Truck crash deaths jump 13% to ‘crisis’ level

Truck on its side

Deaths in crashes involving trucks hit a “crisis” level and reversed a downward trend in place before the pandemic, according to federal regulators.

Based on preliminary data released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, total estimated fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck (gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds) increased by 13% from 2020 to 2021, from 4,965 to 5,601. That compares with a roughly 1% decline between 2019 and 2021...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-crash-fatalities-jump-13-to-crisis-level

Truck driver killed in Texas after collision with freight train

A truck driver is dead following a collision Wednesday involving a tractor-trailer and freight train just northeast of Houston, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

The accident happened just after 7 a.m. when a Kansas City Southern train struck the vehicle, which then burst into flames. 

“It appears the truck driver was parked on the tracks, in line with other vehicles, waiting for the traffic when the train was approaching,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a . 

The driver...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-driver-killed-in-texas-after-collision-with-freight-train

Feds reveal large-truck crash trends unchanged in 2019

Fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck showed relatively no change last year, decreasing from 5,006 in 2018 to 5,005 in 2019, according to data released Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Total highway fatalities fell by 2%, from 36,835 in 2018 to 36,096 in 2019. “This is the third consecutive year in which traffic fatalities have declined after reaching a recent high of 37,806 in 2016,” according to NHTSA.

The agency also reported that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-reveal-large-truck-crash-rates-unchanged-in-2019

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