Dos Palos, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Dos Palos: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Dos Palos and Merced County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Merced County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Merced County compares with California
Merced County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Merced County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Merced County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 86.4 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 41% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.3% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 66% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 6.1% | 6.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.0% | 40.2% | 41.9% | 11% below the state |
| After dark | 31.8% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Merced County sits below California on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
Dos Palos at a glance: SR-152 deadliest road: 7 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Dos Palos since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 2,923 crashes involving commercial trucks in Merced County since 2015: 1,150 people were injured and 124 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Dos Palos since 2015; patterns below come from Merced County as a whole.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 12.4% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (6.4%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 36.0% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (7.1%).
Road surface: 0.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-152 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (7). After it: Eucalyptus Rd (1), Nees Av (1) and SR-33 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 27 of the truck crashes here, or 0.9%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (19%).
They recorded 3.7 deaths per 100 crashes, against 4.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Dos Palos fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along SR-152; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March 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
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Merced County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-152 | 7 |
| Eucalyptus Rd | 1 |
| Nees Av | 1 |
| SR-33 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Merced County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-99 S/B | 23 |
| I-5 | 18 |
| SR-165 | 13 |
| Sr-99 N/B | 12 |
| Rt152/Volta Rd | 8 |
| SR-152 | 7 |
| Sr-152 W/B | 7 |
| SR-59 | 6 |
Dos Palos at a glance
| Population | 5,759 |
| Land area | 1.3 sq mi |
| Density | 4,269 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Merced 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 | 2 | — | 7.2 |
| 2000s | 142 | +7025% | 8.8 |
| 2010s | 198 | +39% | 6.6 |
| 2020s | 268 | +36% | 9.2 |
In the 1990s about 2 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 268. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 8.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 9.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Dos Palos
How common are truck crashes in Dos Palos?
2,923 truck crashes have been reported in Merced County since 2015, with 124 deaths and 1,150 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Dos Palos?
Since 2015, SR-152 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Dos Palos: 7.
When do most truck crashes happen in Dos Palos?
August has the most truck crashes in Merced County, 12.4% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Dos Palos?
Garbage trucks were involved in 27 reported crashes in Merced County since 2015 (0.9% of truck crashes).
How does Dos Palos compare with California for truck crashes?
Merced County records 86.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Dos Palos?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.