Commercial truck crashes make up a significant number of the injuries on United States roadways. The following statistics come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Commercial Truck Crash Statistics
In 2014, 3,978 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes.
On average, from 2004 to 2014, intercity buses accounted for 13 percent, and school buses and transit buses accounted for 41 percent and 33 percent, respectively, of all buses involved in fatal crashes.
Of the approximately 411,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2014, 3,424 (1 percent) resulted in at least one fatality, and 82,000 (20 percent) resulted in at least one nonfatal injury.
Single-vehicle crashes (including crashes that involved a bicyclist, pedestrian, nonmotorized vehicle, etc.) made up 21 percent of all fatal crashes, 14 percent of all injury crashes, and 23 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks in 2014.
The majority (63 percent) of fatal large truck crashes involved two vehicles.
Thirty-seven percent of all fatal crashes, 19 percent of all injury crashes, and 20 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks occurred at night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am).
The vast majority of fatal crashes (84 percent) and nonfatal crashes (88 percent) involving large trucks occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
In 2014, 30 percent of work zone fatal crashes and 9 percent of work zone injury crashes involved at least one large truck.
On average, there were 1.14 fatalities in fatal crashes involving large trucks. In the majority of those crashes (90 percent), there was only one fatality.
Causation for Commercial Truck Crashes
In 2007, the FMCSA published a comprehensive study of the causes of commercial trucking crashes. Some of the findings are below:
| Critical Reasons | Number of Trucks | Percent of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 68,000 | 87% |
| Non-Performance | 9,000 | 12% |
| Recognition | 22,000 | 28% |
| Decision | 30,000 | 38% |
| Performance | 7,000 | 9% |
| Vehicle | 8,000 | 10% |
| Environment | 2,000 | 3% |
| Total Number of Large Trucks Coded with Critical Reason | 78,000 | 100% |
| Total Number of Large Trucks Not Coded with Critical Reason | 63,000 | — |
| Total Number of Large Trucks Involved in Crashes | 141,000 | — |
| Factors | Number of Trucks | Percent of Total | Relative Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle: Brake problems | 41,000 | 29% | 2.7 |
| Driver: Traveling too fast for conditions | 32,000 | 23% | 7.7 |
| Driver: Unfamiliar with roadway | 31,000 | 22% | 2.0 |
| Environment: Roadway problems | 29,000 | 20% | 1.5 |
| Driver: Over-the-counter drug use | 25,000 | 17% | 1.3 |
| Driver: Inadequate surveillance | 20,000 | 14% | 9.3 |
| Driver: Fatigue | 18,000 | 13% | 8.0 |
| Driver: Felt under work pressure from carrier | 16,000 | 10% | 4.7 |
| Driver: Made illegal maneuver | 13,000 | 9% | 26.4 |
| Driver: Inattention | 12,000 | 9% | 17.1 |
| Driver: External distraction | 11,000 | 8% | 5.1 |
| Vehicle: Tire problems | 8,000 | 6% | 2.5 |
| Driver: Following too close | 7,000 | 5% | 22.6 |
| Driver: Jackknife | 7,000 | 5% | 4.7 |
| Vehicle: Cargo shift | 6,000 | 4% | 56.3 |
| Driver: Illness | 4,000 | 3% | 34.0 |
| Driver: Internal distraction | 3,000 | 2% | 5.8 |
| Driver: Illegal drugs | 3,000 | 2% | 1.8 |
| Driver: Alcohol | 1,000 | 1% | 5.3 |
If you or a loved one has been injured by a commercial truck, Bennett Injury Law immediately for a free consultation.
