According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there was a 28 percent increase in large truck and bus fatalities between 2009 and 2016 in the United States. Most astonishingly, injuries caused by large truck and bus fatalities almost doubled (rising from 60,000 to 119,000) during this same time period.

The growth of the trucking industry might account in part for the increases. There are more than 1.2 million truck carriers, employing 3.5 million truck drivers and operating 15.5 million trucks, of which 2 million are tractor trailers Trucks move 71 percent of the freight, by weight, in the United States.

Recognizing this disturbing rise in fatal crashes and injuries, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) convened a Large Truck and Bus Forum in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 8, 2018. Members of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, motor carrier compliance officers, law enforcement representatives, and others from Georgia, Texas, New York, and Ohio were invited to attend. The representatives of the four states were identified as participants because of the high number of large truck and bus crashes in those states.