Green Lights & Good Roads: New Study Reveals Safest States for Truck Drivers

By Beau Becraft | For The Inside Lane

When it comes to driver safety, many trucking companies often think of products before places. 

After all, in addition to the driver, it’s the technology and equipment that plays a vital role in getting drivers and their cargo from point A to point B in the safest manner possible. But, it could also be argued that in terms of driver safety, state lines are just as important as brake lines.

The Barnes Firm, a law firm that handles a multitude of truck accident cases each year, recently released the results of a study that found America’s safest states for truck drivers. 

Factors such as

• roadway fatalities involving trucks
• annual snowfall amounts
• suitable parking
• overall road conditions

“From our experience handling truck accident cases, these findings emphasize the critical importance of proper infrastructure and safety measures. Indiana and Alabama set strong examples, showcasing how proper road maintenance and ample parking can significantly reduce accidents,” a company representative said in the study. 

“On the other hand, Florida's high fatality rate underscores the urgency for improved safety protocols. Truckers should consider these rankings to plan safer routes.”

These are important considerations for owner-operator Andrew Eisenbeiss, who recently opened his own trucking company, Nationwide Transport, in LaGrange, Missouri, a small, rural town nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River in the northeast corner of the Show-Me State. 

“Location is definitely a decision-making factor based on where we already have freight going to or need freight coming from,” said Eisenbeiss, whose temperature-controlled and dry van carrier company provides service to all 48 states, with a heavy focus on the Midwest and East Coast.

And while this new information has yet to play a factor in his routing, he says, “Data like this definitely brings new insight to some information I would not have known when we were choosing lanes and freight to handle.”

Taking top honors as the safest state for America’s truckers is Indiana. With a total score of 79 out of 100, it offers drivers some of the best road conditions in the nation and the second highest density of parking spaces, at 289 spots for every 100 highway miles.

Outside of Indiana, most of the top five entries fall into the southeastern portion of the United States. The remaining spots are held by Alabama (noted for its “nearly perfect” roads), Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas. 

Mild winters played a factor in rounding out the top five spots with Georgia and Arkansas. Georgia averages 1.13 inches of snowfall per year, making it less treacherous than other states like Wyoming, which can reach up to 77 inches during winter months. Arkansas averages just under 5 inches annually, making the threat of inclement road conditions less of a factor for drivers during the winter months.

Most of Nationwide’s current routes and service areas encompass many of the states Barnes noted as being the safest for drivers. Those include Indiana and Arkansas, as well Iowa which ranks ninth overall and Oklahoma, which holds eighth place, among others. 

Areas in which weather isn’t a major factor are typically plagued more by the annual amount of traffic crashes involving trucks. For instance, California records under one inch of snowfall per year, but ranks highest among fatal truck accidents, with a total of 5,457, giving it an overall score of 41 out of 100. It’s a similar story with Texas, which averages just shy of 3 inches annually, but boasts 7,421 truck-related fatalities, making it the most dangerous state in that regard.

While plenty of factors can skew the actual safety of these states, the data can still serve as a great informational resource for companies looking to take better care of their drivers and their cargo. 

Even when trucks are equipped with all the advanced safety tools, the road can still be a stressful place. It’s important for drivers to have a place to wind down after hundreds of miles of travel each day. That’s what makes states with a track record of adequate parking appealing to companies and drivers alike. Parking, or lack thereof in some cases, is often a topic of conversation among the industry’s professionals. 

Encompassing over 40,800 square miles, Ohio takes top honors when it comes to accommodating drivers with plentiful parking. The Buckeye State offers a vast 14,295 spots for drivers to post up for downtime. It’s followed by Indiana, which boasts 13,380 spaces, and Georgia with 13,718.

While Eisenbeiss, like many other company owners, will go wherever the work is calling, driver safety doesn’t take a backseat to profits. Dedicated to making sure drivers can safely service their routes in many ways, he’s invested in onboard driver safety features.

“All of our trucks are equipped with Samsara ELDs and cameras that monitor the drivers’ behavior, and give us the ability to see trends to coach the drivers in certain areas where we see they should improve,” he notes. “It also allows us to have the ability to see other drivers, which can help rule out certain factors if an incident happens that was out of our driver’s control.”

To see the full breakdown by The Barnes Firm, click here.

Have a question or comment about this article? Email Bianca Prieto at editor@theinsidelane.co

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