Texas 18-Wheeler Crashes Hit Record High—Legal Steps for Victims

Texas already moves more freight by road than any other state, but 2024 pushed the limits: industry analysts logged 20,510 large-truck crashes—an all-time high and nearly 60% more than California, the runner-up. FMCSA figures show the Lone Star State also led the nation in deadly wrecks, with 650 fatal crashes involving 18-wheelers and buses in 2023, a precursor to the 2024 spike.

The surge affects more than long-haul carriers.

Auto-service professionals from El Paso to Plano now field emergency repairs on impact-damaged brakes, axles, and trailer underrides almost every week. For motorists and shop owners alike, understanding the “why”—and the legal recourse available when collisions happen—is no longer optional. A knowledgeable attorney can untangle the liability maze long before insurers finish tallying repair estimates or medical bills.

What’s Driving Record Numbers?

• Freight Volume and Driver Shortage: The Texas A&M Transportation Institute projects a 30% jump in Gulf-Coast container traffic by 2027, funneling additional rigs onto I-45, I-35, and US-75 at all hours. With a national shortfall of 80,000 drivers, fleets often book overtime shifts that push fatigue risk past FMCSA’s 60-hour weekly limit.
• Oil-Patch Traffic: Oilfield rebound in the Permian and Barnett shales adds thousands of sand and water trucks—many staffed by contractors with minimal highway experience—onto rural roads never built for 80,000-lb GVWR rigs.
• Maintenance Backlogs: Parts shortages delay critical brake-chamber, ABS sensor, and steer-axle tire replacements. Shops report swapping in refurbished components to keep rigs rolling—an expedient fix that can fail under jack-knife stress.
• Distracted & Speeding Drivers: DPS troopers issued over 62,000 commercial-vehicle speeding citations in 2024, a 15% year-over-year increase. Telematics data shows some fleets disabling in-cab cellphone blockers to appease drivers who rely on multiple navigation apps.

Liability Layers in a Texas 18-Wheeler Crash

• Driver Negligence: Texting, fatigue, or speeding remains the most common allegation.
• Carrier Negligence: Did dispatch pressure the driver to violate HOS rules? Were pre-trip inspections rubber-stamped?
• Broker & Shipper Responsibility: Under federal “selection liability,” a broker that hires an unsafe motor carrier may share fault.
• Third-Party Maintenance Shops: If a repair shop improperly torques a steer-axle wheel bearing and it fails, the shop’s insurer can enter the defense stack.
• Product Defect: Blowout from a recalled steer-tire model or a cracked brake-chamber diaphragm brings manufacturers into the suit.

Practical Steps for Injured Motorists

• Seek Immediate Medical Care: Soft-tissue injuries may not peak until 48 hours post-crash. A prompt diagnosis links future treatment to the collision, blocking insurer claims of unrelated degeneration.
• Hire Counsel Early: Dallas truck accident lawyers versed in commercial-vehicle litigation secure ECM downloads and depose safety directors before witness memory fades.
• Track Out-of-Pocket Costs: Mileage to rehab, home-health hours, and property damage receipts become compensable economic damages.
• Follow Medical Orders: Insurers scour records for treatment gaps to argue “failure to mitigate.” Keep every PT appointment, even if pain improves.

A Path Toward Safer Highways

Texas DOT and trucking-industry partners are testing AI-driven weigh-station cameras that spot out-of-service tires from infrared tread analysis. Early pilots flagged 3,200 violations in six months—proof technology can help bend the curve. But enforcement alone won’t erase the record-high crash count. Until fatigue, sped-up delivery schedules, and deferred maintenance are tamed, victims will keep turning to the courts for relief—and shops will keep seeing 18-wheelers arrive on rollback trucks instead of under their own power. By preserving evidence, meeting legal deadlines, and enlisting seasoned advocates, crash survivors and the auto-service professionals who help them can ensure that accountability travels the same highways as commerce—straight and true, mile after Texas mile.