By factoring in younger drivers aged 26–35 (721 fatal crashes, 20.1%), we can see the total share of fatal large-truck crashes involving drivers aged 26-65 is nearly 90%.
Smaller shares of fatal crash totals include drivers aged under 26 (291 deaths, 8.1%), drivers aged 66–75 (269 deaths, 7.5%), and those aged 76 and older (44 fatalities, 1.2%).
This sharp drop at both ends of the age spectrum suggests that fatal large-truck crashes are a matter of exposure: time spent at the wheel under specific working conditions.
Clearly, working-age truck drivers are far more likely to be on the road during peak freight hours and to extensively navigate congested interstates, construction zones, and urban delivery routes.
They’re also more likely to undertake long overnight drives, all of which elevates the risk of severe crashes. And because fatal large truck crashes disproportionately involve drivers in their prime working years, the consequences are often far-reaching, impacting families, employers, supply chains, and communities that depend on the safe movement of goods.
Each fatal crash represents a tragedy but also a disruption to economic stability, workforce continuity, and public safety.
Large Truck Safety In The United States
Semi-truck crashes continue to represent one of the most serious and complex public safety challenges on U.S. roadways, with recent federal data underscoring their scale and significance.
Between 2021 and 2025, nearly 767,000 fatal and non–fatal crashes involving semi–trucks involving more than 823,600 vehicles were reported, illustrating how frequently large commercial vehicles intersect with everyday passenger traffic.
While the vast majority of these crashes were non-fatal, their consequences were often severe. Over the five-year study period, semi-truck crashes resulted in approximately 362,400 reported injuries and nearly 24,800 deaths: an average of more than 4,400 fatal crashes per year.
And with the death toll higher than it was a decade earlier, it’s clear that the growing risk posed by heavy commercial vehicles demands evolving measures.
Large truck crashes in 2025 were heavily concentrated across a relatively small group of states, reflecting an uneven distribution of freight traffic, interstate travel, and commercial vehicle activity across the U.S.
Major freight corridors and logistics hubs consistently account for a disproportionate share of large truck crashes and fatalities. In 2025, Texas reported more than 17,400 crashes involving large trucks (far exceeding any other state), followed by California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
These same states also rank among the deadliest for large truck crashes, reflecting how dense highway networks, long-haul freight movement, and high traffic volumes place commercial trucks and passenger vehicles in constant proximity. Such data could be used to specify and pinpoint targeted safety interventions.
Other key takeaway data includes the fact that, in 2023, 56% of large–truck crashes occurred in rural areas, despite lower overall traffic volumes, highlighting the dangers posed by higher speeds, long uninterrupted stretches of roadway, limited lighting, and delayed emergency response.
Fatal crashes also cluster during predictable economic activity windows. Midday and afternoon hours consistently record the highest crash counts, while weekdays account for nearly two-thirds of all fatal large-truck crashes.
And nearly 90% of fatal large–truck crashes involve drivers aged 26 to 65, with the highest concentration among those in their mid-career years, when long hours, tight delivery schedules, and sustained highway travel are most common.
Cargo type adds another layer of context: van and enclosed box trucks appear most frequently in fatal crash records, largely due to their pervasive presence in dense urban and suburban environments where conflict points are highest. Distracted driving accounted for approximately 8% of all traffic fatalities, with nearly 400 deaths involving cellphone use.
So, truck safety in the U.S. involves multiple elements. As freight demand continues to grow and roadways become increasingly congested, this study highlights the urgency of sustained investments in infrastructure, enforcement, vehicle technology, and driver safety policies. Without targeted, data-driven interventions in key trucking regions, the human and economic costs will remain elevated.
DeMayo Law Offices understands that your mind goes in different directions after an injury. You may be thinking, how will I provide for my family?
How can I afford the medical bills that are constantly rolling in? Will I ever be able to work again? The experienced personal injury attorneys at DeMayo Law Offices in North and South Carolina want to help to ease those concerns so you can focus solely on your recovery. Because, after all, that is what is most important.
