A CBS News analysis of millions of federal records found a decline in roadside inspections even as trucks travel more miles. More than 2,000 people have died since 2019 in crashes involving carriers with no recorded inspection before the crash, including 621 deaths in 543 crashes since 2024. Inspections per mile driven have dropped about 20% since 2016, and thousands of federally authorized carriers appear never to have been inspected.
Trucks Drive More Miles While Roadside Inspections Decline — CBS Analysis Finds 2,000+ Deaths
There are more trucks on highways. But the government is inspecting them less.
A tractor-trailer operated by Next Level Express Inc. slammed into an SUV parked on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike last December, killing two parents and their daughter as they returned from a family gathering. A second daughter survived. In the decade before the crash, none of that company's trucks or drivers had a recorded roadside inspection.
Key Findings From the CBS Analysis
CBS News reviewed millions of federal records and identified a troubling pattern: more than 2,000 people have been killed since 2019 in crashes involving carriers that held federal authority to operate but had no roadside inspection on file before the crash. That total includes 621 deaths in 543 crashes since 2024 alone.
Roadside inspections, conducted by state and federal officers, are the primary tool regulators use to detect unsafe vehicles, unfit drivers, and noncompliant carriers before they cause harm. Yet, while truck travel has increased, inspections per mile driven have fallen by roughly 20% since 2016, according to the analysis.
Wider Concerns
The investigation also uncovered thousands of federally authorized carriers that have never been inspected — neither before nor after crashes — despite operating across state lines. That gap raises questions about enforcement capacity, resource allocation, and the effectiveness of current oversight policies.
Why it matters: Fewer inspections per mile mean fewer opportunities to catch mechanical problems, driver violations, or systemic safety issues that can lead to deadly crashes.
Read More
For full details, data visualizations and case studies, see the complete CBS News investigation: https://www.cbsnews.com/projects/2026/truck-inspections-decline/.
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