Shortage of overnight truck parking contributed to deadly Greyhound bus crash, regulators say

Key Points

• The NTSB determined that a critical shortage of safe overnight truck parking at interstate rest stops was a key factor in a 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three people.
• The bus, carrying 22 passengers, exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp near Highland at 1:48 a.m. and struck three semitrailers illegally parked on the shoulder, shearing off its right side.
• The board also cited driver fatigue and deficient oversight by Greyhound, including failure to address recurring unsafe driving behaviors and maintain proper records.
• Although parking on rest-stop ramps is illegal, enforcement is scarce due to insufficient spaces for the nation’s 13 million long-haul trucks, putting lives at risk.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Overnight parking for long-haul truckers at interstate rest stops is critically short and was a key contributor to a 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three people, federal regulators said Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said driver fatigue and poor company oversight of its drivers also played key roles when the Greyhound bus exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp east of St. Louis and struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder.

Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy said the crash, which sheared off the right side of the bus and injured 12 aboard, was preventable.

“Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: Until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation’s roads," she said.

Truck parking on rest stop entrance and exit ramps is illegal, but the ban is seldom enforced because there's insufficient parking for the 13 million rigs on the nation's roads and the federal government electronically monitors truckers' hours on the road and their rest periods.

The board, meeting in Washington, also cited ​​the bus driver's fatigue and “deficient driver oversight by Greyhound,” including the company's failure to address the driver's “recurring unsafe driving behaviors,” without elaborating. It also cited poor record-keeping and more.

A spokesman said via email that “Greyhound Lines has fully cooperated with the NTSB since the beginning of this investigation” but declined further comment, citing ongoing litigation.

The westbound bus, with 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 slid along the sides of three trucks parked for the night.

None of the truck drivers was hurt, but three bus passengers were killed and the bus driver and 11 other passengers were injured. Authorities initially said there were 14 injuries.