Serious or fatal commercial truck accidents are a greater danger in Chicago than in other parts of the country. Why? Well, among other things, there are simply so many more big rigs, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, reefers, and semis on our roads. These trucks carry all sorts of loads in all shapes and sizes; some with high risks (think hazardous materials or extrawide loads). And these rigs are often moving through road work construction zones as part of the huge, historic infrastructure program known as Rebuild Illinois.
So much product is transported through our area that Chicagoland is recognized as “the nation’s premier freight hub.” Moving goods and cargo here involves not only railways and ports, but our roads. Consider this: city planners report these big cargo-loaded trucks as one in every seven vehicles on our interstates. For more, read Semi-Truck Crashes in Chicago: Most Dangerous Routes, Riskiest Rigs.
With all this commercial truck traffic, it is important for everyone traveling along our roads and streets and highways, much less our official commercial truck routes, to be aware of the increased dangers and risks they face of an unexpected and life-altering Chicago truck crash.
Truck Route Regulations in Chicagoland
With the different transportation needs in “the nation’s premier freight hub,” all sorts of commercial trucks are moving alongside other kinds of motor vehicles every day throughout the Chicagoland area.
Different types of trucks come with different types of risks. Accordingly, trucks are categorized by their weight and assigned to designated truck routes. There will also be specific requirements for things like bridges, tunnels, and road work construction zones.
These regulations are specific, and intended to keep people safe from harm. Chicagoland truck routes are divided into Class I (major highways and interstates); Class II (state highways); and Local (city roads, neighborhood streets). IDOT designates Class I and II truck routes. Each municipality or county within the greater Chicago area will have its own designated local truck routes. For instance, Interstate 55 moves from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicago, and is a designated Class I truck route.
For more, read the Designated Truck Routes map provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation; and check out the free online trucker GPS app TruckMap that provides details regarding various truck routes through Chicago as well as things like load types and last-mile navigation.
Common Causes for Severe Chicago Truck Accidents
Everyone on our local roadways needs to know that these truck routes have been designated by law, and that anyone moving along these routes must be vigilant to the increased large truck traffic they will encounter. It’s risky. Whenever one of these large vehicles is involved in a traffic accident, even at low speeds, the outcome of the crash is usually much more serious than if two smaller “4-wheeler” vehicles are involved. The inequalities in weight, height, and velocity involved in any Chicago truck crash mean that pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and both drivers and passengers in passenger vehicles are more likely to to be severely injured or killed. For more, read 97,000 Lbs.; The New Big Rig Weight Limit? Congress May UP Semi Truck Max Weight.
Each truck accident is unique and must be independently investigated to determine the reasons for the semi-truck crash. After an accident, there will be law enforcement determinations, as well as those made by agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) or the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) alongside representatives of insurance carriers for the potentially liable and advocates for those who have suffered bodily harm in the truck crash.
However, safety agencies, government regulators, and advocates for truck crash victims and their loved ones find that a combination of one or more of the following causes are often found to be reasons for what has happened. These include:
1. Chicago Weather and Road Conditions
The Windy City earned its nickname for a reason: Chicago has an international reputation for its weather. Our winters are fierce, and blizzards come as no surprise to those who live and work in the Chicagoland area. The City of Chicago has its own set of warnings for those driving on our roads in the wintertime: for instance, the City advises vehicles be “winterized” or serviced before the cold hits. Things like tires, lights, fluid levels, brakes, and transmissions should be checked by all drivers.
Truckers have even more stringent preparations to take for their rigs. See, “Winter Driving Tips for Truck Drivers: Surviving the Severe Road Conditions,” written and published by HMD Trucking on May 7, 2025.
Black ice can be more powerful than the heaviest 18-wheeler. Blowing snow can block visibility for all drivers to mere inches in front of their fenders. Extreme cold can freeze parts of any vehicle with dangerous results. Winter weather in all its forms creates sometimes overlapping hazards that jeopardize our roadways and increase the risk of a Chicago truck crash.
Also read: Winter Accidents with Semi-Trucks: Driving Dangers in Indiana and Illinois.
2. Bad Driving Behavior By Others on the Road
In a serious truck crash, the facts may confirm that the cause of the accident was because of the bad driving or negligent behavior of another driver on the road besides the trucker. Maybe it was the driver of the vehicle that collided with the semi-truck. Maybe it was a third-party driver that may or may not have been involved in the collision that is the cause of the truck crash.
Speeding by other drivers can cause horrific truck accidents. Drug-impaired drivers or drunk drivers may not even hit any vehicle, but can cause a reaction to their bad driving where others lose control and crash. There are also drivers that may tailgate a big rig without realizing how dangerous the risk of an underride or rear-end collision can be.
Read: Speeding and Serious or Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes in Illinois or Indiana; Road Rage Accidents in Illinois and Indiana: Injury Claims; and Blind Spots and Fatal Semi-Truck Accidents.
3. Vehicle Failures: Equipment, Repair, Maintenance
Any motor vehicle involved in the serious truck accident on a Chicago roadway may have suffered from a failure in a component that contributed to the crash. Tires, brakes, transmissions: all are common parts with failures that can render the driver powerless to prevent a serious wreck. These failures can be on the semi-truck or on any vehicle involved in the Chicago truck crash.
For more, see Tires and Fatal Auto Accidents: Duty of Care for Tire Upkeep and Maintenance; and When Defective Products or Manufacturing Mistakes Cause Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes.
4. Cargo Shifting or Overloaded Rigs
The large trucks that rumble through Chicagoland can carry over 50,000 lbs of materials with ease. They may have tanks or trailers pulled behind an engine designed for this type of load. However, for anyone on the truck routes in our area, there will be a vulnerability to those who placed that cargo onto that rig. The distribution of that weight must be properly done by the shippers and loaders. Tiedowns are needed. If the rig is not properly balanced, there is the risk of a jackknife or rollover truck accident.
For more, read FMCSA Cargo Securement Rules; and Shifting Loads and Unstable Cargo: Dangerous Causes for Semi-Truck Crashes.
5. Truck Driver Fatigue
Truckers are to be respected as professionals behind the wheel with some one of the most stressful jobs in any industry. These commercial drivers must understand the vehicle and its components; the characteristics and risks of the cargo being transported; weather and road conditions; and the almost infinite number of ways that other drivers can cause problems on the way.
They drive to a deadline and they are not paid by the hour, but by the mile. There is a pressure to meet delivery deadlines that can be overwhelming, and there are systemic hurdles that may seem insurmountable at times. Like finding a parking space for that rig: the lack of adequate parking for commercial trucks is at a crisis level in this country.
Tie all this together, and the danger of a trucker driving fatigued behind the wheel is clear. While there are federal safety regulations (hours-of-service rules) designed to protect truck drivers and others from sleepy trucker accidents, the risk remains high for Chicago truck crashes.
For more, read Commercial Truck Parking Shortage & Danger of Semi-Truck Crashes; and Truck Driver Fatalities on the Rise: Fatigue, Speed, and the Trucking Industry.
Claims for Justice For Those Suffering Harm in a Chicago Truck Accident
Illinois lawmakers have passed laws that give those harmed by a Chicago truck crash an ability to seek justice against those who are legally responsible for the accident. These claims may be made not just by those in the truck crash itself but for family members who suffer as a consequence.
Truck drivers and their rig occupants may have personal injury claims alongside workers’ compensation benefits. The victims suffering in other motor vehicles or as pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists may also have legal claims of redress. Family members defined by statute may have legal claims, too.
See: Read, Truck Driver Hurt on the Job: Trucker Injuries in Chicago Semi-Truck Crash; and 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims.
Every Chicago truck crash will be unique and deserves individual investigation and respect. Legal claims may be based upon things like workers’ compensation, wrongful death, joint negligence, reckless conduct, negligent supervision, defective products, defective design, and more.
Accident reconstruction experts acting on behalf of the victim may find more than one party (individual or company) is responsible under the law. This is particularly true in semi-truck, 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, and big rig accidents.
Read, Black Box Data in Semi-Truck Crashes: The Importance of EDR Evidence; Semi-Truck Crashes: Who Can Be Held Legally Responsible for Commercial Trucking Accidents in Indiana and Illinois? and Liability for Chicago Semi-Truck Crashes Other Than the Trucker or the Carrier.
Chicago truck accidents can happen in a matter of seconds with horrible results. Lives can be permanently changed. People can die in a Chicagoland truck crash. Everyone on our roads deserves to be fully aware of the risks they face on our roadways. Please be careful out there!
