Commercial Trucking Hotspots: I-20 vs. I-49 Analysis (2025 Shreveport Data)

Shreveport’s location at the junction of I-20 (east–west freight) and I-49 (north–south regional trucking) is an economic advantage, but also a public safety pressure point. For people injured in 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle crashes, this corridor creates a unique mix of congestion, construction impacts, merging conflicts, and long-haul driver fatigue.

For Rice & Kendig’s trucking litigation team, the goal is simple: understand where commercial crashes cluster, why they happen, and what evidence matters most when the injuries are catastrophic.

This 2025 update compares the risk profiles of I-20 and I-49 around Shreveport/Caddo Parish and explains why the I-20/I-49 interchange remains a high-value trucking case zone.

Truck Accident Statistics in Louisiana in 2025

To understand the local danger, we must first look at the state level. According to preliminary 2025 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) MCMIS snapshot, Louisiana remains a high-risk state for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) incidents.

• Total CMV crashes (2025 YTD): 3,220
• Fatalities: 85
• Injuries: 1,736

In North Louisiana, a disproportionate number of these incidents occur within the Shreveport trucking corridor, where heavy freight volume intersects with aging infrastructure and prolonged construction zones.

I-20 Accident Data Shreveport: Navigating the "Logistics Bottleneck"

The I-20 corridor is the most heavily traveled east-west freight route in the region. In 2025, I-20 accident data in Shreveport reflects a highway under immense pressure.

Impact of the I-20 Rehabilitation Project on Trucking Safety

Throughout 2025, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) has been engaged in a massive rehabilitation project on I-20 through Shreveport and Bossier City. While these improvements are necessary, the construction itself has created a "perfect storm" for truck accidents:

• Narrowed lanes: Commercial trucks, which can be up to 8.5 feet wide, have a microscopic margin for error in active work zones.
• Missing shoulders: On stretches between Pines Road and the Red River, the lack of emergency shoulders means that a simple mechanical failure can lead to a multi-vehicle pileup.
• Compression waves: Sudden "stop-and-go" traffic from construction triggers "accordion-style" collisions, where 18-wheelers fail to decelerate in time to avoid crushing smaller passenger vehicles.

Long-Haul Fatigue and HOS Violations on I-20

Because I-20 is a primary interstate for cross-country transit, many drivers entering Caddo Parish have been behind the wheel for the maximum allowable hours. Data from the LSU Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) highlights that "inattentive operation" remains a top factor in interstate CMV crashes. Our analysis shows a high correlation between early-morning I-20 accidents and Hours of Service (HOS) violations.

18-Wheeler Crash Stats Caddo Parish: High-Speed Risks on I-49

While I-20 is defined by congestion and construction, I-49 — the north-south spine of the region — presents a different set of hazards. The 18-wheeler crash stats in Caddo Parish indicate that I-49 incidents are often higher-velocity and involve different failure modes.

I-49 carries significant regional freight and operates at higher sustained speeds than I-20, which is congested. The primary risks on this corridor include:

• Unsafe lane changes: Commercial drivers often "weave" through passenger traffic to maintain momentum, leading to devastating sideswipe accidents.
• The "North-South" feeding effect: As trucks enter Shreveport from rural parts of the parish, they often fail to adjust their speed for the increasing density of local traffic.
• Rollover risks: The interchanges on I-49 feature several sharp curves that, when taken at speed by a top-heavy or improperly loaded trailer, result in catastrophic rollovers.

Shreveport Trucking Corridor Safety: The I-20/I-49 Interchange "Hotspot"

The intersection of I-20 and I-49, locally known as the "Stack," remains the most dangerous half-mile in North Louisiana for commercial vehicle transit. Shreveport trucking corridor safety is most compromised at this interchange for three specific reasons:

• Complex merging patterns: Drivers are forced to make rapid decisions across multiple lanes of traffic while navigating steep grade changes.
• Visibility issues: The geometry of the interchange creates significant blind spots for truck drivers, particularly in the "No Zone" (the areas directly behind or to the sides of the trailer).
• Liability ambiguity: When a wreck occurs at the Stack, it often involves multiple vehicles and potentially multiple trucking companies. Determining which driver initiated the "chain reaction" requires sophisticated digital reconstruction.

Why Truck Accidents Require Advanced Legal Knowledge and Skill

The legal landscape for trucking accidents has shifted in 2025. With the rise of "Smart Trucks" and advanced telematics, proving negligence now requires more than just a police report. At Rice & Kendig, we focus on the technical evidence that exists within the Caddo Parish crash data:

• ECM (Black Box) analysis: We move quickly to preserve the Electronic Control Module data, which records the truck’s speed, braking status, and engine RPM at the time of impact.
• In-cab video footage: Many 2025 fleets utilize dual-facing cameras. We subpoena this footage to determine if the driver was distracted, texting, or fatigued.
• Broker liability: We look beyond the driver to determine whether the shipping broker set an "impossible" delivery window on the route, incentivizing the driver to break safety laws.

Consult a Shreveport Truck Accident Lawyer at Rice & Kendig

If you or a loved one has been a victim of the statistics mentioned above, you need a firm that understands the specific nuances of North Louisiana’s highways. Rice & Kendig has spent decades holding commercial carriers accountable for their actions on I-20 and I-49.

The 2025 data proves that the roads are not getting any easier to navigate. Don't face the insurance companies alone! Contact Rice & Kendig for a free case evaluation!