Porter, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Porter: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Porter and Porter County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Porter 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 2.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Porter County compares with Indiana
Porter County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Porter County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Porter County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 99.9 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.3% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 45% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.3% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.3% | 22.4% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.5% | 17.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.8% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 32.8% | 32.0% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Indiana, Porter County is lower on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Indiana on crashes per 100k residents / yr and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Porter: 2.7× fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Porter per year, 2020–24 vs 2016–19 (5.4 vs 2.0).
Overview
Since 2015, 2,058 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Porter County. They injured 660 people and killed 56.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
Only 120 truck crashes were reported in Porter since 2015; patterns below come from Porter County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 11.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 6.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 43.8% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Indiana.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 7.3% of truck crashes.
15.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 10.6% across Indiana.
Where crashes happen
I-94 leads within 10 miles of Porter with 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come US-20 (6), I-80 (3) and SR-49 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
25 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.2% share (Indiana: 2.4%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in May (16%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 2.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Porter fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-94, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Porter County.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 15.3% of truck crashes here, more than Indiana; schedule winter checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Porter County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 11 |
| US-20 | 6 |
| I-80 | 3 |
| SR-49 | 3 |
| SR-130 | 2 |
| SR-149 | 2 |
| US-421 | 2 |
| Us- 20 | 2 |
| Mu-Swanson Rd | 1 |
| SR-51 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Porter County) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 581 |
| I-80 | 222 |
| US-30 | 135 |
| US-20 | 107 |
| SR-49 | 88 |
| US-6 | 43 |
| US-30W | 41 |
| US-30E | 33 |
Porter at a glance
| Population | 5,190 |
| Land area | 6.2 sq mi |
| Density | 839 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 46304) | $91,326 |
| Median home value (ZIP 46304) | $288,820 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Porter 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 | 82 | — | 5.8 |
| 2000s | 154 | +87% | 3.9 |
| 2010s | 164 | +7% | 3.2 |
| 2020s | 171 | +4% | 5.8 |
In the 1990s about 82 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 171. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 2.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 5.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Porter
How common are truck crashes in Porter?
Porter County has had 2,058 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 660 people and killing 56.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Porter?
NHTSA data shows I-94 with 11 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Porter since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Porter?
Truck crashes in Porter County peak in January, with 11.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Porter?
Since 2015, Porter County has reported 25 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.2% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Porter compared with Indiana?
Per 100,000 residents, Porter County has 99.9 truck crashes a year; Indiana has 80.8.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Porter?
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.