Data compiled by the American Trucking Associations shows the trucking industry invests $14 billion annually in technology, training and other expenditures to improve highway safety. According to ATA’s Safety Spend Survey, the industry invested $14 billion in 2022, 40%-plus higher than the agency's 2015 survey.
ATA surveyed motor carriers of all sizes In total, companies responding to the survey accounted for almost 170,000 drivers and nearly 160,000 trucks.
“Trucking is a diverse industry, but our survey results show that regardless of carrier size or type, these companies are committed – just as ATA is committed – to reducing crashes and making our highways safer,” said ATA Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Safety Policy Dan Horvath. "These investments go far beyond simply complying with existing regulations. Our industry’s commitment to deploying the latest technologies, providing additional training, and incentivizing safe driving behaviors show just how seriously we take the job of reducing crashes on our highways.”
A study by Ohio Personal Injury Lawyer John Fitch analyzed the latest data from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). In the first six month of 2023, the study found, there have already been more than 84,000 crashes involving large trucks or buses, from which more than 2,000 people have been killed, and more than 40,000 injured.
Alaska has the highest rate of fatalities as the result of a crash, after 23 crashes were recorded between Jan. 1 and June 30, with three deaths. That equates to a percentage of 13.04% - the highest in the country, and the only state higher than 10%.
the lowest death rate from truck crashes was in Delaware, which has seen just one death from 305 crashes, resulting in a fatality percentage of 0.33%.
Massachusetts had a similarly low rate, on eight fatalities from 976 truck crashes, which equates to 0.82%, while New Jersey had the third lowest percentage, with 1.27%, based on 13 fatal injuries from 1,027 crashes.
