2026 Texas Truck Accident Update: Why Rural Roads Remain Deadliest for Texas Truck Crashes

Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers

Texas has never seen so many trucks on its roads, as oil, petrochemical, and freight industries continue to boom. But recent state and federal crash data show that rural communities continue to pay the price, with the highest fatality rates not just in Texas, but the entire nation. Many of the state’s deadliest highways — from isolated stretches of I-20 to rural West Texas routes — were never built to handle today’s heavy 18-wheeler traffic. With narrow lanes, no shoulders, and constant oilfield and long-haul freight, rural roads have become more deadly than ever, even as other states improve highway safety.

At Zehl & Associates, our Undefeated Truck Accident Lawyers have won Billions for crash victims across Texas, including the #1 Largest Truck Accident Verdict in Texas and the #1 Largest Truck Accident Settlement in Texas. We know exactly how to take on the biggest trucking and oil and gas giants in the country and not just win — but set records — even when they try to deny responsibility for crashes on rural highways and oilfield corridors.

Read on to learn more about dangerous rural truck crashes in Texas, and how our team can help protect your rights and secure your future.

70% of Fatal Texas Truck Crashes Now Occur on Rural Roads

In 2024, rural roads were the deadliest in Texas history, accounting for roughly 70% of all fatal truck crashes statewide, according to TxDOT’s Crash Records Information Systems (CRIS) database.

That danger has continued into 2025. Preliminary TxDOT crash data shows rural roadways saw at least 276 fatal truck crashes in 2025. While the total number of crashes declined slightly from 2024, the fatality rate has barely budged, still representing 69% of the state’s 405 deadly truck crashes — a figure likely to rise as reporting is finalized.

Fatal truck crashes flagged as “rural,” meaning they occurred in communities with populations under 5,000, have surged over the past five years.

Despite increased enforcement by Texas Highway Patrol and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement troopers in rural trucking hubs — including West Texas — fatal truck crashes in small communities and remote corridors remain stubbornly high and continue to far outpace other states.

2,102 Truck Accident Fatalities on Rural Roads in Five Years Time

From 2019 to 2023 — the most recent years with complete National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data available — rural Texas roads claimed 2,102 lives in truck-related crashes. Although rural roads carry less traffic than urban highways, these crashes are far more likely to be fatal due to higher speeds, narrow lanes, lack of shoulders, and longer emergency response times.

Today, Texas accounts for 14% of all rural truck crash deaths nationwide — meaning more than one out of every seven rural truck fatalities in the U.S. occurs on a Texas road, with the highest concentration in oilfield and freight-heavy regions.

Of the 2,102 rural truck crash fatalities in Texas from 2019 to 2023:

Texas recorded nearly 2.5 times more deaths than the next closest state, California
40% occurred on farm-to-market, oilfield access roads, and other small, often one-lane or two-lane rural roadways
35% occurred on two-lane highways and multi-lane highways, such as US-285 in Odessa and US-59 near Houston

Since 2023, at least 611 additional fatal truck crashes have occurred on rural Texas roads, according to preliminary TxDOT crash data.

Most Dangerous Rural Trucking Corridors in Texas

Texas saw more deadly crashes on rural oil patch roads, farm-to-market roads, and remote trucking corridors than it did on interstates, freeways, and expressways over the last five years. Nowhere was the danger more pronounced than in the Permian Basin and West Texas, including Midland and Odessa.

1. Midland & Ector County Oil Patch

West Texas is the most dangerous corridor for rural trucking fatalities with Permian Basin crashes twice as likely to prove deadly as those occurring in the rest of the state. Last year, the greater Midland-Odessa area and its surrounding counties saw more than two dozen fatal crashes on rural roads across its oilfields:

Midland County: 10 crashes
Ector County: 9 crashes
Martin County: 5 crashes
Reeves County: 3 crashes
Pecos County: 3 crashes

From “Death Highway” U.S. Route 285, to dangerous E County Road 120 and FM 1787, locals know just how deadly their communities have become.

State and local law enforcement — including the Midland and Odessa Police Departments and the Ector and Ward County Sheriff’s Offices — have conducted multiple sting operations in West Texas over the past two years to curb fatal truck crashes. These efforts stopped hundreds of unsafe trucks, generated thousands of safety violations, and led to dozens of misdemeanor and felony arrests. In May 2025, roughly 38% of inspected commercial vehicles in the Permian Basin were placed out-of-service.

2. Harris County I-10 Corridor

The greater Houston area may be better known for its urban congestion, but its rural stretches along I-10 and surrounding highways are a growing danger for truck traffic. Last year, rural areas around Houston saw nearly two dozen fatal crashes, with Harris County accounting for 18, Fort Bend County 4, and Chambers County 3.

These corridors are heavily used by long-haul freight trucks, oilfield vehicles, and commercial traffic accessing refineries and industrial hubs outside the city. Many fatal crashes occur on smaller rural roads that feed into the interstate, including FM 865, FM 1960, FM 2100, and rural stretches of SH 146.

3. Leon County I-45 Corridor

Leon County — a key stretch of rural I-45 — accounted for 8 fatal truck crashes, highlighting the dangers along long rural corridors connecting smaller East Texas towns such as Buffalo, Jewett, and Centerville Lake area communities. This corridor is a critical link for freight moving between Houston and Dallas. Many crashes occur on smaller feeder roads and rural segments of US-79 and FM 39, FM 152, and SH 75, where long-haul trucks mix with local traffic on two-lane roads without shoulders, making crashes far more deadly.

Additional Rural Trucking Fatality Hotspots

Panhandle trucking corridors near Amarillo (Parmer and Oldham counties): 8 combined fatal crashes
Smaller counties on the outskirts of San Antonio (Gonzales and Atascosa): 8 combined fatal crashes
Brazos Valley Highway 6 Corridor (College Station & Bryan, TX): 7 fatal crashes across Burleson, Milam, Washington, and nearby counties
Eastland County I-20 Corridor (between Fort Worth and Midland): 5 fatal crashes
Texarkana Bowie County corridor: 5 fatal crashes
Smith County I-20 Corridor (Tyler, TX): 5 fatal crashes

Why Are Rural Roads So Deadly in Texas?

Rural truck crashes aren’t happening by chance. Across Texas, especially in oil-producing and agricultural regions, truck traffic has outpaced the roads designed to handle it. Two-lane highways, aging farm-to-market roads, and oilfield access routes now carry constant 18-wheeler traffic — often with little margin for error.

Key rural risk factors include:

Booming oilfield and freight traffic mixed with local vehicles
Roads never engineered for sustained heavy-truck use at today’s volume
Narrow lanes and little to no shoulder leaving nowhere to recover from a mistake
Poor lighting and outdated infrastructure that hasn’t kept pace with growth
Long emergency response times in remote areas

When crashes happen on rural roads, they are far more likely to be fatal — and in most cases, they are entirely preventable.

Common Causes of Rural Truck Accidents

While many might assume that weather, rain, fog, or nighttime driving are the primary causes of deadly rural truck crashes, data shows they rarely play as big a role as entirely preventable human and organizational factors. In most cases, these tragedies are the result of choices and failures that could have been avoided.

The leading causes of fatal rural truck accidents consistently trace back to driver behavior and company safety failures:

Distraction: Cell phone use and in-cab distractions are especially dangerous on rural highways, where split-second reactions are critical and intersections, school zones, and slow-moving vehicles appear with little warning. Distracted driving was cited as contributing to 14% of rural truck crash fatalities from 2019 to 2023.
Speeding: An estimated 30% of fatal truck crashes on rural roads involve speeding. Driving too fast for conditions is a leading cause of fatal truck crashes in oil-producing regions. High speeds on narrow, two-lane rural roads leave no room for evasive action.
Fatigue: Long hauls and pressure to meet delivery schedules lead many drivers to exceed federal hours-of-service limits, impairing judgment and reaction time.
Aggression: Tailgating, unsafe passing, and abrupt lane changes are especially dangerous on rural roads with limited visibility and no median barriers.
Inexperienced truckers: Rapid hiring to meet demand often puts undertrained drivers behind the wheel of massive commercial vehicles they are not equipped to handle.
Malfunctioning or Poorly Maintained Equipment: Brake failures, worn tires, and other mechanical issues are far more likely to turn deadly on rural roads where help is miles away.

Each of these factors reflects a pattern of negligence — both on the part of drivers and the trucking companies that prioritize profits over safety.

When these preventable actions cause you or a loved one harm, you have the right to hold the at-fault parties fully accountable — and you deserve the best legal team on your side, a team committed to securing the justice and full compensation you deserve.

What To Do After a Rural Truck Accident in Texas

The moments after a truck crash on a rural Texas road are especially dangerous. With narrow lanes, little or no shoulder, poor lighting, and long emergency response times, what you do next can be the difference between safety and further harm — and it can directly affect your ability to recover full compensation. Time is not on your side.

Follow these steps to protect yourself:

Ensure You’re Safe & Move Out of Traffic (if Possible): Rural highways often don’t have shoulders or safe pull-off areas. If you can move your vehicle out of the travel lane without risking further injury, do so and turn on hazard lights. If not, stay inside your vehicle with your seatbelt fastened until help arrives. Check yourself and passengers for injuries — even mild pain can signal serious trauma.

Call 911 & Report the Crash to Law Enforcement: Emergency response times are often longer in rural areas, so call 911 right away. A law enforcement report is critical, especially when there are no nearby cameras or witnesses. Stick to the facts only and never admit fault. Truck drivers are often trained to shift blame — the crash report helps preserve what really happened.

Seek Medical Attention — Even if You Don’t Think You’re Hurt: Serious injuries like internal bleeding, head trauma, or spinal injuries are common in rural truck crashes and may not cause immediate symptoms. Getting medical care right away protects both your health and your claim, especially when treatment may require transfer to a distant hospital.

Document the Scene of the Crash: Rural crash scenes change quickly. If you can safely do so, take photos of vehicle positions and damage, skid marks and debris, road conditions (narrow lanes, lack of shoulder, poor lighting), truck company logos, USDOT numbers, and license plates, and visible injuries. This evidence can be critical when there are no traffic cameras and few witnesses.

Exchange Information With all Parties Involved: Get names, contact information, insurance details, CDL and USDOT numbers, and vehicle information. If there are witnesses — even motorists who stopped briefly — collect their contact information before they leave.

Notify Your Insurance Company: Report the crash promptly, but stick to the basic facts. Avoid guessing or speculating, especially about speed, fault, or injuries. Anything you say can later be used to reduce the value of your claim.

DO NOT Speak to or Make a Statement to the Truck Company’s Insurance Adjusters: Tjese adjusters often reach out quickly, presenting themselves as helpful. They are not. Their goal is to shift blame, minimize your injuries, and close your claim for as little as possible. Do not give a statement or sign anything before speaking with a lawyer.

Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer As Soon As Possible: Trucking companies deploy investigators fast — even to remote crash scenes — to control evidence and shape the narrative. An experienced truck accident lawyer knows how to preserve critical evidence, protect your rights, and pursue the full compensation you and your family deserve.

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

With Billions won and decades of experience, our undefeated Truck Accident Lawyers have repeatedly secured the largest commercial truck accident settlements and verdicts in history for crash victims. Having successfully represented thousands of clients injured or tragically killed in catastrophic trucking accidents on rural roads, farm-to-market lanes, and oilfield corridors, our recent results include:

$32M won on behalf of a family hit head-on by a fatigued oilfield truck driver in West Texas
$23.5M won on behalf of client who was seriously injured and whose wife was tragically killed after being hit head-on by a commercial truck on County Road 2611, a two-lane road in Brazoria County
$20M won on behalf of a family whose beloved father was tragically killed in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler on an FM road north of Houston

Beyond fighting for the maximum compensation possible, our team ensures that clients have access to top medical specialists nationwide for treatment of injuries, that their reasonable living expenses are covered while their cases are pending, and that they receive financial planning support after settlement, so families can rebuild and secure their futures with confidence.

If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed by a truck or 18-wheeler, call 1-888-603-3636 or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us form.

We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and make sure you have all the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.