Essex, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Essex: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Essex and Essex County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Essex County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Essex County compares with Massachusetts
Essex County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Essex County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Essex County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 18.6 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 19% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 7.7% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.6% | 6.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.8% | 27.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.6% | 13.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.3% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.9% | 19.2% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Massachusetts, Essex County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr and deaths per 100 crashes. It runs above Massachusetts on garbage-truck share.
Essex County at a glance: 1 in 13 garbage-truck share of crashes is 7.7%, against 5.3% for Massachusetts.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,776 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Essex County. They injured 816 people and killed 33.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
With 4 truck crashes reported in Essex since 2015, this page uses Essex County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is December with 10.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 6.8%.
November through March accounts for 43.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.9% in Massachusetts.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 8.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 6.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Massachusetts: 6.6%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Essex happened on High St (1), SR-128 (1) and US-1 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 137 of the truck crashes here, or 7.7%, compared with 5.3% in Massachusetts.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in December (12% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.8 deaths compared with 1.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Essex fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Essex County.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Essex County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Essex County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| High St | 1 |
| SR-128 | 1 |
| US-1 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Essex County) |
|---|---|
| Rte 495 | 23 |
| Rte 1 | 17 |
| Broadway | 12 |
| Main St | 12 |
| Rte 95 | 11 |
| Lowell St | 7 |
| Washington St | 7 |
| Rte 495 S X 97A | 6 |
Essex at a glance
| Population | 3,760 |
| Land area | 2.1 sq mi |
| Density | 1,826 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01929) | $156,442 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01929) | $911,152 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Essex 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 | 40 | — | 3.4 |
| 2000s | 112 | +183% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 158 | +42% | 2.8 |
| 2020s | 159 | +1% | 2.4 |
In the 1990s about 40 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 159. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Essex
How many truck accidents are there in Essex?
1,776 truck crashes have been reported in Essex County since 2015, with 33 deaths and 816 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Essex?
Truck crashes in Essex County peak in December, with 10.9% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Essex?
Since 2015, Essex County has reported 137 garbage-truck crashes, or 7.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Essex compared with Massachusetts?
Per 100,000 residents, Essex County has 18.6 truck crashes a year; Massachusetts has 22.9.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Essex?
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.