Most Dangerous Texas Roads for Truckers: Permian Basin Leads

What happened

The most dangerous Texas roads for truckers are mostly in the Permian Basin, a new study says. The Trucker reported it on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The study was done by the law firm Angel Reyes & Associates. It used five years of crash data from TxDOT (the Texas Department of Transportation). The team split about 58,000 miles of state highways into 25-mile pieces. Then it looked at where truck crashes and deaths happen most.

Here is what it found:

• Deadliest stretch: SH 349 between Patricia and Midland. In 29.2% of truck crashes with injuries there, someone died.
• Highest crash rate: SH 158 through Midland. It had 56.5 truck injury crashes for every 100 million truck miles. That is 3.9 times the study average.
• Most crashes: I-635 in Dallas, with 285 truck injury crashes. That is about one every six days. Its death rate was below average.
• Very deadly too: US 79 near the Louisiana line in East Texas. About one in three truck injury crashes there was deadly.
• The pattern: 8 of the 11 deadliest stretches are in the Permian Basin oil field.

The deadliest rural stretches average 30% truck traffic. The stretches with the most crashes average 13% trucks. Speed limits on many of them are close to 75 mph.

What it means for owner-operators

If you run oil field loads around Midland and Odessa, you drive some of the riskiest truck roads in Texas. Many are two-lane rural highways with fast traffic and lots of big trucks.

A crash does not just hurt people. It can put your truck out of service and add marks to your safety record. A clean record helps you keep your authority and get good loads.

The Dallas numbers show a different risk. I-635 has heavy traffic and many crashes, even if fewer are deadly.

What to do next

• Slow down on two-lane roads. 75 mph is the limit, not a goal. Leave more space.
• Plan your rest. Long oil field days lead to tired driving. Follow your hours of service.
• Watch for passing cars. On two-lane highways, impatient drivers pass at bad times. Stay alert.
• Inspect before you roll. Brakes, tires and lights matter more on fast rural roads.
• Keep your file clean. Our trucking filing guide shows what your authority needs to stay active.

We will keep watching Texas roads and share what changes.