Thermal, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Thermal: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Thermal and Riverside County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Riverside 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 3.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Riverside County compares with California
Riverside County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Riverside County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Riverside County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 40.0 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 26% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 80% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.5% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 9% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.7% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 28% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.9% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.5% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Riverside County sits below California on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark.
What stands out in Thermal: I-10 5 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Thermal.
Overview
Police reported 11,638 crashes involving commercial trucks in Riverside County since 2015: 5,353 people were injured and 418 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 3 truck crashes a day.
Thermal had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Riverside County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (9.1% of the year) and are lowest in November (7.7%).
November through March accounts for 40.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (6.0%).
0.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Thermal is I-10, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come Indio Blvd (2), SR-86 (2) and Airport Blvd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 140 of the truck crashes here, or 1.2%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in October (14%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.7, vs 3.6 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Thermal fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-10 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in October; review collection routes for that month.
- 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 Riverside County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-10 | 5 |
| Indio Blvd | 2 |
| SR-86 | 2 |
| Airport Blvd | 1 |
| Ave 44 | 1 |
| Avenue 48 | 1 |
| Dillon Road | 1 |
| Harrison St | 1 |
| Hwy 86 | 1 |
| Indio Springs Pkwy | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Riverside County) |
|---|---|
| I-10 | 58 |
| I-15 | 37 |
| Sr-60 E/B | 37 |
| Sr-60 W/B | 30 |
| Sr-91 E/B | 29 |
| I-215 | 25 |
| SR-60 | 17 |
| SR-91 | 15 |
Thermal at a glance
| Land area | 9.4 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 92236) | $68,393 |
| Median home value (ZIP 92236) | $370,240 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Riverside 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 | 3 | — | 23.9 |
| 2000s | 588 | +19483% | 22.6 |
| 2010s | 739 | +26% | 19.9 |
| 2020s | 1,115 | +51% | 29.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 3 to 1,115. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 26.2 a year in 2016–19 and 29.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Thermal
How many truck accidents are there in Thermal?
Riverside County has had 11,638 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 5,353 people and killing 418.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Thermal?
I-10 had 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Thermal since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Thermal?
The worst month is August: 9.1% of truck crashes in Riverside County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Thermal?
Garbage trucks were involved in 140 reported crashes in Riverside County since 2015 (1.2% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Thermal compare with California?
Riverside County records 40.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Thermal?
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.