Gustine, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Gustine: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Gustine 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 has lower values than California for injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above California on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
Gustine at a glance: I-5 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Gustine: 10 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,923 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Merced County. They injured 1,150 people and killed 124.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
With 9 truck crashes reported in Gustine since 2015, this page uses Merced County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (12.4% of the year) and are lowest in February (6.4%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 36.0% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (7.1%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.3% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-5 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (10). Next come SR-165 (3), SR-33 (3) and Eastin Rd (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
27 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.9% share (California: 1.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in March (19% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.7, vs 4.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Gustine fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Merced County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-5; 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.
- 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 Merced County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-5 | 10 |
| SR-165 | 3 |
| SR-33 | 3 |
| Eastin Rd | 2 |
| SR-140 | 2 |
| CR-EASTIN Road | 1 |
| Hills Ferry Rd | 1 |
| Ingomar Rd | 1 |
| River Rd | 1 |
| River Road | 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 |
Gustine at a glance
| Population | 6,138 |
| Land area | 1.9 sq mi |
| Density | 3,265 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95322) | $65,761 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95322) | $438,680 |
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 Gustine
How common are truck crashes in Gustine?
Since 2015, 2,923 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Merced County (1,150 injured, 124 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Gustine?
NHTSA data shows I-5 with 10 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Gustine since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Gustine?
The worst month is August: 12.4% of truck crashes in Merced County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Gustine?
Since 2015, Merced County has reported 27 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.9% of its truck crashes.
How does Gustine compare with California for truck crashes?
Merced County records 86.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Gustine?
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.