Common Causes of Truck Accidents 

Federal crash data establishes that driver error is the most common cause of serious truck collisions, with vehicle failures and carrier practices also contributing to many crashes. 

This page draws on data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to examine the leading causes of truck accidents in Texas. If you have been injured, a Dallas truck accident attorney can evaluate what caused your crash and who may be held liable for your losses and damages. 

Top Four Reasons Truck Accidents Happen

The FMCSA’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study tried to assign a single “critical reason” (the immediate failure that made the crash unavoidable) to each truck studied. However, investigators could only do this for 55 percent of trucks; the other 45 percent did not have a clear single reason identified, often due to multiple contributing factors or insufficient data. 

The following sections break down the causes most frequently identified in truck accident investigations: 

Distracted Driving 

Distractions are especially dangerous when large trucks are traveling at highway speeds. Research commissioned by FMCSA found that commercial truck drivers who text while driving are 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event, such as a crash, near-crash, or unintentional lane deviation.  

These preventable lapses in attention can easily rise to negligence and form the basis of a serious injury claim. In fact, we litigated a case in which a driver ignored the roadway for nearly 30 seconds, leading to a crash into our clients’ tractor.

Driver Fatigue 

FMCSA regulations place strict limits on the hours a truck driver can work per day and per week. Drivers who exceed these limits react more slowly to hazards and changing road conditions. Additional research finds that being awake for 18 hours produces impairment comparable to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the legal threshold for intoxication. 

Fatigue is not always a matter of individual choice. When a carrier sets delivery schedules that pressure drivers to exceed hours-of-service limits, the carrier’s own practices can constitute negligence, separate from any error made by the driver. 

Driving Too Fast for the Conditions 

Truck drivers must base their speed on present conditions, not just the posted limit. In bad weather or heavy traffic, driving the speed limit can itself be dangerous. Data from the same causation study found that driving too fast for conditions is one of the factors most strongly associated with the truck driver’s role in causing a crash, present in 23 percent of the large trucks studied. 

Because semi-trucks require far greater stopping distances than passenger vehicles, failing to slow down in fog, rain, or heavy traffic can quickly rise to negligence and lead to preventable crashes. 

Faulty Maintenance 

Commercial trucks require routine inspection and maintenance to remain safe on the road. Brake problems were the most frequently identified vehicle factor in 29 percent of cases. When trucking companies or maintenance providers fail to repair worn brakes, damaged tires, or other critical components, the resulting mechanical failures can be a direct cause of preventable crashes. 

Who Is Liable for Truck Accident Injuries? 

As the causes above illustrate, multiple parties may be liable in a truck accident claim. One of the key responsibilities of a Dallas truck accident attorney is to pinpoint what led to a crash and identify every party whose negligence contributed to it, including: 

• The truck driver: The operator of the commercial vehicle may be liable when negligent conduct, such as distracted driving, speeding, or fatigue, plays a direct role in causing the crash. 
• The trucking company: The truck driver’s employer may be held responsible when it fails to properly train drivers, enforce safety standards, or pressure drivers into unsafe delivery schedules. 
• Maintenance contractors: Liability may fall on maintenance contractors when improper inspections or faulty repairs result in mechanical failures. 
• Cargo loaders: A contractor or other party responsible for loading the truck may be liable when improperly secured or overloaded freight shifts during transit and causes the driver to lose control of the vehicle. 
• Dispatchers: In some cases, freight dispatchers may be liable when they impose or encourage schedules that require violations of safety regulations, including hours-of-service limits. 
• Other parties: Many parties can contribute to truck accident injuries, including manufacturers of defective truck components, careless third-party drivers, or government entities responsible for defective road design. 

Proving liability in truck accidents is often a complex process, but a skilled attorney can uncover the facts that often prove pivotal in a truck accident injury claim. 

Call for a Free Consultation and Relentless Advocacy 

Determining what causes a truck accident typically requires a thorough investigation, including driver logs, maintenance records, black box data, and communications between the driver and the trucking company. An experienced attorney can conduct this kind of investigation, particularly when a trucking company or its insurer moves quickly to control the narrative. 

If you were injured in a Texas truck accident, contact Winocour Law today to schedule a free consultation. No fee unless we win. 

Reviewed by

Mike C. Miller

Of Counsel · Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer

Mike C. Miller has spent more than four decades trying complex cases to verdict throughout Texas. A native of Marshall, Texas, he earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1984 and has held Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law since 1989 — a distinction fewer than 3% of Texas attorneys ever achieve. His practice covers catastrophic personal injury, FELA railroad injury claims, wrongful death, and maritime law, along with commercial litigation and complex patent cases as local counsel across East Texas.

Learn more about Mike →