Why U.S. Summer Roads Mean Trucker Danger

Commercial trucks are synonymous with U.S. roads and highways, especially in summer when long days often mean longer delivery stints. But a combination of summer conditions can cause a significant variety of issues for truckers that not only slow them down but can also cause them serious injury.

This study will consider the factors that prevent safe summer trucking across America. We’ll look at the impact of summer weather on truck driver safety, including extreme heat, as well as the knock-on consequences to supply chain timelines.

We’ll consider the associated rising level of personal injury claims linked to an increase in truck crashes. And we’ll consider a discreet UPS case study that features a few alarming revelations pertaining to driver safety.

Let’s start by considering a broad overview of how extreme heat impacts commercial truckers.

How Extreme Heat Affects Commercial Truck Drivers

Extreme heat is one of the deadliest weather-related health issues in the U.S, with an estimated 1,300 people dying each year due to extreme heat. This number is expected to rise as U.S./global temperatures increase.

Extreme heat can lead to issues such as engine overheating, hot asphalt, fuel system issues, battery failure, brake problems, and cooling system failures. Many of these issues can cause serious problems for truck drivers, with regular maintenance key to consistent truck performance during the hottest months.

Global Warming Means Hotter, Deadlier American Roads

One particularly significant factor is global warming, with already dangerously hot U.S. summer road temperatures set to rise further.

According to the Global Statistics data, the average U.S. temperature in May 2025 was 61.7°F, which is 1.5°F above the 20th-century average. Multiple data sources suggest a potentially staggering summer rise in some U.S. regions of up to 6°F.

And increasing temperatures will worsen the strain on driver wellbeing and performance.

Truck Driver Ailments, Injuries, and Fatalities Over Hot Summer Days 

Early 2026 forecasts for the upcoming summer weather suggest typical widespread warmth, with July and August expected to feature the most intense heat. Between June and August 2022 and 2026, each month was subject to a high number of truck crashes and fatalities.

Crash figures over the period were: June (19,475), July (19,446), and August (20,403), while fatality figures were: June (1,695), July (1,653), and August (1,789).

A 2025 study by researchers at GWU and Harvard analyzed 845,014 OSHA-reported injuries from 2023. The study found that work injury risk climbs when the daily temperature reaches 85°F and rises steeply when it exceeds 90°F, with the transportation and warehousing industries among those most affected.

The study also found that even moderate daily heat can increase the risk of workplace injuries (many of which are not necessarily defined as ‘heat-related’), and estimated that roughly 1.18% of 2023’s occupational injuries could be attributable to days involving weather above 70 °F. 

Research from Freightwaves further confirms the increasing risk for truck drivers during especially hot weather. The data suggests that trucker work-related injury rates increase by 5-6% when daily temperatures exceed 90°F (compared to temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees).

More than a few consecutive days of weather as high as 95°F to 100°F can badly affect truck drivers’ cognitive ability. And mental capacity aside, studies show how prolonged exposure to the sun (a typical truck driver issue) can seriously damage a driver’s skin.

A New England Journal of Medicine Study featured a 69-year-old truck driver with a face that was very different on its left side compared to its right. The driver in question was suffering from a severe case of unilateral dermatoheliosis, caused by driving a truck for 28 years.

For all U.S. truck drivers, the left side of their bodies is at high risk. UV exposure to a truck driver’s left arm is five times greater than it is for their right arm, while exposure of the left side of a truck driver’s face is a staggering 20 times greater than the exposure faced by their right side. This results in disproportionate left-side wrinkles, sagging, and brown spots.

The following ranked list features the states subject to the highest levels of UV irradiation – a key issue for truck drivers, and a key determinant of illness, ailment, and fatigue for those suffering prolonged exposure to sunlight. In this case, California ranks fifth.

The following states represent the lowest national UV risk levels to truck drivers.

Long hours at the wheel of a delivery truck in extreme heat are a great danger, as the following personal injury claims emphatically confirm.

Personal Injury Claims Due To Summer Heat

In August 2023, Texas UPS driver Christopher Begley spent several days at home after passing out while delivering packages. A few days into his recuperation, he collapsed and died due to organ failure.

OSHA ordered UPS to pay a $66,000 fine after its investigation discovered that the company had failed to provide adequate access to medical care. While Mr Begley’s widow maintains his death was the result of heat exhaustion, UPS countered the suggestion by claiming their former driver died due to an issue with his heart.

On a hot summer day in 2021, a tractor-trailer crashed into a passenger vehicle, killing three family members. The plaintiffs blamed Michelin North America tires, which they suggested were defectively designed and prone to catastrophic tread separation when exposed to high speeds and road temperatures. A New Mexico jury returned a $220 million verdict, having found the manufacturer liable for the failure.

And a current lawsuit (start date: October 2025) against General Motors alleges defects in brake master cylinders of 2025 model year trucks and SUVs.

Plaintiffs allege that internal seals fail prematurely (often accelerated by under-hood heat and environmental temperatures), which subsequently leads to a sudden loss of hydraulic pressure and braking power.

Truck drivers wanting to avoid severe UV radiation damage need to:

• Use sunscreen
• Wear long-sleeve shirts, hats, and sunglasses
• Keep their windows up
• When feasible, avoid driving during peak sunlight hours
• Get their windows tinted
• Frequently check in with a dermatologist.

The ‘trucker tan’ can also cause serious health issues like skin cancer, which is the single most common form of cancer in the United States. 1 in 5 Americans is diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, and for truckers, the rate is even higher. 

Contrary to popular belief, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data confirms that, on average, northern U.S. states (such as Washington, Oregon, and Vermont) feature higher melanoma diagnosis rates than southern states. In fact, Texas is one of the states with the lowest number of skin cancer diagnoses per year.

For a closer look at the plight of a truck driver covering long distances in high heat, let’s consider an eye-opening, UPS-specific study from 2025.

Close-Up: UPS Drivers Fight Back

In June 2025, in Louisville, KY, a large group of UPS workers pushed back about suffering extreme heat conditions in delivery trucks not equipped with AC. Union members suggested the backs of their trucks were 10 degrees higher than external temperatures. 

Aron Luckett, a UPS driver with Teamsters Local 89, illustrated a grim picture. “I can’t express to you how hot it gets back there,” he said. “It gets to over 100, 105 in the back of those trucks. People don’t realize how hot it is. And working long nine, ten, 11-hour days every day.” 

Temperatures in the back of UPS trucks were actually recorded as high as 152°F, with drivers sharing photos of thermometers placed on the driver’s seat with temperatures ranging between 116°F and 121°F during heatwaves. If it’s sunny, the cargo area typically runs 20-25°F higher than outside air temperature.

Conditions have been such that, between 2015 and 2022, at least 143 UPS employees were hospitalized for heat-related injuries, with several reported UPS driver deaths linked to extreme heat exposure, including cases in Texas and California. Drivers frequently report symptoms including dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting, and even kidney failure.

Union pressure led to ongoing improvements. UPS is now committed to at least 28,000 new air-conditioned delivery trucks by 2028, plus retrofitting 5,000 vehicles with AC, with the intention that any new UPS fleet additions post-January 1, 2024, would feature air conditioning.

Despite this, a 2025 CNN report suggested it had yet to add any AC vehicles to its fleet, with Teamsters suggesting that only 10% of promised AC-fitted vehicles were in service.

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, ‘exposure to environmental heat’ has accounted for just under half (48 percent) of severe injury reports from couriers and express delivery workers since 2015. In truth, the real numbers could be significantly higher, with heat-related injuries and deaths difficult to quantify or define.

Much easier to define: the number of truck crashes caused by extreme weather, with accidents on clear, warm days, and on wet, rainy days, outweighing those occurring under colder, windier conditions. 

Commercial Truck Accident Data

What follows is a data breakdown of crashes involving large trucks recorded as caused by weather between 2022 and 2026. Of the 235,023 total weather-related fatal and non-fatal crashes during that period, here are the different types of weather involved.

Another differentiator is the state of the road during the crashes in question. Here are the different types of recorded road surface conditions when fatal and non-fatal crashes occurred.

Clearly, stereotypical ideas regarding icy roads are contradicted by the sheer number of crashes and fatalities involving dry, warm (often hot and hazardous) weather.

Summer Months Continue To Produce High Truck Crash Totals

Peak summer months consistently saw elevated commercial truck crash totals during the study period.

Between 2022 and 2026:

• June recorded 19,475 truck crashes and 1,695 fatalities
• July recorded 19,446 crashes and 1,653 fatalities
• August recorded 20,403 crashes and 1,789 fatalities.

Overall national crash totals also remained significant throughout the study period.

Between 2022 and 2025:

• More than 614,000 fatal and non-fatal truck crashes were recorded
• More than 19,000 fatal crashes occurred, with over 19,000 fatalities linked to truck crashes
• Hundreds of thousands of injuries were reported.

But which parts of the U.S. dominate truck crash danger?

The South Dominates America’s Truck Crash Hotspots

Southern and Midwestern states recorded the highest commercial truck crash rates per capita during 2025. Many of these states combine high freight traffic volumes with intense summer heat and long rural highway systems.

The states with the highest truck crash rates per 100,000 residents were:

The following map reveals the states where truckers face the most risk (2025 data).

Conversely, the states with the lowest crash rates included Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, California, and Florida.

California and Florida are notable inclusions due to their relatively low crash rates despite their large freight volumes.

America’s Deadliest States for Truck Fatalities

The states with the highest fatal truck crash rates per 100,000 residents were as follows.

On the flipside, here are the states with the lowest fatality crash rates. Again, California performs quite well, despite a significant number of commercial freight trucks moving between state lines.

Two states (Rhode Island and the District of Columbia) feature no truck fatalities.

Rhode Island and the District of Columbia recorded zero truck fatalities during the study period.

Overall, the regional divide is clear. Unsurprisingly, many of the states featuring the highest truck driver fatality rates also suffer prolonged summer heat along major freight corridors, with drivers enduring long hours exposed to extreme temperatures.

Summer Commercial Trucking in the USA: A Dangerous Vocation

The data throughout this study indicate that U.S. summer trucking is becoming increasingly dangerous, as rising temperatures place a growing strain on driver health, safety, and long-term well-being.

The ‘trucker tan’ can cause serious health issues like skin cancer, the single most common form of cancer in the United States. 1 in 5 Americans is diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, and for truckers, the rate is even higher

Extreme Heat worsens vehicle performance, roadway infrastructure, driver health, and crash risk. Climate data referenced in this study suggests that some U.S. regions may be subject to future summer temperature increases of around 6°F: very bad news for commercial truckers. 

Together, the research points to a clear pattern: as temperatures climb, so does the strain on truck drivers, affecting everything from physical health to focus and reaction time behind the wheel. In extreme conditions, that combination of fatigue and impaired performance can quickly translate into a higher risk on the road.

Summer trucking also exposes truck drivers to high levels of UV exposure. A New England Journal of Medicine case study highlighted the shocking damage caused to the left side of a 69-year-old truck driver’s face after 28 years on the road.

Addressing risks to truck drivers will demand coordinated action from both transportation companies and policymakers. The action should include stronger vehicle maintenance standards, better driver heat-safety protection, and more road infrastructure investment.

Major freight companies may also need to provide more air-conditioned trucks, as rising summer temperatures will mean that in-cab cooling is less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

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