Explore verified statistics on large truck crashes, fatal accidents, injuries, commercial trucking safety, state comparisons, and national truck accident trends.
According to the latest available U.S. large truck crash statistics, NHTSA reports that 5,340 people were killed and an estimated 161,201 people were injured in traffic crashes involving large trucks in 2024. That year, an estimated 548,521 large trucks (vehicles, not crashes) were involved in police-reported crashes, including 5,218 trucks in fatal crashes. NHTSA's early estimate for 2025 projects 4,982 deaths in crashes involving at least one large truck, about 7% fewer than 2024. No truck-specific 2026 totals have been published yet.
Large trucks move most of the freight Americans depend on, but when a crash involves one, the people hurt are often occupants of passenger vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists rather than the truck driver. Federal crash data help researchers, policymakers, and families understand how often these crashes happen and who is affected. Reading the numbers correctly matters: counts of crashes, vehicles, and people measure different things, and a truck's involvement in a crash does not mean the truck driver caused it. Each figure below names its source, reporting year, and whether it is final, annual-report, or an early estimate.
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks (DOT HS 813 816, June 2026); NHTSA, Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories in 2025 (DOT HS 813 829, July 2026).
2025: Only an early estimate exists. NHTSA projects 4,982 deaths in crashes involving at least one large truck in 2025, down about 7% from 5,340 in 2024. Detailed 2025 breakdowns (injuries, trucks involved, states, road user types) have not yet been released.
2026: No large-truck-specific 2026 figures have been published. Available 2026 numbers cover all traffic deaths only and are shown below for context.
| Measure (All Traffic Deaths, Not Truck-Specific) | Estimate | Change | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All motor vehicle traffic fatalities | 36,640 | −6.7% vs. 2024 | 2025 (early estimate) | NHTSA |
| All motor vehicle traffic fatalities | 7,770 | −4.3% vs. Q1 2025 | Jan–Mar 2026 (early estimate) | NHTSA |
| All motor vehicle deaths (NSC method) | 18,460 | −2% vs. H1 2025 | Jan–Jun 2026 (preliminary) | NSC |
Source: NHTSA, Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate in 2025 (DOT HS 813 800); NHTSA, Early Estimate for the First Quarter of 2026 (DOT HS 813 833, July 2026); National Safety Council preliminary estimate, September 2026. NSC counts deaths using a different definition from NHTSA, so its figures are not directly comparable.
NHTSA defines a large truck as any medium or heavy truck, excluding buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 10,000 pounds, whether used commercially or not. Its most detailed national figures count trucks involved by the most severe outcome of the crash. Because one crash can involve several trucks, these vehicle counts are slightly higher than crash counts.
| Crash Severity | Large Trucks Involved (Vehicles) | Reporting Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| All police-reported traffic crashes | 548,521 | 2024 | NHTSA (FARS/CRSS) |
| Fatal crashes | 5,218 | 2024 | NHTSA (FARS, actual count) |
| Injury crashes | 120,724 | 2024 | NHTSA (CRSS, estimate) |
| Property-damage-only crashes | 422,579 | 2024 | NHTSA (CRSS, estimate) |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Table 1 (FARS 2024 Annual Report File; CRSS 2024).
About 77% of trucks in police-reported crashes were in property-damage-only crashes, and fewer than 1% were in fatal crashes. FMCSA publishes separate crash-level counts that follow slightly different rules, so its totals will not match these figures exactly.
A fatal crash is one crash in which at least one person died within 30 days; fatalities count every person who died. Likewise, an injury crash differs from the number of people injured. The table below counts people.
| Person Type | Killed | Injured (Est.) | Reporting Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large-truck occupants | 920 | 41,454 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Occupants of other vehicles | 3,753 | 116,475 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Nonoccupants (pedestrians, cyclists, others) | 667 | 3,273 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Total people | 5,340 | 161,201 | 2024 | NHTSA |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Table 2; NHTSA, Quick Facts 2024. Deaths are FARS counts; injuries are CRSS estimates.
Most people killed in large-truck crashes were outside the truck. The percentages below share one denominator: all 5,340 deaths in 2024.
| Road User Category | Fatalities | Share of Deaths | Reporting Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large-truck occupants: single-vehicle crashes | 560 | 10% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Large-truck occupants: multivehicle crashes | 360 | 7% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Occupants of other vehicles | 3,753 | 70% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Nonoccupants | 667 | 12% | 2024 | NHTSA |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks. Percentages are rounded independently and may not total 100%.
Size and weight differences help explain this pattern, but being killed in a crash with a truck does not establish who was legally at fault.
Federal data record characteristics of drivers and crashes; they do not establish legal cause. The figures below describe drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes, whether or not they caused the crash, and overlapping categories should not be added together.
| Recorded Characteristic (Large-Truck Drivers in Fatal Crashes) | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher | 4% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Comparison: passenger car drivers at .08+ | 25% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| At least one prior speeding conviction (previous 5 years) | 17.0% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Previously recorded crash (previous 5 years) | 19.3% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Previous license suspension or revocation | 7.2% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Previous DWI conviction | 1.1% | 2024 | NHTSA |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Figures 2–3 (FARS 2024 Annual Report File). Prior records are history, not a cause of the crash in question.
Safety research also examines driver fatigue and hours-of-service compliance, distraction, brake and tire condition, maintenance, cargo securement, weather, and roadway design. IIHS identifies truck braking capability and driver fatigue as known crash risks. This page does not report national percentages for those factors because a consistent, verified 2024–2026 figure was not confirmed for each; we do not rank causes.
Truck type (how the vehicle is built) and crash configuration (how the collision happened) are separate dimensions. "Semi-truck" and "18-wheeler" usually describe tractor-trailers, which are only part of the large-truck category.
| Measure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy trucks (GVWR over 26,000 lb) among large trucks in fatal crashes | 3,578 (69%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Medium trucks (10,001–26,000 lb) among large trucks in fatal crashes | 1,618 (31%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Deaths in crashes involving tractor-trailers | 58% | 2024 | IIHS |
| Deaths in crashes involving single-unit trucks | 37% | 2024 | IIHS |
| Large trucks in fatal crashes that were multivehicle crashes | 80% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Comparison: passenger vehicles in fatal multivehicle crashes | 63% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Two-vehicle fatal crashes: both vehicles frontal impact | 30.7% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Two-vehicle fatal crashes: truck struck in the rear | 22.1% | 2024 | NHTSA |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Tables 1 and 4; IIHS, Fatality Facts 2024: Large Trucks (more than one truck type can be involved in a crash). Two-vehicle figures exclude crashes between two large trucks.
Rear impacts to the truck occurred about three times as often as rear impacts to the other vehicle (22.1% vs. 6.8%). Comparable national counts for rollover and jackknife crashes were not verified and are not shown.
The table ranks states by people killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2024, using one NHTSA dataset for every state.
| Rank | State | Fatalities in Large-Truck Crashes | Large Trucks in Fatal Crashes | Trucks as % of Vehicles in Fatal Crashes | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 720 | 699 | 11.6% | 2024 |
| 2 | California | 391 | 386 | 7.2% | 2024 |
| 3 | Florida | 353 | 342 | 7.4% | 2024 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 205 | 194 | 8.3% | 2024 |
| 5 | Georgia | 197 | 189 | 9.5% | 2024 |
| 6 | Ohio | 174 | 173 | 10.2% | 2024 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 171 | 170 | 9.7% | 2024 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 167 | 162 | 9.7% | 2024 |
| 9 | Illinois | 148 | 144 | 8.6% | 2024 |
| 10 | Indiana | 145 | 145 | 11.4% | 2024 |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Tables 6–7 (FARS 2024 Annual Report File). State-level 2025 data are not yet published.
Raw totals largely reflect population, road mileage, and freight traffic. Fatalities per population or per mile traveled are better risk measures; by share of vehicles, trucks were most prominent in fatal crashes in North Dakota (18.1%), South Dakota (16.9%), and Nebraska (16.6%).
| Location or Timing of Fatal Crashes Involving Large Trucks | Share | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural areas | 56% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Urban areas | 44% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Interstates | 25% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Non-interstate roads | 75% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Work zones | 5% | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Weekdays (6 a.m. Monday to 5:59 p.m. Friday) | 76% | 2024 | NHTSA |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Figure 1 (unknowns excluded).
Three in four fatal large-truck crashes happened off the interstate system. These shares show where crashes occurred, not per-mile risk on each road type. Verified national intersection figures are not shown.
| Year | Large Trucks in Fatal Crashes | Fatalities | Change in Fatalities | People Injured (Est.) | Trucks in Fatal Crashes per 100M Truck Miles | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4,821 | 4,945 | — | 141,613 | 1.62 | Final |
| 2021 | 5,733 | 5,821 | +17.7% | 154,813 | 1.75 | Final |
| 2022 | 5,873 | 5,969 | +2.5% | 160,619 | 1.77 | Final |
| 2023 | 5,382 | 5,478 | −8.2% | 153,486 | 1.63 | Final |
| 2024 | 5,218 | 5,340 | −2.5% | 161,201 | 1.58 | Annual Report File |
| 2025 | Not yet published | 4,982 | −6.7% | Not yet published | Not yet published | Early estimate |
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Large Trucks, Tables 2–3 (FARS, CRSS, FHWA mileage); NHTSA, DOT HS 813 829 (2025 estimate). Percentage change = ((new − previous) ÷ previous) × 100. Data from 2020 onward use NHTSA's vPIC vehicle classification and are not comparable with 2019 and earlier.
Deaths in large-truck crashes rose sharply in 2021, peaked in 2022, and have declined each year since, with a projected 4,982 deaths in 2025 that would be the lowest since 2020. The involvement rate per 100 million large-truck miles also fell from 1.77 in 2022 to 1.58 in 2024, suggesting the decline is not only a result of less truck travel. Injuries moved differently, rising 5% in 2024. The 2025 figure is a projection and may change, and federal data do not identify why the totals changed.
Federal statistics count crashes, vehicles, deaths, and injuries; they do not count insurance claims, personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits, settlements, or verdicts. Many crashes never lead to a claim, and one crash can produce several. A truck's involvement does not establish negligence by the driver, the motor carrier, or anyone else; responsibility depends on the evidence in each case and the governing state law. No reliable national dataset of truck accident lawsuit counts or average settlements is used on this page.
| Organization or Dataset | Statistical Coverage |
|---|---|
| FMCSA | Large truck and bus crash statistics, carrier safety data |
| NHTSA | Motor vehicle crashes, fatalities, and injury estimates |
| FARS | Census of fatal traffic crashes on public roads (death within 30 days) |
| CRSS | Sample-based estimates of police-reported injury and property-damage-only crashes |
| FHWA | Vehicle miles traveled and registered vehicle data used for rates |
| IIHS | Traffic safety analyses, including deaths by truck type |
| BLS | Occupational injury and fatality data for workers, including drivers |
NHTSA's large-truck category covers commercial and non-commercial trucks over 10,000 pounds GVWR, which is not identical to FMCSA's regulatory "commercial motor vehicle" definition. FARS fatality figures are actual counts; injury and nonfatal crash figures are statistical estimates. The newest year is first released as an Annual Report File and finalized about a year later, and early estimates are projections that NHTSA revises. FMCSA counts some crashes differently, such as those involving parked or working trucks, so its totals can differ from NHTSA's. Recorded crash factors do not establish legal causation, and crash counts are not lawsuit counts. Researchers can query the underlying federal data through NHTSA's Crash Data Analysis Network (CDAN).
Data Last Reviewed: October 14, 2026
In 2024, NHTSA estimates 548,521 large trucks were involved in police-reported traffic crashes. This counts vehicles, not crashes, and covers trucks over 10,000 pounds GVWR. Most of those trucks (422,579) were in property-damage-only crashes; 120,724 were in injury crashes and 5,218 in fatal crashes.
NHTSA counted 5,340 people killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2024 and projects 4,982 for 2025 based on early estimates. These are deaths of people, which differ from the number of fatal crashes, and include truck occupants, other drivers and passengers, and pedestrians.
An estimated 161,201 people were injured in large-truck crashes in 2024, up 5% from 2023. This figure comes from NHTSA's sample-based CRSS system, so it is a statistical estimate of injured people, not a count of injury crashes. 2025 injury estimates are not yet published.
In 2024, 70% of people killed in large-truck crashes (3,753 of 5,340) were occupants of other vehicles, according to NHTSA. Another 12% were nonoccupants such as pedestrians and cyclists, and 17% were occupants of the large trucks themselves.
Texas led in 2024, with 699 large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 720 people killed in large-truck crashes. California (391 deaths) and Florida (353) followed. High totals reflect population and freight traffic and do not by themselves mean a state's roads are the most dangerous.
Researchers examine speeding, distraction, fatigue, impairment, mechanical condition, cargo, weather, and road design. NHTSA data show 4% of large-truck drivers in 2024 fatal crashes had a BAC of .08 or higher, and 17.0% had a prior speeding conviction. These are recorded characteristics, not proven causes of each crash.
Deaths are decreasing. Large-truck crash deaths fell from 5,969 in 2022 to 5,340 in 2024, and NHTSA projects 4,982 for 2025. The fatal involvement rate per 100 million truck miles also declined. Estimated injuries, however, rose in 2024, and no truck-specific 2026 data exist yet.
Most are multi-vehicle. NHTSA reports that 80% of large trucks in 2024 fatal crashes were in multivehicle crashes, compared with 63% of passenger vehicles. Even so, 560 truck occupants died in single-vehicle crashes, more than the 360 who died in multivehicle crashes.
It depends on the measure. People in other vehicles face greater injury risk in a collision with a heavy truck, and 70% of 2024 large-truck crash deaths were other-vehicle occupants. Overall risk comparisons, however, require consistent exposure measures, vehicle classes, and outcomes, so no single ranking applies.
No. NHTSA and FMCSA statistics count crashes, vehicles, injuries, and deaths. They do not track insurance claims, civil lawsuits, settlements, or verdicts, so crash totals cannot be used to estimate how many legal claims are filed or what compensation is awarded.
National statistics show crash patterns but cannot decide responsibility for any single accident. Individual cases turn on negligence, accident evidence, trucking company responsibilities, available insurance coverage, injury severity, state law, and filing deadlines. A qualified attorney can review the specific facts.
This page provides general statistical and educational information. Numerical values reflect the identified source datasets and reporting years, and federal crash databases may use different definitions. Early estimates and Annual Report File figures may change when data are finalized. Truck involvement in a crash does not automatically mean the truck driver was at fault, and reported safety factors do not necessarily establish legal causation. Injury and fatality statistics do not represent the number of legal claims. Legal responsibility depends on applicable law and case-specific evidence. This information is not legal or medical advice. FindTheLawyers is not acting as your attorney, viewing this page does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no particular legal or compensation outcome is guaranteed.
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