Big rigs, semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, dump trucks, tankers, reefers, flatbeds: throughout Chicagoland, it is not unusual to see all sorts of large commercial trucks rumbling down roads and streets in suburbs and neighborhoods, far from the big interstates or designated truck routes. It is a normal thing to see for many of us living and working here in the Chicago area – but that does not mean it is safe.
There are all sorts of safety concerns, hazards, and dangers when these big trucks are driven along smaller streets and roadways in Chicagoland. Accidents can happen that can hurt or kill more than one truck crash victim no matter how slow that rig was going at the time.
Chicago Truck Crashes and Big Rig Truck Traffic on Chicagoland Streets
Cook County (the Chicago metro region) suffered the highest number of motor vehicle crashes in the State of Illinois in the latest reporting year, with hundreds of victims dying from injuries they sustained in the accident. When a large truck is involved in a collision with a smaller vehicle, statistics confirm that 70% of the occupants of that other vehicle die in the crash as compared to the truck driver and rig passengers. Importantly, these truck crash studies confirm that most deadly truck accidents happen during the daytime, usually on weekdays and within delivery hours for stores or warehouses: which suggests that anyone driving through Chicago’s suburbs on an ordinary day is facing a greater risk of a large truck crash than they may realize.
Read, “Traffic Safety Facts 2023 Data – Large Trucks,” published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (DOT HS 813 717) and “2023 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics,” published by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Another concern here: Chicago is an important national freight hub (think coordinated highways, railyards, ports, and O’Hare air cargo) where a historic amount of road construction work zones are underway throughout the area as part of Project Rebuild Illinois. For more, read Dangerous Combination in Chicago: Semi-Truck Traffic and Road Construction Work Zone.
The result? Our Chicagoland area has more truck traffic than other parts of the country, and there may be more big rigs moving into neighborhood streets for things like delivery or pickup at warehouses, industrial parks, stores, or construction sites. They may have been detoured because of road construction work zones. And these trucks will be moving near worrisome areas like schools, parks, homes, and local communities.
To learn more about truck traffic in Chicago neighborhoods, follow the online efforts of the Chicago Truck Data Portal, where truck counting cameras track big rigs at 47 different locations in the Chicagoland area.
Risks of Big Rigs on Suburban Streets
Large trucks are obviously heavier and bigger than other motor vehicles (like SUVs or pickup trucks), and any crash involving a big rig or semi is a mismatch no matter the speed involved. There are distinct differences, too, in driving them. Consider the following:
- Blind Spots (“no zones”): Truckers have cameras and big mirrors but that is not always enough for the truck driver to seek pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, or smaller cars in their path. This blind spot issue (involving four “no zones”) is exacerbated in a suburban street, which is not designed for the big truck. Cars and people may be hit by a truck where the trucker simply never saw them in the truck’s path before the crash happened. For details, see “Stay Out of No Zones,” published by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
- Room to Move: These big rigs also need more room to move. In making a turn, the semi may hit a curb, clip a car, or swing out into other lanes of traffic. The wide turn of a semi truck is not compatible with most neighborhood street designs. Someone walking on a sidewalk may be hit; one or more cars may be involved in an accident.
- Full Stop: Stopping is a problem, too. Big trucks must have longer distances to come to a full stop. The suburban intersection may not provide sufficient space for a semi to brake with a truck crash being the result. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration warns that a large truck may need up to two football fields in length to come to a stop, which is an amazing distance when considering most suburban streets or roadways.
- Toxic Cargo: A particularly scary situation is when a large commercial truck carrying dangerous cargo (think chemicals or hazardous materials like gasoline) is moving into a neighborhood area. Any truck crash here may hurt many people because of a fire, an explosion, or a chemical spill. For more on hazmat trucks, see Haz Mat Semi-Truck Accidents in Indiana and Illinois: The Dangers of Hazardous Materials Being Hauled on our Roadways.
Truck Routes vs Local Streets and Roads
Of course, federal, state, and local authorities foresee these risks and have established procedures and protocols for large trucks to follow while moving through Chicagoland. For instance, the Illinois Department of Transportation provides truck-route maps for truckers that help the drivers avoid roadways that do not jive with large vehicles. Using these maps can help avoid accidents until the trucker is forced to enter a dangerous street or roadway for things like their final-mile delivery of goods (think delivery of fuel to the corner gas station).
City planners have placed warehouses and industrial parks near to major roads so that logistically, the big rigs can avoid neighborhoods as much as possible. See, “Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative,” published by the City of Chicago on September 4, 2025.
And there are federal and state regulations regarding truck parking that prohibits a big rig from being parked outside specific areas. For more on truck parking, read Commercial Truck Parking Shortage & Danger of Semi-Truck Crashes.
Why are 18-Wheelers in Our Neighborhoods?
Different types of semis and big rigs may be seen in your suburb, near your school, or driving along your street, because various kinds of large trucks are needed for different things. For instance, tractor-trailers carry lots of cargo that may be delivered to the loading dock of your nearby big box store. Or a dump truck or cement mixer may be on its way to a construction site, as well as flatbeds that carry things like steel beams or pipes. Tankers might be seen in Chicagoland neighborhoods because they carry liquids like fuel (gasoline; diesel; etc.).
Delivery is a solid reason for a large truck to be in Chicagoland outside of a truck route or interstate. However, truckers may choose to drive through suburbia for other reasons, too, including:
1. Getting away from a traffic jam on the interstate in order to meet their delivery deadline; just think about the notorious Chicago bottlenecks on I-94 (Dan Ryan/Bishop Ford) or I-55 (Stevenson). See, “Chicago Has 5th Worst Traffic in the World, Study Finds,” written by Maxwell Evans and published by Block Club Chicago on June 26, 2024.
2. To save from paying tolls on expressways like the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway where large commercial trucks may have to spend up to $20 per trip to drive that route.
3. To avoid routes with low bridge clearances. Chicago’s historic areas may have some viaduct clearances that are too low for modern trucks and driving side streets may be necessary.
4. To get around road construction work zones. Chicagoans will be dealing with the frustrations of road construction projects for many years, and truckers may find it advantageous to check with GPS or dispatchers for alternative routes that help keep them on schedule.
5. To avoid delays at full docks, crowded loading zones, or lines at intermodal yards or ports. Truck drivers may find that there’s no room for them when they arrive to drop off their load at the Chicago distribution center, or to pick up their cargo at the yard, so they can’t sit there and wait because they have no place to park (or on-site waiting is prohibited). The trucker may opt for driving around neighborhoods or parking along access roads until they can get things done.
Chicagoland Truck Crash in Suburb or Neighborhood
Sadly, there will be preventable accidents where people are hurt or killed in a Chicago truck crash that happens in our local communities, despite the rules and laws in place to keep us all safe from harm.
For drivers and pedestrians in the Chicago area, it is wise to consider these hazards and do things like:
- Be alert to the four “no zones” of a truck because the trucker may not see you – particularly if you or your car is sitting to the right or rear of the big rig.
- Be ready for that large truck to turn with possible problems on a suburban street because the truck will need lots of room for its wide turn – stay well away from it.
- Know if you are near to a problem area, like a low bridge clearance; an overcrowded warehouse or industrial park so you are not surprised to find a huge 18-wheeler on your roadway.
- Give the large truck lots of space in the traffic lanes to come to a stop; don’t tailgate.
While there may be truck drivers who are doing things like trying to avoid the law with overweight rigs or problem licensure, most truckers are driving into Chicagoland suburbs and neighborhoods out of necessity: they are trying to avoid delays, tolls, construction zones, infrastructure problems, or facing lack of truck parking.
This is understandable. However, it does not change the reality that heavy truck traffic moving through areas that aren’t designed for large trucks is an inherent danger to that community, others on the roadway, as well as the trucker and rig occupants.
In the event of an accident, an experienced legal advocate working with an accident reconstruction expert may be able to determine all the causes of the Chicago truck crash in a suburb or neighborhood and discover third-party failures that create legal liability in civil causes of action.
For more, read:
- Five Important Differences in a Chicago Truck Crash
- Chicago Truck Crash Injury Claims: Drivers 1099 or W2?
- Chicago Truck Accidents: Liability after Serious Chicagoland Semi-Truck Crash
- Chicago Semi-Truck Crash: Common Causes, Greater Danger of Truck Accidents in Chicagoland
- Truck Driver Hurt on the Job: Trucker Injuries in Chicago Semi-Truck Crash
- Liability for Chicago Semi-Truck Crashes Other Than the Trucker or the Carrier.
More large trucks move through Chicagoland than many other parts of the country. Truckers face various obstacles that may force them to drive their rigs into local suburbs and neighborhoods not designed for truck traffic, and the danger of a truck crash increases. Please be careful out there!
