States with the Highest Truck Crash Rates
70 US states ranked by crashes per 1,000 active carriers, based on FMCSA motor carrier data. Crash rates — not raw totals — reveal which states have disproportionately high crash risk relative to the number of carriers operating there. Use this ranking as a starting point when researching carriers in a specific state.
States with major freight corridors (I-95, I-10, I-40) tend to rank higher due to greater exposure. A high crash rate does not necessarily mean carriers in that state are less safe — it may reflect higher traffic volume, more interstate through-traffic, or stricter crash reporting.
| # | State | Carriers | Crashes | Rate per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas AR | 10,890 | 5,621 | 516.2 |
| 2 | Tennessee TN | 25,279 | 8,900 | 352.1 |
| 3 | MB MB | 890 | 295 | 331.5 |
| 4 | Illinois IL | 54,365 | 17,057 | 313.7 |
| 5 | ON ON | 7,148 | 1,893 | 264.8 |
| 6 | NS NS | 189 | 50 | 264.6 |
| 7 | Washington D.C. DC | 826 | 203 | 245.8 |
| 8 | Missouri MO | 26,070 | 6,114 | 234.5 |
| 9 | SK SK | 437 | 102 | 233.4 |
| 10 | Ohio OH | 50,348 | 11,741 | 233.2 |
| 11 | BC BC | 2,075 | 431 | 207.7 |
| 12 | NB NB | 393 | 77 | 195.9 |
| 13 | Virginia VA | 24,774 | 4,574 | 184.6 |
| 14 | Mississippi MS | 12,478 | 2,246 | 180.0 |
| 15 | AB AB | 2,181 | 386 | 177.0 |
| 16 | QC QC | 2,301 | 389 | 169.1 |
| 17 | Indiana IN | 46,377 | 7,205 | 155.4 |
| 18 | Iowa IA | 26,536 | 4,069 | 153.3 |
| 19 | Louisiana LA | 12,147 | 1,828 | 150.5 |
| 20 | North Carolina NC | 53,172 | 7,965 | 149.8 |
| 21 | New Jersey NJ | 48,263 | 7,077 | 146.6 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania PA | 79,504 | 11,540 | 145.1 |
| 23 | Arizona AZ | 31,100 | 4,098 | 131.8 |
| 24 | South Carolina SC | 24,484 | 3,006 | 122.8 |
| 25 | Texas TX | 187,120 | 22,727 | 121.5 |
| 26 | Michigan MI | 76,660 | 9,170 | 119.6 |
| 27 | Alabama AL | 35,081 | 4,192 | 119.5 |
| 28 | Kansas KS | 18,904 | 2,236 | 118.3 |
| 29 | North Dakota ND | 6,490 | 753 | 116.0 |
| 30 | Georgia GA | 105,487 | 11,965 | 113.4 |
| 31 | Delaware DE | 4,987 | 562 | 112.7 |
| 32 | Oklahoma OK | 26,901 | 2,841 | 105.6 |
| 33 | Rhode Island RI | 4,156 | 411 | 98.9 |
| 34 | MX MX | 104 | 10 | 96.2 |
| 35 | South Dakota SD | 6,330 | 595 | 94.0 |
| 36 | Vermont VT | 2,331 | 218 | 93.5 |
| 37 | SO SO | 334 | 31 | 92.8 |
| 38 | Nebraska NE | 28,721 | 2,651 | 92.3 |
| 39 | Nevada NV | 10,331 | 869 | 84.1 |
| 40 | Idaho ID | 13,504 | 1,129 | 83.6 |
| 41 | Wisconsin WI | 64,380 | 5,325 | 82.7 |
| 42 | Florida FL | 152,109 | 11,613 | 76.3 |
| 43 | New Hampshire NH | 5,976 | 448 | 75.0 |
| 44 | Maryland MD | 43,473 | 3,187 | 73.3 |
| 45 | Connecticut CT | 20,911 | 1,514 | 72.4 |
| 46 | Massachusetts MA | 38,680 | 2,792 | 72.2 |
| 47 | Utah UT | 23,547 | 1,642 | 69.7 |
| 48 | Oregon OR | 28,267 | 1,917 | 67.8 |
| 49 | Washington WA | 49,966 | 3,319 | 66.4 |
| 50 | Kentucky KY | 42,664 | 2,823 | 66.2 |
| 51 | Maine ME | 13,985 | 907 | 64.9 |
| 52 | California CA | 322,646 | 19,595 | 60.7 |
| 53 | Minnesota MN | 74,298 | 4,417 | 59.4 |
| 54 | CI CI | 907 | 49 | 54.0 |
| 55 | TA TA | 2,189 | 115 | 52.5 |
| 56 | New Mexico NM | 11,243 | 590 | 52.5 |
| 57 | Montana MT | 8,875 | 465 | 52.4 |
| 58 | BN BN | 411 | 21 | 51.1 |
| 59 | Colorado CO | 49,323 | 2,403 | 48.7 |
| 60 | West Virginia WV | 10,970 | 524 | 47.8 |
| 61 | GJ GJ | 179 | 8 | 44.7 |
| 62 | Wyoming WY | 6,676 | 289 | 43.3 |
| 63 | NL NL | 717 | 27 | 37.7 |
| 64 | New York NY | 126,287 | 4,734 | 37.5 |
| 65 | Hawaii HI | 5,239 | 196 | 37.4 |
| 66 | CH CH | 275 | 10 | 36.4 |
| 67 | Alaska AK | 6,436 | 39 | 6.1 |
| 68 | PR PR | 5,135 | 1 | 0.2 |
| 69 | GU GU | 568 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 70 | VI VI | 103 | 0 | 0.0 |
Crash rate is not the same as total crash count. A state with fewer carriers but a high proportion of crashes will rank above a state with far more total crashes but a larger carrier base. Click any state to review individual carrier safety records, inspection history, and BASIC scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "crash rate per 1,000 carriers" mean?
The crash rate per 1,000 carriers is calculated by dividing the total number of FMCSA-reported crashes in a state by the number of active carriers registered in that state, then multiplying by 1,000. This normalizes the data so states with more carriers can be fairly compared to states with fewer carriers.
Which state has the highest truck crash rate?
Based on FMCSA data, Arkansas has the highest crash rate at 516.2 crashes per 1,000 carriers. Note that this measures the rate, not the raw total — states with fewer carriers but proportionally more crashes rank higher.
Where does this data come from?
This data is sourced from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Census (CENSUS1) and crash records — public datasets released by the US Department of Transportation. Only active carriers with a registered legal name are included. Data is updated monthly.
Are raw crash totals or crash rates more useful?
Crash rates per 1,000 carriers are generally more useful for comparison because they normalize for the number of carriers in each state. Raw totals are useful for understanding the overall scale of crashes, but they naturally favor larger states with more carriers.
Why are only states with 100+ carriers included?
States with very few carriers can have misleadingly high or low crash rates due to small sample sizes. Requiring at least 100 active carriers ensures the rate is statistically meaningful.
About This Ranking
This ranking compares US states by their truck crash rate per 1,000 active carriers. Rather than simply counting total crashes — which naturally favors larger states — this metric normalizes by the number of carriers registered in each state.
Only states with at least 100 active carriers are included. Crash data is reported to the FMCSA and covers crashes involving commercial motor vehicles that result in a fatality, injury, or tow-away.
Click any state name to view the full list of carriers, safety ratings, and inspection records for that state.
Source: FMCSA Motor Carrier Census. Active carriers only. Updated monthly.