Hillcrest, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Hillcrest: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Hillcrest and Kern County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kern County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 5.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kern County compares with California
Kern County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kern County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kern County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.6 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 41% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.9% | 0.9% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.6% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 12% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.1% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 21% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.6% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Kern County sits below California on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above California on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Kern County: December garbage-truck crashes peak in December (17% of the year's total).
Overview
Since 2015, 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kern County. They injured 3,414 people and killed 403.
That averages about 2 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Hillcrest since 2015; patterns below come from Kern County as a whole.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (7.1%).
November through March accounts for 39.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 6.5% of truck crashes.
0.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-99 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (19). It is followed by SR-58 (7), SR-184 (4) and SR-65 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
69 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (California: 1.6%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in December (17%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 9.0 deaths compared with 5.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Hillcrest fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to SR-99 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Kern County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Kern County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-99 | 19 |
| SR-58 | 7 |
| SR-184 | 4 |
| SR-65 | 3 |
| CR-DI Giorgio Rd | 2 |
| California Ave | 2 |
| Chester Ave | 2 |
| Panama Ln | 2 |
| SR-178 | 2 |
| Wible Rd | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kern County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-99 N/B | 31 |
| Sr-58 W/B | 23 |
| I-5 | 22 |
| Sr-58 E/B | 21 |
| SR-58 | 20 |
| Sr-99 S/B | 17 |
| SR-99 | 17 |
| SR-223 | 11 |
Hillcrest at a glance
| Land area | 1.4 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kern 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 | 5 | — | 23.6 |
| 2000s | 398 | +7854% | 20.5 |
| 2010s | 543 | +37% | 21.7 |
| 2020s | 659 | +21% | 28.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 a year in the 1990s and 659 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 25.0 a year in 2016–19 and 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Hillcrest
How common are truck crashes in Hillcrest?
7,248 truck crashes have been reported in Kern County since 2015, with 403 deaths and 3,414 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Hillcrest?
SR-99 had 19 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Hillcrest since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Hillcrest?
Truck crashes in Kern County peak in August, with 9.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Hillcrest?
Since 2015, Kern County has reported 69 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.0% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Hillcrest compared with California?
The yearly rate is 68.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Kern County, vs 33.2 for California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Hillcrest?
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.