A CBS News analysis of federal records indicates that despite a significant rise in truck traffic on American highways, the frequency of roadside safety inspections has declined sharply. The investigation found that inspections per mile driven have fallen approximately 20% since 2016, creating a growing safety gap as commercial vehicle usage reaches historic highs.
Since 2019, more than 2,000 individuals have died in crashes involving trucking companies that held federal operating authority but had no record of a roadside inspection prior to the accident. This figure includes 621 fatalities across 543 crashes that have occurred since 2024.
The data highlights a widespread lack of oversight for many operators. In 2025, nearly 60% of interstate trucking companies were not inspected at all, while over 80% of companies limited to intrastate operations and 86% of bus companies also went uninspected. Only one in seven fatal crashes since 2019 involved a company that had undergone an inspection in the preceding year.
Experts suggest the decline disproportionately affects smaller carriers. Jason Miller, a logistics professor at Michigan State University, noted that large carriers are motivated to maintain compliance due to reputational and legal pressures, whereas smaller operators may feel
Wait, nearly 60% of interstate companies were never inspected in 2025? How is this even legal or tolerated?
Smaller carriers just can’t afford thorough maintenance like the big guys. Maybe the issue isn’t laziness, but economics?
This is terrifying. Twenty percent fewer inspections while traffic soars? Someone needs to answer for these deaths.