How Many Commercial Truck Accidents Occur Per Year in the U.S.?
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- In 2024, 5,340 people died in crashes involving large trucks, according to NHTSA.
- About 161,000 people were injured in those crashes, which is more than 440 people every day.
- Roughly 70% of the people killed were in other vehicles, not in the truck.
- Texas, California and Florida had the most large-truck crash deaths.
The most recent complete federal data, for 2024, shows that large trucks remain a small share of vehicles on the road but a serious share of deadly crashes. Here is what the numbers say, how to read them, and why different sources report slightly different totals.
Large truck crashes at a glance (2024)
Figures below come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and National Safety Council analysis of its data.
- 5,340 deaths in crashes involving large trucks, a decrease of about 2.5% from 5,478 in 2023.
- 5,218 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, 3% fewer than in 2023 but about 30% more than ten years earlier.
- 120,724 large trucks were involved in injury crashes, an increase of 5.4% from 2023.
- 161,201 injuries, up about 5% from the previous year.
- Large trucks accounted for roughly 9% of all vehicles in fatal crashes.
Total crashes, not only fatal ones
Fatal crashes are counted precisely, but the total number of crashes of every severity is harder to pin down. FMCSA's count of police-reported crashes involving at least one large truck (fatal, injury and tow-away) reached 156,553 in 2023, down from 168,816 in 2022. Because agencies define and sample crashes differently, think of these numbers as a reliable range rather than an exact figure.
Who is most at risk?
Seven out of ten people killed in large-truck crashes in 2024 were occupants of other vehicles, which is a result of the weight difference between a loaded truck and a passenger car. About three quarters of fatal truck crashes happened on weekdays. More than half occurred on rural roads and about a quarter on interstates. October was the peak month for fatal crashes, and March the lowest.
Which states have the most truck crash deaths?
- Most deaths: Texas (720), California (391) and Florida (353).
- Highest share of fatal crashes involving large trucks: North Dakota (18%), South Dakota and Nebraska (17% each), Wyoming (16%) and New Mexico (15%).
- Fewest deaths: the District of Columbia (1), Hawaii (2), Vermont (4) and Rhode Island (5).
Large states with heavy freight corridors lead in total deaths, while thinly populated states with long interstate routes show a higher share relative to traffic.
What the trend really shows
Deaths in truck-involved crashes fell in 2023 and again slightly in 2024, and overall U.S. traffic fatalities are estimated to have dropped further in 2025. Yet injury crashes involving trucks increased in 2024, so the picture is mixed. Better collision-mitigation technology helps, but the volume of freight on the road and the number of trucks in injury crashes remain high.
Common causes behind the numbers
- Driver error such as speeding, distraction, following too closely and unsafe lane changes
- Fatigue and violations of hours-of-service rules
- Brake and tire failures from poor maintenance
- Improperly loaded or secured cargo
- Impairment, which is less frequent among truck drivers than other drivers, but still a factor
A federal study of truck crash causation found that the driver was the critical reason in most of the crashes it examined, which is one reason carrier training and supervision are so closely scrutinized.
Statistics are drawn from federal sources and may be revised. This article is general information and is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How many people die in truck accidents each year?
In 2024, 5,340 people died in crashes involving large trucks, according to NHTSA.
How many truck accidents happen every day?
With more than 150,000 police-reported large-truck crashes in a recent year, that works out to over 400 a day, though only a small fraction are fatal.
Are truck accidents getting more common?
Deaths have declined slightly since a pandemic-era spike, but injury crashes rose in 2024 and the number of trucks in fatal crashes is still higher than a decade ago.
Why do different websites show different numbers?
NHTSA, FMCSA and other groups use different definitions, data sources and estimation methods. Always check which agency and year a number comes from.