Needles, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Needles: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Needles and San Bernardino County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use San Bernardino County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How San Bernardino County compares with California
San Bernardino County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where San Bernardino County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | San Bernardino County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 66.4 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.9% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 47% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.6% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 39% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 15% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.4% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 17% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.2% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 36.8% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
San Bernardino County has lower values than California for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above California on crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark.
What stands out in Needles: I-40 deadliest road: 6 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Needles since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 16,987 crashes involving commercial trucks in San Bernardino County since 2015: 7,216 people were injured and 617 were killed.
That averages about 4 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
Needles had 96 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use San Bernardino County numbers.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.1% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (7.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.2% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
By time of day, 2–3 pm stands out with 5.4% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.6% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
I-40 leads within 10 miles of Needles with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: US-95 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 145 of the truck crashes here, or 0.9%, compared with 1.6% in California.
Their busiest month is April, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 2.8 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Needles fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-40, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: April is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in San Bernardino County.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 San Bernardino County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 6 |
| US-95 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (San Bernardino County) |
|---|---|
| I-15 | 67 |
| I-40 | 35 |
| I-10 W/B (San Bernardino Fwy) | 29 |
| I-10 E/B (San Bernardino Fwy) | 27 |
| Sr-60 E/B (Pomona Fwy) | 19 |
| I-10 | 16 |
| US-395 | 14 |
| I-15 N/B (Ontario Fwy) | 14 |
Needles at a glance
| Population | 4,839 |
| Land area | 30.6 sq mi |
| Density | 158 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 92363) | $40,068 |
| Median home value (ZIP 92363) | $153,622 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in San Bernardino 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 | 6 | — | 32.0 |
| 2000s | 850 | +14065% | 34.8 |
| 2010s | 1,161 | +37% | 30.6 |
| 2020s | 1,571 | +35% | 43.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 6 to 1,571. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 35.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 43.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Needles
How many truck accidents are there in Needles?
San Bernardino County has had 16,987 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 7,216 people and killing 617.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Needles?
Since 2015, I-40 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Needles: 6.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Needles?
The worst month is August: 9.1% of truck crashes in San Bernardino County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Needles?
Garbage trucks were involved in 145 reported crashes in San Bernardino County since 2015 (0.9% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Needles compare with California?
San Bernardino County records 66.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Needles?
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.