North Reading, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in North Reading: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in North Reading and Middlesex County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Middlesex County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.2 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Middlesex County compares with Massachusetts
Middlesex County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Middlesex County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.2 | 22.9 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.46 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.7% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.2% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 7% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 30.4% | 27.3% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.8% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 10% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.4% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.5% | 19.2% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Compared with Massachusetts, Middlesex County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for North Reading: I-93 5 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of North Reading.
Overview
Since 2015, 4,505 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Middlesex County. They injured 1,863 people and killed 73.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
North Reading had 14 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Middlesex County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (9.5% of the year) and are lowest in April (6.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.4% of truck crashes, against 41.9% across Massachusetts.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.1% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 6.2% of truck crashes, compared with 6.6% in Massachusetts.
Where crashes happen
I-93 leads within 10 miles of North Reading with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come I-495 (3), I-95 (2) and SR-125 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 255 of the truck crashes here, or 5.7%, compared with 5.3% in Massachusetts.
Their busiest month is November, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 1.2, vs 1.7 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for North Reading fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-93; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: November is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Middlesex County.
- Morning starts matter: 30.4% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Massachusetts.
- 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 Middlesex County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-93 | 5 |
| I-495 | 3 |
| I-95 | 2 |
| SR-125 | 2 |
| US-1 | 2 |
| Common St | 1 |
| Elm St | 1 |
| Franklin St | 1 |
| Newbury St | 1 |
| Sylvan St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Middlesex County) |
|---|---|
| Main St | 52 |
| Rte 495 | 24 |
| Washington St | 19 |
| Ballardvale St | 19 |
| Main Street | 16 |
| Boston Post Rd | 16 |
| Rte 90 E X 123 | 15 |
| Lowell St | 13 |
North Reading at a glance
| Population | 16,379 |
| Land area | 13.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,245 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01864) | $147,768 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01864) | $710,967 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Middlesex 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 | 107 | — | 5.5 |
| 2000s | 284 | +165% | 4.7 |
| 2010s | 398 | +40% | 4.5 |
| 2020s | 406 | +2% | 7.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 107 to 406. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 4.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 7.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about North Reading
How many truck accidents are there in North Reading?
Middlesex County has had 4,505 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,863 people and killing 73.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in North Reading?
NHTSA data shows I-93 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of North Reading since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in North Reading?
The worst month is January: 9.5% of truck crashes in Middlesex County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in North Reading?
Since 2015, Middlesex County has reported 255 garbage-truck crashes, or 5.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in North Reading compared with Massachusetts?
The yearly rate is 23.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Middlesex County, vs 22.9 for Massachusetts.
How can I plan a safer truck route in North Reading?
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.