Colfax, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Colfax: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Colfax and Placer County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Placer County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Placer County compares with California
Placer County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Placer County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Placer County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.8 | 33.2 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 25% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.5% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 11.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.0% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 19% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.6% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 3.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.5% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.5% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Placer County sits below California on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Placer County: 10.5% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 0.9% in California.
Overview
Placer County has recorded 1,682 truck crashes since 2015, with 662 people injured and 44 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
Colfax had 11 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Placer County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 6.7%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 41.5% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 7.8% of truck crashes.
10.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-80 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). Next come SR-49 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 30 crashes, 1.8% of the total, against 1.6% across California.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in November (20% of them).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Colfax fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-80; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at November schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 10.5% of truck crashes here, more than California; schedule winter checks early.
- 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 Placer County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 3 |
| SR-49 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Placer County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 13 |
| Rt80/287Ft E Old Nyack Rd | 5 |
| Rt80 Wb/1.2M E Carpenter Flat Rd | 5 |
| Rt 80/1.8Mi W Of Blue Canyon Rd | 5 |
| Rt80/.09M W Cape Horn Rd | 4 |
| Sierra College Blvd | 3 |
| Rt80/3005Ft E Of Ridge Rd | 3 |
| Rt80/246Ft W Of Donner Pass Rd | 3 |
Colfax at a glance
| Population | 2,058 |
| Land area | 1.4 sq mi |
| Density | 1,464 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95713) | $87,839 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95713) | $495,519 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Placer 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 | — | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 86 | — | 2.6 |
| 2010s | 112 | +31% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 161 | +44% | 4.0 |
From the 2000s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 86 to 161. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.2 a year in 2016–19 and 4.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Colfax
How many truck accidents are there in Colfax?
1,682 truck crashes have been reported in Placer County since 2015, with 44 deaths and 662 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Colfax?
NHTSA data shows I-80 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Colfax since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Colfax?
The worst month is March: 10.2% of truck crashes in Placer County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Colfax?
30 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Placer County since 2015, 1.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Colfax compared with California?
The yearly rate is 33.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Placer County, vs 33.2 for California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Colfax?
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.