2025 Update: Truck Crashes Increase in Texas

Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers

Texas recorded more than 30,000 large truck and 18-wheeler crashes in 2025, according to TxDOT’s CRIS database. And while the overall number of motor vehicle crashes dipped slightly from 2024, the percentage involving commercial trucks hasn’t changed at all. For the fifth year in a row, big rigs accounted for roughly 5% of all crashes statewide — a rate that remains one of the highest in the country and confirms, yet again, that Texas is the most dangerous state in America for truck accidents.

This stubbornly high rate isn’t an accident. It’s the result of trucking and oilfield companies that continue to put profits over safety, pushing fatigued drivers, overloading trailers, and sending poorly maintained trucks onto some of the busiest highways in the nation. As a result, 1 in 4 Texas truck crashes results in injury and 1 in 10 leads to the most severe injuries or death, leaving families across the state facing lasting or even permanent consequences.

At Zehl & Associates, we’ve seen the results of these choices firsthand. With Billions Won—including the largest truck accident verdicts and settlements in Texas history—our undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers aggressively hold these companies accountable and make sure our clients have everything they need to rebuild their lives.

Below is what our team has uncovered in this year’s preliminary crash data, and how we can help you protect your future after a catastrophic 18-wheeler accident.

Texas Truck Accident Statistics Confirm Nothing Has Changed on our Highways

So far in 2025, Texas has recorded at least 30,017 commercial truck accidents—and that number only reflects crashes involving carriers with registered USDOT numbers. In other words, these figures capture the minimum scope of the problem. Because the state has not yet finalized its 2025 crash data, the actual totals will almost certainly rise once the official numbers are released.

Even at this early count, the toll is staggering. Just like last year, Texas continues to lead the nation in fatal truck accidents, and more than 25% of all truck crashes resulted in a possible injury or worse, including:

376 fatal crashes
949 suspected serious injury crashes
3,240 suspected minor injury crashes
3,027 possible injury crashes

Every one of these numbers represents a Texas driver or family whose life was upended—often because a trucking company pushed a driver too far, ignored basic safety rules, or put an unsafe rig on the road.

Common Causes of Texas Commercial Truck and 18 Wheeler Accidents

With oilfields, refineries, and some of the busiest interstate trucking corridors in the country, Texas sees more commercial truck traffic—and more catastrophic truck accidents—than any other state. In 2025, several recurring factors continued to drive the rise in serious and fatal crashes.

These accidents were almost entirely preventable, rooted in a corporate culture that cuts corners, ignores unsafe behavior, and prioritizes profits over the safety of drivers and the public.

Driver Fatigue

3,103 crashes occurred between midnight and 6 a.m.—the hours when fatigue-related impairment is most likely. Fatigued driving mirrors drunk driving in its effects: delayed reaction times, drifting between lanes, and a failure to recognize danger until it’s too late.

Speeding and Failure to Control Speed

Texas recorded 3,475 speed-related truck crashes this year. These wrecks often occur when a driver can’t slow or stop in time—especially in traffic, construction zones, or when another vehicle is stopped ahead. When a fully loaded 80,000-pound truck is moving too fast, loss of control, jackknifing, and multi-lane crashes are almost inevitable.

Distracted Driving

There were 2,612 distraction-related truck crashes—each one the result of a truck driver taking their eyes, hands, or attention off the road. Whether it’s a cell phone, onboard tablet, food, or even a billboard, a moment of distraction in an 80-ton vehicle can produce devastating, high-impact collisions.

Inexperienced, Unqualified, and Reckless Drivers

A growing number of crashes involve truckers who were untrained, poorly trained, or simply unfit to operate a commercial vehicle — especially as more carriers are hiring inexperienced drivers to keep up with demand as the industry faces an ongoing shortage of qualified drivers. The trend is clear in work zones, which saw at least 3,774 crashes this year. Nearly all were preventable, with drivers failing to follow flaggers, reduce speed, or stop in time, often resulting in catastrophic consequences.

Rushing to Meet Deadlines & Pressure From Carriers

Texas saw 8,778 intersection-related truck crashes this year, many caused by drivers rushing to meet unrealistic deadlines set by their carriers. When companies push truckers to deliver faster than safety allows, drivers speed through yellow and red lights, roll stop signs, follow too closely, and make unsafe turns just to stay on schedule. These dangerous shortcuts frequently lead to violent intersection collisions that could have been prevented if drivers weren’t being pushed to the limit.

The Most Dangerous Types of Commercial Truck Accidents

While side-swipe collisions made up more than a quarter of all truck crashes in Texas, rear-ending and angled crashes were by far most dangerous and deadly. In 2025, 1 out of every 10 angled truck collisions in Texas resulted in a serious injury or death — a rate significantly higher than any other major crash type.

8,083 side-swipe crashes led to 106 suspected serious injury crashes and 15 fatal crashes
3,883 rear-end crashes caused 602 injury crashes, including 199 serious injury crashes and 53 fatal crashes
1,347 angle crashes (both vehicles traveling straight) resulted in 100 suspected serious injury crashes and 32 fatal crashes

These are among the most severe cases we see, often involving multi-vehicle pileups, catastrophic injuries, and complex questions of liability, data preservation, and regulatory violations.

At Zehl & Associates, our undefeated Texas truck accident lawyers specialize in these high-stakes cases — from rear-end underrides to high-speed angle impacts. We secure critical evidence before it disappears and hold every at-fault party fully accountable.

Case in point: In 2024, we secured a $37.5 Million Verdict using traffic video and forensic animation to show the truck driver was distracted and never braked before rear-ending our client at 70 mph.

The Deadliest Truck Accident Hotspots in Texas

Some of the worst truck-crash rates in Texas didn’t occur on interstates or in major metros — they happened on rural Permian Basin farm-to-market and county roads never built to handle the region’s relentless oilfield truck traffic. In Reeves County, nearly 37% of all truck crashes caused injuries or fatalities, and in Martin County (in the Midland area), 1 in every 2.5 truck crashes resulted in harm. These are among the highest rates in the entire state.

Texas’ major interstates, including I-20, I-10, I-45, and I-35, also saw substantial crash concentrations, particularly across the state’s largest metro areas:

Houston (Harris County): 4,003 crashes, including 29 fatal crashes and nearly 1,000 crashes resulting in injuries
Dallas (Dallas County): 2,703 crashes, including 21 fatal crashes and at least 700 crashes resulting in injuries
Midland–Odessa (Midland & Ector Counties): 840 combined crashes, including 21 fatal crashes and more than 200 crashes resulting in injuries
Fort Worth (Tarrant County): 1,695 crashes, including 13 fatal crashes and over 400 crashes resulting in injuries
San Antonio (Bexar County): 1,970 crashes, including 10 fatal crashes and more than 300 crashes resulting in injuries

From major interstates to rural oilfield roads, our undefeated truck accident lawyers have the experience, resources, and record-setting results needed to take on the largest trucking and oil companies in Texas. We’ve battled them in courts across Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Midland, Odessa, and beyond. And we don’t just win for our clients and their families. We set records.

Record-Breaking Settlement After a 18-Wheeler Rear-End Crash

Melanie was rear-ended by a fully loaded 18-wheeler traveling at 55 mph, triggering a catastrophic chain-reaction accident that left her with severe neck and back injuries. Overwhelmed and unsure where to turn, she needed a law firm with the ability and dedication to fight for her.

At Zehl & Associates, Melanie found a team that delivered beyond expectations:

Access to top medical specialists and treatment at no upfront cost
Honest, transparent guidance every step of the way
Relentless pursuit of full accountability from the at-fault parties
Refusal to settle a case unless our clients are fully compensated for all of their injuries and losses

Thanks to this approach, Zehl & Associates secured a record-breaking settlement, ensuring Melanie could focus on recovery while knowing her future was protected.

“Zehl & Associates has done everything I could think of to make me feel cared for,” Melanie shares. “That’s who I want on my side.”

Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers: 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult

With the resources, experience, and trial record to take on any trucking company and their team of lawyers, our Undefeated Truck Accident Lawyers never back down until our clients and their families receive the justice and future they deserve. We’ve repeatedly secured the largest recoveries in Texas for victims of commercial truck and 18-wheeler accidents, including the #1 Largest Truck Accident Verdict in Texas and the #1 Largest Truck Accident Settlement in Texas.

If you or a loved one were injured in a truck or 18-wheeler accident, our team will hold the trucking company fully accountable and fight to ensure you recover the maximum compensation possible.

Call 1-888-603-3636 or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us form.

All consultations are free—and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.