Ridgecrest, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ridgecrest: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Ridgecrest 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 |
Compared with California, Kern County is lower 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 is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes: 17% of them.
Overview
Kern County has recorded 7,248 truck crashes since 2015, with 3,414 people injured and 403 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 2 truck crashes a day.
With 12 truck crashes reported in Ridgecrest since 2015, this page uses Kern County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 9.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 7.1%.
November through March accounts for 39.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (6.5%).
0.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
US-395 leads within 10 miles of Ridgecrest with 3 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by SR-178 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 69 crashes, 1.0% of the total, against 1.6% across California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in December (17%).
They recorded 9.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 5.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Ridgecrest fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Kern County.
- Where you can, review stops along US-395; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Kern County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-395 | 3 |
| SR-178 | 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 |
Ridgecrest at a glance
| Population | 28,373 |
| Land area | 20.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1,360 per 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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 659. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 25.0 a year in 2016–19, 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Ridgecrest
How many truck accidents are there in Ridgecrest?
Kern County has had 7,248 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 3,414 people and killing 403.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Ridgecrest?
NHTSA data shows US-395 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Ridgecrest since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Ridgecrest?
The worst month is August: 9.4% of truck crashes in Kern County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Ridgecrest?
69 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kern County since 2015, 1.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest?
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.