According to a February 2026 report on commercial freight activity across the United States, Nebraska has the heaviest truck traffic in the country. The study by Nicolet Law analyzed national transportation data to identify where America’s roads face the most strain from commercial trucking.
- Nebraska leads the nation with trucks moving 121 million tons of freight per billion miles traveled, the highest freight intensity in America.
- Iowa’s highways handle 244,000 truck trips per lane mile annually, more than double Nebraska’s rate.
- Rhode Island has the densest truck traffic in America, with 685,000 truck trips per lane mile each year.
To identify where drivers face the greatest risk from heavy truck traffic, the study analyzed freight movement, road usage, and infrastructure quality across all 50 states. A Roads Load Index was created to score each state from 1 to 99 based on freight tonnage per billion truck miles, total vehicle miles traveled, truck miles per lane mile, and pavement roughness. Higher scores indicate greater road strain and a higher risk of truck-related accidents.
1. Nebraska
- Freight intensity: 121 million tons per 1B truck miles
- Total vehicle miles traveled: 21.3 billion miles
- Truck miles traveled: 2.3 billion miles
- Truck trips per lane mile: 112,700
- Road roughness score: 22.0
- Roads Load Index: 99/100
Nebraska ranks first with the heaviest truck traffic and the highest road strain in the country. Trucks here move approximately 282 million tons of cargo while driving 2.3 billion miles annually. Each lane mile of Nebraska’s highways handles about 113,000 truck trips annually, creating intense wear that quickly deteriorates pavement conditions. With a road roughness score of 22, Nebraska’s highways show severe wear from relentless truck traffic.
2. Iowa
Iowa ranks second, with commercial trucks traveling 4.7 billion miles annually. Overall, vehicles in Iowa drive about 33 billion miles per year, with trucks accounting for nearly 15% of that total. Each lane mile of highway here handles 244,000 truck trips every year, more than double Nebraska’s rate. For every billion truck miles traveled, 98 million tons of freight move through the state.
3. North Dakota
Coming in third, North Dakota sees truckers traveling about 1.5 billion miles annually, moving 80 million tons of freight for every billion miles driven. Each lane mile of highway handles roughly 95,000 truck trips per year, placing significant strain on the state’s limited infrastructure. Rural highways here present unique dangers: narrow lanes leave little margin for error, rest stops are few and far between, and brutal winter conditions make every trip unpredictable.
4. South Dakota
South Dakota comes fourth, where the Roads Load Index reveals a mismatch between freight demand and infrastructure capacity. Trucks here move 94 million tons per billion miles traveled, yet the state’s highways weren’t built for this volume. With a road roughness score of 10.2, surfaces are deteriorating faster than maintenance can keep up.
5. Kansas
Kansas ranks fifth, with trucks traveling 4.2 billion miles annually across the state’s highways. Each lane mile handles more than 200,000 truck trips per year, making Kansas one of America’s most congested freight corridors. This constant crowding creates dangerous conditions where trucks have limited space to maneuver, increasing the risk of multi-vehicle pileups, blind-spot collisions, and fatigue-related crashes as drivers navigate through heavy traffic.
Russell Nicolet, the president of Nicolet Law, commented on the study:
“The Midwest handles most of America’s freight because it sits at the heart of the country’s shipping network. The Northeast, on the other hand, connects major urban hubs. When you combine deteriorating pavement with heavy truck activity, accident risks rise sharply for both truckers and everyday drivers.”