Berlin, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Berlin: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Berlin and Worcester County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Worcester County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Worcester County compares with Massachusetts
Worcester County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Worcester County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Worcester County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 35.7 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.1% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 23% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.3% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.7% | 27.3% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.7% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.7% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.8% | 19.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Massachusetts, Worcester County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Massachusetts on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Berlin: I-90 deadliest road: 3 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Berlin since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 3,757 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Worcester County. They injured 1,623 people and killed 63.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Berlin had 43 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Worcester County numbers.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (7.4%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.7% of truck crashes, against 41.9% across Massachusetts.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.4%).
Road surface: 9.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Massachusetts: 6.6%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-90 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). It is followed by I-190 (2), I-290 (2) and I-495 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 148 crashes, 3.9% of the total, against 5.3% across Massachusetts.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in January (14% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 3.5 deaths compared with 1.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Berlin fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-90 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- With 9.3% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Massachusetts), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Worcester County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 3 |
| I-190 | 2 |
| I-290 | 2 |
| I-495 | 2 |
| SR-12 | 2 |
| Paul Tivnan Drive | 1 |
| SR-110 | 1 |
| US-20 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Worcester County) |
|---|---|
| Main St | 54 |
| Cambridge St | 49 |
| Hammond St | 26 |
| Southwest Cutoff | 26 |
| Turnpike Rd | 23 |
| Webster St | 19 |
| E Main St | 13 |
| Southbridge St | 12 |
Berlin at a glance
| Population | 3,479 |
| Land area | 13.0 sq mi |
| Density | 268 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01503) | $121,336 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01503) | $619,960 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Worcester 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 | 76 | — | 6.7 |
| 2000s | 220 | +190% | 4.4 |
| 2010s | 295 | +34% | 5.3 |
| 2020s | 352 | +19% | 4.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 76 a year in the 1990s and 352 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 5.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Berlin
How many truck crashes happen in Berlin?
3,757 truck crashes have been reported in Worcester County since 2015, with 63 deaths and 1,623 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Berlin?
NHTSA data shows I-90 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Berlin since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Berlin?
Truck crashes in Worcester County peak in August, with 9.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Berlin?
Garbage trucks were involved in 148 reported crashes in Worcester County since 2015 (3.9% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Berlin compare with Massachusetts?
Per 100,000 residents, Worcester County has 35.7 truck crashes a year; Massachusetts has 22.9.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Berlin?
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.