Trucking Company Under Scrutiny After Driver Falls Asleep at the Wheel, Causing Fatal Crash in Texas

The trucking company that employed a driver who fell asleep at the wheel of a big rig on Interstate 20 near Terrell, Texas, on Saturday, June 28, 2025, is facing scrutiny. The incident led to a “mass casualty” collision involving multiple vehicles and the death of six people. Several others were injured.

The crash occurred around 2:40 p.m. in the westbound lanes just east of Hiram Road. Multiple 911 callers reported a violent crash involving several vehicles, including multiple tractor-trailers. Emergency responders from several agencies, including the Terrell and Elmo Fire Departments, responded to the scene to discover seven vehicles had been involved in the crash—three 18-wheelers and four passenger cars.

According to preliminary findings from DPS, traffic had already slowed due to an earlier collision when the truck’s driver, allegedly having fallen asleep at the wheel, drove his truck into a Ford F-150 carrying five people. The force of the impact pushed the truck into two additional tractor-trailers, causing one to jackknife and strike three more vehicles: a Jeep Compass, a Ford Mustang, and a Honda.

Tragically, four of the five occupants in the Ford F-150 were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth was airlifted to a Dallas hospital but later succumbed to injuries, DPS said. The individual in the Jeep Compass was also killed. Several others sustained injuries, according to the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department.

Authorities have arrested the 27-year-old driver who was behind the wheel of the truck involved in the crash. He now faces five counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Officials confirmed the vehicle he was operating belongs to Hope Trans LLC, a company registered in Tacoma, Washington.

Records Show a History of Allowable Hours Violations

Federal records show Hope Trans LLC operates 193 commercial trucks with 195 drivers. While no critical safety violations were found in the company’s 267 inspections, records reveal an ongoing issue with drivers exceeding federally mandated hours-of-service limits—a regulation meant to prevent fatigue-related accidents.

The company’s business address is registered to a shared office space, raising questions about whether the trucking company maintains a legitimate operational office. Federal law requires carriers to list a physical place of business where safety and driver records are stored and accessible for federal inspections. The use of virtual addresses and P.O. boxes by some carriers can impede regulatory oversight.

In addition to the ongoing DPS investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed Monday that it has launched its own safety investigation into the crash.

What Are Hours-of-Service Violations?

Hours-of-service laws regulate how many hours commercial drivers can operate vehicles, as well as how often they must take breaks and how long those breaks must be. The purpose of these laws is to prevent truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators from driving while fatigued. The dangers of fatigued driving have been well-documented, with some studies finding it to be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

When truck drivers violate these rules, they put everyone on the road at risk. However, there are often a variety of underlying reasons why they choose to drive long hours. In many cases, it’s the trucking company that has a history of pressuring drivers to meet strict deadlines or simply turning a blind eye to violations in an effort to increase productivity. But this should never be allowed. When trucking companies prioritize profits over human lives, it can lead to deadly truck accidents. When this happens, the companies responsible must be held accountable—no matter what.