Tonto Basin, AZ truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Tonto Basin: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Tonto Basin and Gila County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Gila County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9 of 420 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Gila County compares with Arizona
Gila County against Arizona and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Gila County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Gila County | Arizona | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 64.7 | 35.9 | 49.7 | 1.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.5 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.18 | 0.19 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 7.8% | 3.2% | 6.2% | 2.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.4% | 22.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.8% | 5.3% | 13.8% | 1.7× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.1% | 42.1% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 31.2% | 30.0% | 24.8% | same |
It runs above Arizona on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Gila County: 7.8% on snowy, slushy or icy roads, against 3.2% across Arizona.
Overview
Police reported 420 crashes involving commercial trucks in Gila County since 2015: 84 people were injured and 25 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 10 days in fully reported years.
Tonto Basin had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Gila County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (10.2% of the year) and are lowest in June (7.1%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.1% of truck crashes, vs 42.1% for Arizona.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 7.9% of truck crashes.
7.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 3.2% across Arizona.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Tonto Basin happened on SR-87 (2); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
9 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.1% share (Arizona: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Tonto Basin fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 7.8% of truck crashes here, more than Arizona; schedule winter checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Gila County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-87 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Gila County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-260@M281 | 7 |
| Sr-260@M278 | 7 |
| Sr-87 Noncard@M247 | 6 |
| Sr-260@M277 | 6 |
| Us-60@M292 | 5 |
| Sr-87@M224 | 5 |
| Sr-87 Noncard@M246 | 5 |
| Sr-260@M256 | 5 |
Tonto Basin at a glance
| Land area | 32.1 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 85553) | $50,762 |
| Median home value (ZIP 85553) | $295,047 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Gila County 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 | 12 | — | 2.3 |
| 2000s | 24 | +97% | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 15 | -40% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 40 | +170% | 2.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 12 a year in the 1990s and 40 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 1.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Tonto Basin
How many truck crashes happen in Tonto Basin?
Gila County has had 420 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 84 people and killing 25.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Tonto Basin?
Truck crashes in Gila County peak in October, with 10.2% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Tonto Basin?
Garbage trucks were involved in 9 reported crashes in Gila County since 2015 (2.1% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Tonto Basin compared with Arizona?
Gila County records 64.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 35.9 across Arizona.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Tonto Basin?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.