- Short answer
Nearly 800 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers died in work-related incidents in 2024, down 3% from 823 in 2023.12 That is more deaths than any other job, at a rate of 25.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers against 3.3 for all workers.1 The worst recent year was 2022, with 934 drivers killed.3
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- Applies to
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the federal fatal work injury census, as reported by Land Line
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How many truck drivers die on the job each year
The figures below come from the federal Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, as reported each year by the trucking magazine Land Line. Every number is the count for one occupation, "heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers".
| Year | Drivers killed | Deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers | Reported in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 786 | not given | Source 2 |
| 2017 | 840 | not given | Source 6 |
| 2018 | 831 | 26 | Source 5 |
| 2019 | 843 | not given | Source 4 |
| 2020 | 766 | not given | Source 1 |
| 2021 | 874 | not given | Source 3 |
| 2022 | 934 | not given | Source 3 |
| 2023 | 823 | 26.8 | Source 2 |
| 2024 | nearly 800 | 25.7 | Source 1 |
Table 1. Checked November 10, 2026. Sources 1 to 6. Land Line gives 2024 only as "nearly 800" and a 3% drop from 2023. "Not given" means the article for that year did not print a rate for this occupation.
Count versus rate, and why both matter
A count tells you how many drivers died. A rate tells you how likely it is for one driver. Trucking leads every job on the count because so many people drive for a living. On the rate it ranks lower. In 2023 the truck driver rate of 26.8 ranked seventh.2 In 2024 logging workers led at 110.4, then fishing and hunting workers at 88.8 and roofers at 48.7.1
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Get my priceOr call (305) 699-5857What kills drivers on the job
Crashes, mostly. Of the 934 drivers killed in 2022, 747 died in transportation incidents. The rest were exposure to harmful substances or environments (56), violence by people or animals (29) and falls, slips and trips (27).3 In 2019 more than three-quarters of the 843 deaths were transportation incidents.4 In 2023, 7% were contact incidents, and 6% were exposure.2
That matters for cover. An accident plan pays for a crash under dispatch, but a work-death count leaves out every heart attack on home time and every cancer. Our page on accident plans, AD&D and life insurance lays out which policy pays for which kind of death.
Why different sites give different numbers
Search this topic and you will see 800, 950, nearly 1,000 and more. Most of the gap is the group being counted.
- Heavy and tractor-trailer drivers only. The numbers on this page. 831 in 2018.5
- Driver and sales workers and truck drivers. A wider group that adds delivery and light truck drivers. 966 in 2018, the same year.5 MoneyGeek gives 950 for this group in 2024.8
- Crash counts. Road safety data counts deaths in crashes involving a large truck, including people in the other vehicles. That is a different question from how many drivers die at work.
When you quote a number, quote the group and the year with it.
The longer trend
The census began in 1992, when 700 truckers died. Compared with 2013, deaths in 2023 were up 16%. Land Line counts three big one-year drops since 1992, 11% in 2003, 28% in 2009 and 12% in 2023, and sees no clear link between lower deaths and major rules such as the 2017 electronic logging mandate or the hours-of-service changes in 2003 and 2013.7 The 2020 dip to 766 came in the pandemic year, which Land Line sets aside when comparing.1
When this page is updated
The census usually comes out in December. The 2018 figures were released December 17, 2019, and the 2022 figures on December 19, 2023.35 The 2024 count reached Land Line in February 2026.1 We add each new year once it is reported, and we do not change past years unless the source does.
Two related records sit beside this one. Our page on the driver life expectancy claim traces the "61 years" figure, and the most dangerous jobs page compares trucking with other work. More data lives on the home page and in our driver rate samples.
Questions people ask
How many truck drivers die each year?
For heavy and tractor-trailer drivers, between 766 and 934 a year from 2016 to 2024, with nearly 800 in 2024. Counts that include delivery drivers run higher, close to 1,000.
Is truck driving the deadliest job?
By number of deaths, yes. Land Line reported trucking first by count for 2018, 2023 and 2024. By rate, no. Logging, fishing and roofing had higher rates in 2024, and trucking ranked seventh by rate in 2023.
Are most truck driver deaths crashes?
Yes. In 2022, 747 of 934 work deaths were transportation incidents. Falls, exposure and violence make up most of the rest.
Does this count drivers who die of a heart attack in the truck?
These figures count fatal work injuries. A death from illness is generally not an injury, so the count says little about heart disease or cancer among drivers. That is why a life policy that pays for any covered cause matters more than the yearly count suggests.
Sources (8)
- Land Line, Truck driving remains America's deadliest job, February 27, 2026, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, More truck drivers killed on the job than workers in any other occupation, January 2, 2025, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, Trucking one of the deadliest occupations, new government data reveals, December 21, 2023, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, Fatal work injuries among truckers hit record high last year, December 23, 2020, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, Occupations with high fatality rates include trucking, December 20, 2019, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, Trucker occupational deaths in 2017 reach record levels, January 23, 2019, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Land Line, Workplace fatalities trending upward for truck drivers, March 1, 2025, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- MoneyGeek, Most dangerous jobs in America, updated September 4, 2026, opened November 10, 2026. moneygeek.com
