Huntsville, AL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Huntsville: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.1 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Huntsville compares with Alabama
Huntsville against Alabama and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Huntsville stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Huntsville | Alabama | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 46.5 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 42% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 38% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.35 | 0.46 | 0.49 | 24% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.4% | 0.8% | 6.2% | 48% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.3% | 22.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.7% | 12.3% | 13.8% | 13% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.5% | 40.8% | 41.9% | 10% below the state |
| After dark | 14.2% | 23.7% | 24.8% | 40% below the state |
Compared with Alabama, Huntsville is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share.
The headline for Huntsville: 1 in 20 garbage-truck share of crashes is 4.9%, against 2.3% for Alabama.
Overview
Huntsville has recorded 1,244 truck crashes since 2015, with 448 people injured and 26 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (10.4% of the year) and are lowest in December (6.3%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 36.5% of truck crashes, vs 40.8% for Alabama.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 9.2% of truck crashes.
0.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.8% across Alabama.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 15 miles of Huntsville happened on I-565 (5), Us-Sr 1 (5), SR-2 (4), SR-53 (4) and US-72 (4); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 60 of the truck crashes here, or 4.8%, compared with 2.3% in Alabama.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in October (15% of them).
They recorded 1.7 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.1 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Huntsville fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in October; review collection routes for that month.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Huntsville
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-565 | 5 |
| Us-Sr 1 | 5 |
| SR-2 | 4 |
| SR-53 | 4 |
| US-72 | 4 |
| I-65 | 3 |
| SR-1 | 2 |
| US-431 | 2 |
| CR-CAPSHAW Rd | 1 |
| CR-MOORES Mill Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Huntsville) |
|---|---|
| I-565 | 185 |
| Memorial Parkway | 120 |
| Memorial Pkwy | 37 |
| SR-72 | 31 |
| Research Park Blvd | 30 |
| US-72 | 29 |
| Jordan Lane | 27 |
| Governors Dr | 26 |
Huntsville at a glance
| Population | 230,402 |
| Land area | 225.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,023 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Huntsville since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1 | — | 3.1 |
| 2000s | 0 | -100% | 3.1 |
| 2010s | 67 | +6580% | 3.2 |
| 2020s | 102 | +52% | 4.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 1 a year in the 1990s and 102 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 4.5 a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Huntsville
How common are truck crashes in Huntsville?
1,244 truck crashes have been reported in Huntsville since 2015, with 26 deaths and 448 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Huntsville?
The worst month is October: 10.4% of truck crashes in Huntsville happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Huntsville?
Since 2015, Huntsville has reported 60 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.8% of its truck crashes.
How does Huntsville compare with Alabama for truck crashes?
Huntsville records 46.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Alabama.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Huntsville?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.