Railroad, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Railroad: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Railroad and Starke County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Starke County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
8 of 224 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Starke County compares with Indiana
Starke County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Starke County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Starke County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 80.2 | 80.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.4% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.4% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.0% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.5% | 17.4% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.3% | 32.0% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Starke County has lower values than Indiana for deaths per 100 crashes and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Starke County: 17.4% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Overview
Starke County has recorded 224 truck crashes since 2015, with 95 people injured and 6 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 19 days.
Railroad had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Starke County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.8% of the year) and are lowest in July (5.4%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 44.0% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Indiana.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.8%).
17.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 10.6% across Indiana.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Railroad is SR-8, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-49 (1), US-421N (1) and US-421S (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 8 of the truck crashes here, or 3.6%, compared with 2.4% in Indiana.
Route planning tips for Railroad fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Starke County.
- Look at alternatives to SR-8 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- 28.0% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Indiana; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 17.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Indiana; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Starke County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-8 | 2 |
| SR-49 | 1 |
| US-421N | 1 |
| US-421S | 1 |
| Us- 421 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Starke County) |
|---|---|
| US-30 | 79 |
| US-30E | 27 |
| US-30W | 18 |
| US-35N | 10 |
| US-35S | 7 |
| US-35 | 6 |
| SR-8W | 3 |
| SR-8E | 3 |
Railroad at a glance
| Population | 1,224 |
| Land area | 36.6 sq mi |
| Density | 33 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 46374) | $91,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 46374) | $229,156 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Starke 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 | 11 | — | 1.5 |
| 2000s | 14 | +19% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 16 | +18% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 20 | +28% | 0.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 11 to 20. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.0 a year in 2016–19, 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Railroad
How common are truck crashes in Railroad?
Since 2015, 224 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Starke County (95 injured, 6 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Railroad?
Since 2015, SR-8 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Railroad: 2.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Railroad?
January has the most truck crashes in Starke County, 13.8% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Railroad?
Garbage trucks were involved in 8 reported crashes in Starke County since 2015 (3.6% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Railroad compared with Indiana?
Starke County records 80.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Indiana.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Railroad?
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.