Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Police: Walmart Trucker Awake More Than 24 Hours Before Crash

UPDATED -- The truck driver for Walmart who faces multiple charges in the early Saturday morning crash that severely injured comedian and actor Tracy Morgan had not slept for more than 24 hours, according to court documents filed by police.

by Staff
June 9, 2014
3 min to read


UPDATED -- The truck driver for Walmart who faces multiple charges in the early Saturday morning crash that severely injured comedian and actor Tracy Morgan had not slept for more than 24 hours, according to court documents filed by police.

Kevin Roper faces multiple charges in the incident that happened along the New Jersey Turnpike when his rig ran into the back of a Sprinter limo carrying Morgan and several friends. The resulting chain reaction crash killed one person and left two others, in addition to Morgan, critically injured.

Ad Loading...

According to police in Cranbury Township, where the crash happened, Roper was operating the truck “without having slept for a period in excess of 24 hours,” though they aren’t saying if he was asleep at the wheel or not. Published reports say Roper failed to slow for traffic ahead and tried to swerve to avoid causing the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Soon after the crash, Walmart said it would take full responsibility if it is determined its truck caused the incident. “This is a tragedy and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved. We are working quickly to understand what happened and are cooperating fully with law enforcement to aid their investigation,” said Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon.

Ad Loading...

On Monday morning, Morgan was reportedly more responsive and showing signs of improvement after undergoing surgery for injuries that included broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken leg and a broken femur, though he is expected to be hospitalized for several weeks.

Late Monday, American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves issued a statement about the crash because "the issue of highway safety, and in particular the safety of the trucking industry, has been at the forefront of the national conversation for several days," he said.

"First, as always, our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy and their families. Every crash on our highways is a tragedy and that's why the industry places safety as our highest priority," said Graves.

He went on to address  several issues regarding the hours-of-service rules and driver fatigue generally.

"The hours-of-service rules, whether they are the current regulations, the pre-2013 rules, or the rules with changes we hope to see as a result of Congressional action , only place limits on driving and on-duty time and require that between work periods drivers take a minimum of 10 consecutive hours off-duty," Graves said. "But they do not dictate what drivers do during that off-duty period. No rule can address what a driver does in his or her off-duty time. The industry, including ATA, our member fleets, our state associations and the millions of safe, professional truck drivers on the road today, strongly believes that drivers must take advantage of their off-duty periods for rest and that drivers should not drive if they are fatigued."

Ad Loading...

According to Graves, "Good public policy and good regulations stem from good research and good data." He said this is why ATA supports "a suspension of the controversial and unjustified restrictions on use of the hours-of-service restart provision, which alters driver sleep patterns and puts more trucks on the road during more risky daylight hours."

Graved added, "It is also why we support mandatory use of electronic logging devices to track drivers' compliance with the hours of service requirements.  In addition, it is why we support more aggressive enforcement of traffic laws to combat distracted and aggressive driving as well as restricting the speeds of large trucks to 65 mph with mandatory electronic speed governors."

Graves noted that driver fatigue, "while an important safety issue, is a causal factor in less than 10% of all truck crashes, and ATA believes we need to do far more to address the other 90% of crashes."

Update adds ATA statement.

More Drivers

Truck driver in a blue-tinted cab beside a hand holding cash, with the headline “Competing for Drivers.”
Drivers•by Deborah Lockridge•October 29, 2026

Why Hiring Truck Drivers Is Getting Harder

Higher recruiting costs, a shrinking driver pool, and renewed pay competition are raising the stakes for fleets heading into 2027.

Read More →
Two red heavy-duty Class 8 trucks with Roehl branding
Drivers•by News/Media Release•October 27, 2026

Roehl Offers Truck Drivers $10,000 Retention Incentive

Payments begin after the first load and continue in mileage-based installments for eligible experienced drivers joining the fleet.

Read More →
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Man with police badge on his arm by an open commercial truck door examining paperwork
Safety & Compliance•October 15, 2026

When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders

English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.

Read More →
Illustration of silver robot waving his hand and a Samsara AI prompt on screen to call drivers
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 13, 2026

Samsara Launches Custom AI Agent Builder

Agent Studio lets fleets create AI tools for hours-of-service monitoring, reporting and driver support, including agents that communicate by phone.

Read More →
Illustration of trucks parked in lot with Trucker Path app on phone screen superimposed on top
Drivers•by News/Media Release•October 6, 2026

Trucker Path Expands Reserved Parking Network

Trucker Path has added close to 6,000 more truck parking spaces to its Trucker Path Reserved Parking Network with the addition of Safe Truck Parking.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
photo of older driver standing with arms crossed with truck in the background, with a photo illustrating equal opportunity law inset upper left.
Drivers•by Staff•September 28, 2026

EEOC Sues Texas Trucking Company Over Driver Age Limits

The agency says Trancasa USA rejected applicants over 65 and applied tougher driving-record standards to those over 60.

Read More →
Red Nussbaum Class 8 tractor pulling white and red trailer with aero fairings and skirts
Drivers•by Staff•September 23, 2026

Nussbaum, Roehl Announce Second Driver Pay Increase This Year

This year has seen a swath of major truck driver pay increases as freight capacity has tightened.

Read More →
Photo of smiling truck driver Harold Perry with arms crossed in front of Southeastern Freight Lines truck
Drivers•September 17, 2026

From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers

After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Illustration with driver behind the wheel, an alert sign, and a laptop
Drivers•by Lauren Fletcher•September 9, 2026

Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert

Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.

Read More →