Insufficient Overnight Truck Parking Linked to Fatal Greyhound Bus Crash

A damaged Greyhound bus is prepared for transport on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, from the scene of a fatal wreck on westbound Interstate 70 after the bus collided with a tractor-trailer near Highland, Ill. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP,File)

By  NEWS BLEND 360

Updated 1:06 AM EDT, May 23, 2025

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NB360) — Federal regulators reported on Tuesday that the severe shortage of overnight parking for long-haul truckers at interstate rest stops significantly contributed to a 2023 Greyhound bus accident in Illinois that resulted in three fatalities.

The National Transportation Safety Board highlighted that driver fatigue and inadequate company oversight of its drivers were also major factors when the Greyhound bus left Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp east of St. Louis and collided with three semitrailers parked on the shoulder.

Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy stated that the crash, which tore off the right side of the bus and injured 12 passengers, could have been avoided.

“Our investigation revealed a critical shortage of safe truck parking and underscored a harsh lesson: Until this vital safety issue is addressed, lives remain at risk on our nation’s roads,” she said.

Parking trucks on rest stop entrance and exit ramps is illegal, but the prohibition is rarely enforced due to a lack of parking for the 13 million trucks on the roads, and the federal government electronically monitors truckers’ driving hours and rest periods.

The board, convening in Washington, also pointed to the bus driver’s fatigue and “inadequate driver oversight by Greyhound,” including the company’s failure to address the driver’s “repeated unsafe driving behaviors.” Records from the investigation indicated the driver had been involved in four previous accidents, two of which were preventable, and an electronic monitor frequently recorded him exceeding the speed limit.

A spokesman noted via email that “Greyhound Lines has fully cooperated with the NTSB since the start of this investigation” but refused further comment due to ongoing litigation.

The westbound bus, carrying 22 passengers, entered the rest area near Highland, 32 miles (about 51 kilometers) east of St. Louis at 1:48 a.m. on July 12, 2023. It scraped along the sides of three trucks parked overnight.

None of the truck drivers were injured, but three bus passengers died, and the bus driver along with 11 other passengers were hurt.

The report also mentioned that injuries could have been reduced if more passengers had used the provided seatbelts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration implemented a rule in 2019 mandating commercial buses to have seatbelts for both the driver and all passengers. Illinois law requires seatbelt use.