The country’s supply chain wouldn’t be able to operate without drivers. More specifically, truck drivers that haul cargo for long distances across the open roads. But what many don’t know is that it’s an inherently dangerous job. Not only because of what the drivers face, and the long, grueling hours they work, but also everyone else on the road. A new study from J&Y Law reveals the most dangerous states for delivery truck drivers during Spring. You might be wondering why this is relevant if you’re not a driver. It means in these areas the cargo is less likely to make it to its destination on time, sometimes not even at all if the crash is bad enough.
On to the data, the three most dangerous states are New Mexico, Wyoming, and Oklahoma, in that order. New Mexico sees an annual average of 137.1 crashes per 100,000 large truck drivers, while Wyoming sees 113.6 crashes per 100,000 drivers. Oklahoma has an annual average of 104.1 crashes per 100,000 drivers.
Texas has recorded a total of 1,591 fatal crashes involving large trucks between the years 2013 and 2022, which is the highest rate in the entire country for that period.
Other dangerous states for large truck drivers include Louisiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, South Dakota, Kentucky, Alabama, and Colorado. To be frank, I’m quite surprised not to see my state on that list — Florida. Although, Florida is neck and neck with Texas for the total spring fatalities. Florida sits at 747.6 fatalities between 2013 and 2022, while Texas is 747.8.
Where did all of this information come from?
To compile the report, the authors collected data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) relating to average annual large truck crashes in the spring between 2013 and 2022. It was also compared to the total number of truck drivers in each state as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then, the total crashes per capita was calculated for each state, by dividing the total number of crashes by the number of truck drivers and multiplying by 100,000. Of course, all of that gives you a better idea of how the authors collected these stats and how accurate the data is.
It’s telling that most of the states involved are essentially hubs of travel for large truck drivers. They’re primarily areas that have to be passed through to get to one side of the country or the other. The northeastern and New England states, for example, don’t see a high rate of fatalities for spring crashes. That’s also interesting since they see a lot more inclement and cold weather during the spring months.
Why is spring so dangerous?
Coming off the winter months, which you’d think would be exponentially more dangerous, large truck drivers face unpredictable weather, especially these days, an increase in traffic, and busy construction across the country. A spokesperson from J&Y Law explains it well. “These risk factors not only endanger the lives of truck drivers but also jeopardize the reliability of critical supply chains, potentially leading to delays and disruptions in essential deliveries.”
It’s easy to overlook the fact that our greater supply chain relies on these critical operations. However, it also puts into perspective why there are delays, and just what can happen to cause major interruptions. We all know about the Panama Canal events. We rarely hear about how large truck drivers on our country’s roads run into similar problems.
If you are out there driving this spring, stay vigilant. Now you know which states are potentially more dangerous, and where you may see crashes, other accidents and delays.
