South Carolina Truck Accident Statistics and Common Crash Causes

Updated October 2026

Large trucks are involved in thousands of crashes every year. According to preliminary data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), large trucks were involved in 144,518 reportable crashes nationwide in 2025, resulting in 4,146 fatalities and 70,526 injuries. In South Carolina, large trucks were involved in 4,290 reportable crashes that resulted in 107 fatalities and 2,505 injuries.

If you were injured in a truck crash in South Carolina, you likely have questions about what really happened and who should be held responsible. Our South Carolina truck accident lawyers can review the crash, the driver, and the trucking company to provide answers. Reach out to Whetstone Perkins & Fulda today for free. We serve Columbia, Marion, Kingstree, Myrtle Beach, the Upstate, Midlands, Lowcountry, and throughout the state.

Truck Driver Fatigue and Crash Risk

Fatigue can affect a truck driver’s attention, reaction time, judgment, and ability to maintain control. A tired driver may miss a slowing vehicle, drift from a lane, react too late to traffic, or fail to recognize a developing hazard. Federal hours-of-service rules limit how much time truckers can safely drive. Under 49 C.F.R. § 395.3, a driver generally may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty.

Those limits don’t automatically prove that fatigue caused a particular collision. You may need to determine how long the driver had been working, when the driver slept, whether the driver took required breaks, and whether the carrier created scheduling pressures that encouraged excessive driving.

Speeding Can Increase Truck Crash Severity

Speed can affect both the likelihood of a collision and the damage caused when vehicles collide. A loaded tractor-trailer needs substantial distance to slow down, and higher speeds give the driver less time to respond to sudden changes in traffic.

In a South Carolina crash, our truck accident attorneys may review the posted speed limit, roadway conditions, skid marks, vehicle damage, witness statements, event data, available video, and other evidence to determine how fast the vehicles were traveling. A truck traveling too fast for traffic or roadway conditions may struggle to stop before striking a slower vehicle. The resulting collision can be especially damaging when a heavy tractor-trailer strikes a much smaller passenger vehicle.

Driver Distraction in South Carolina Truck Collisions

A distracted truck driver may look away from the roadway to read a message, adjust a device, interact with a dispatch system, or perform another task inside the cab. Even a short distraction can have serious consequences when a tractor-trailer is traveling at highway speed. The truck may drift into another lane, fail to slow for stopped traffic, or strike a vehicle that has entered a blind spot. Federal rules restrict texting and hand-held mobile phone use by commercial drivers while driving. FMCSA also treats distracted driving and mobile phone violations as unsafe driving concerns.

Poor Truck Maintenance and Mechanical Failures

A truck’s mechanical condition can contribute to a collision when drivers fail to properly maintain brakes, tires, steering components, lights, suspension parts, or other equipment. Federal rules require motor carriers to systematically maintain, inspect, and repair trucks under their control. 49 C.F.R. § 396.3 also requires applicable parts and accessories to remain in safe operating condition.

Maintenance records can show whether the carrier knew about a mechanical problem before the collision. Inspection reports, repair invoices, tire records, brake work, driver inspection reports, and prior repair requests may help establish whether a mechanical defect was ignored or left unresolved.

Improper Cargo Loading and Securement

A commercial truck doesn’t have to be overloaded to be dangerous. Poorly distributed or inadequately secured cargo can shift while the truck is moving. A shifting load can affect the truck’s balance and handling. Cargo that falls from a trailer can also strike other vehicles or create a roadway hazard. FMCSA cargo securement standards require commercial motor vehicle loads to be secured against movement, including shifting, falling, leaking, spilling, or blowing from the vehicle.

What Hours-of-Service Records Can Show

Hours-of-service records can provide information that ordinary car accident evidence doesn’t. Many commercial drivers use electronic logging devices, or ELDs, to record driving time and other hours-of-service information. The FMCSA explains that ELDs can automatically record driving time, engine hours, vehicle miles, and location data. Those records may help establish:

• When the driver began and ended driving
• How long the driver had been on duty
• When the driver stopped
• Whether the driver’s recorded schedule complied with federal limits
• Where the truck was during portions of the trip
• Whether the driver’s account of the trip matches the electronic records

Other records can be just as useful. Dispatch messages, fuel receipts, GPS information, toll records, delivery schedules, bills of lading, and payroll records may help fill gaps in the driver’s timeline.

Parties That May Be Liable for a South Carolina Truck Accident

The truck driver may not be the only one responsible for a crash. A trucking company may be potentially liable when its own conduct contributed to the collision. Examples can include inadequate driver training, negligent hiring, poor supervision, unsafe scheduling, or failure to maintain the truck.

Other businesses may also be potentially responsible. A company responsible for loading the trailer could be involved if improperly secured cargo contributed to the crash. A maintenance provider could be relevant if negligent repair caused mechanical failure. A manufacturer or parts supplier could become involved if a defective component caused the collision. That doesn’t mean every company connected to a truck automatically becomes responsible. Our truck accident attorneys can help determine how a particular party’s conduct connects to the crash and resulting injuries.

Why Truck Collisions Can Cause Severe Injuries

Large commercial trucks are substantially heavier than passenger vehicles. That difference can produce enormous forces when a tractor-trailer strikes a smaller vehicle. A passenger vehicle can be crushed, pushed into another vehicle, or thrown from its lane during a truck collision. Occupants may suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, severe burns, amputations, or other catastrophic injuries.

The position and type of impact also affect the injuries. For example, a truck striking the side of a passenger vehicle may leave occupants with little protection from the truck’s weight. A rear-end collision can push a smaller vehicle forward with substantial force, while a rollover can create several separate impacts.

Evidence Unique to Commercial Truck Accident Claims

Truck cases often require evidence that would not exist in an ordinary passenger car collision. Depending on the case, evidence may include:

• The driver’s electronic logging device data
• Hours-of-service records
• Driver qualification and training records
• Dispatch communications
• GPS and fleet management data
• Truck inspection and maintenance records
• Bills of lading and cargo loading documents
• Weight tickets and scale records
• Driver inspection reports
• Black box or other available vehicle data
• Dashcam and nearby surveillance video
• Cellphone records
• Driver drug and alcohol testing records, when applicable
• Prior safety violations or inspection records
• Photographs and measurements of the truck and crash scene

Preserving this information promptly is prudent because some electronic and video records may not remain available indefinitely.

Our Truck Accident Lawyers in South Carolina Can Help With Your Claim

A commercial truck collision can leave important questions unanswered after the vehicles are removed from the roadway. Our South Carolina truck accident attorneys can preserve and investigate that evidence while evaluating who may be responsible for your losses. Contact Whetstone Perkins & Fulda online or at 803-799-9400 to talk to our South Carolina truck accident attorneys for free.