Truck Safety Coalition Releases Annual Deadliest Truck Crash States Report, revealing several states with large truck crash fatality problems.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, the Truck Safety Coalition called for immediate action to advance critical truck safety reforms following the sobering release of its "Deadliest Truck Crash States" report. The report ranks States on truck crash fatalities per 100,000 population for 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. The "deadliest dozen" states in order are New Mexico, Wyoming, Mississippi, South Dakota, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The report data was generated by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The report provides valuable insights into yet another sobering year of unacceptably high truck crash fatalities in the United States. NHTSA reports that large truck crashes remain high, at over 5,300 deaths. In addition, there were over 160,000 injuries. Since 2009, truck crash deaths have increased by 58%.

"Across New Mexico and the country, truckers and drivers should be able to travel our roads safely," said Senator Luján. "It is tragic and unacceptable that New Mexico again has one of the highest rates of truck crash fatalities by population in the country. That is why I will continue pushing the Department of Transportation to take action and implement common-sense solutions to prevent needless deaths and keep our roadways safe. This report is a painful reminder that we have much more work to do."

"Wyoming's rank with the second-highest rate of fatal truck crashes demonstrates how we still have work to do, stated Representative Hageman. "I will keep working closely with the Trump administration and our trucking industry to reinforce common sense safety rules, clear our highways of unqualified drivers, and give law enforcement the resources they need to prevent more tragedies from claiming American lives."

Tami Friedrich, TSC President and truck crash victim, forcefully declared, "Congress needs to act with urgency and take decisive action to improve truck safety. There is no reason to accept over 5,000 deaths a year. This is not the cost of doing business, and the public deserves far better."

As part of the Truck Safety Coalition's Sorrow to Strength Conference, truck crash victims and survivors from across the country were in Washington, DC today urging lawmakers and the Department of Transportation to take common sense solutions exist to reduce truck crash violence on our roads:

• Congress should pass H.R. 7359, the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act, bringing much-needed detection and enforcement to address blatantly unsafe chameleon carriers.
• Congress must require Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) to maintain an audit log of all changes made to the records and obtain third-party certification before being added to FMCSA's approved ELD Registry List. ELD fraud is a pervasive practice used by deadly, chameleon carriers.
• USDOT must complete Congressionally-mandated rulemaking requiring Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) on all newly manufactured classes of CMVs.
• The Senate needs to act and pass the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2025 (H.R. 758)
• Congress must compel FMCSA to require new motor carriers to pass a knowledge exam proving that they know and can implement Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) required to safely operate a motor carrier business. Currently, new carriers do not have to prove they know ANY Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to start a trucking business.
• Deadly, unsafe truck drivers must be taken off the road. Congress must update CDL disqualification requirements and require that those drivers found to be criminally negligent for causing a fatality with a CMV (such as vehicular manslaughter) are henceforth prohibited from driving large trucks.
• Congress must provide stronger consequences for carriers who avoid complying with existing federal requirements that stipulate truck drivers must be tested for drugs and alcohol following a fatal crash. Currently, roughly 40% of regulated carriers disregard this requirement every year.

The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) is a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), also known as The CRASH Foundation, and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.). The Truck Safety Coalition is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, providing compassionate support to truck crash survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educating the public, policymakers, and the media about truck safety issues. Visit our website at www.trucksafety.org.

Media Contact

Zach Cahalan, Truck Safety Coalition, 1 202-921-9526, zcahalan@trucksafety.org, https://trucksafety.org/

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SOURCE Truck Safety Coalition