Kentucky truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Kentucky: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.9 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kentucky compares with United States
Kentucky against United States, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kentucky stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kentucky | United States | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.4 | 49.7 | 1.4× the US |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.5 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.1× the US |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.0% | 6.2% | 19% below the US |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the US |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.4% | 24.8% | same |
Kentucky sits below the US on on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Kentucky: I-65 68 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road in Kentucky.
Overview
Police reported 36,910 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kentucky since 2015: 16,990 people were injured and 1,267 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 9 truck crashes a day.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 8.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 7.4%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 41.0% of truck crashes, against 41.9% across the US.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 7.0% of truck crashes.
5.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 6.2% across the US.
Where crashes happen
I-65 leads in Kentucky with 68 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-75 (56), I-64 (53) and US-60 (37).
Garbage & waste trucks
978 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.6% share (the US: 2.3%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in September (10%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.9, vs 3.5 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Kentucky fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along I-65; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in September; 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 Kentucky
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Kentucky) |
|---|---|
| I-65 | 68 |
| I-75 | 56 |
| I-64 | 53 |
| US-60 | 37 |
| I-71 | 26 |
| US-68 | 26 |
| US-27 | 25 |
| I-24 | 24 |
| US-23 | 23 |
| US-127 | 18 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kentucky) |
|---|---|
| I-0075 | 4,544 |
| I-0065 | 3,808 |
| I-0071 | 1,887 |
| I-0064 | 1,727 |
| I-0024 | 1,110 |
| US-0060 | 748 |
| I-0264 | 557 |
| US-0027 | 532 |
Kentucky at a glance
| Population | 4,588,372 |
| Land area | 39,485.4 sq mi |
| Density | 116 per sq mi |
Historical data: truck crashes in Kentucky 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 | 1,905 | — | 95.7 |
| 2000s | 2,680 | +41% | 99.2 |
| 2010s | 2,986 | +11% | 82.1 |
| 2020s | 3,115 | +4% | 97.8 |
In the 1990s about 1,905 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 3,115. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 92.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 97.8 a year in 2020–24.
Counties in Kentucky
Largest places in Kentucky
Nearby states
Questions fleets ask about Kentucky
How common are truck crashes in Kentucky?
Kentucky has had 36,910 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 16,990 people and killing 1,267.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Kentucky?
Since 2015, I-65 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes in Kentucky: 68.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Kentucky?
The worst month is August: 8.9% of truck crashes in Kentucky happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Kentucky?
Garbage trucks were involved in 978 reported crashes in Kentucky since 2015 (2.6% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Kentucky compared with the US?
Per 100,000 residents, Kentucky has 68.4 truck crashes a year; the US has 49.7.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Kentucky?
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.