Oakland, MD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Oakland: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Oakland and Garrett County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Garrett County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 378 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Garrett County compares with Maryland
Garrett County against Maryland and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Garrett County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Garrett County | Maryland | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 112.1 | 49.3 | 49.7 | 2.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.6 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 2.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.53 | 0.53 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.4% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 53% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 18.3% | 2.4% | 6.2% | 7.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.4% | 24.7% | 23.7% | 13% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.9% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1.7× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.0% | 40.4% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 29.7% | 25.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Garrett County has lower values than Maryland for garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
Garrett County at a glance: 18.3% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 2.4% in Maryland.
Overview
Police reported 378 crashes involving commercial trucks in Garrett County since 2015: 196 people were injured and 17 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 11 days in fully reported years.
Oakland had 7 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Garrett County numbers.
80% of truck crash reports in Garrett County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (12.2% of the year) and are lowest in September (5.0%).
November through March accounts for 44.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.4% in Maryland.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 9.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 18.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maryland: 2.4%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Oakland happened on SR-135 (1) and US-219 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 5 crashes, 1.3% of the total, against 3.1% across Maryland.
Route planning tips for Oakland fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 18.3% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Maryland), 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 Garrett County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-135 | 1 |
| US-219 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Garrett County) |
|---|---|
| National Freeway | 135 |
| Garrett Hwy | 27 |
| Maryland Hwy | 17 |
| Bittinger Rd | 13 |
| National Pike | 11 |
| Is 68 - National Freeway | 10 |
| Acrs Marked Off Road | 6 |
| Friendsville Rd | 6 |
Oakland at a glance
| Population | 1,813 |
| Land area | 2.7 sq mi |
| Density | 669 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 21550) | $64,921 |
| Median home value (ZIP 21550) | $233,436 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Garrett 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 | 20 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 21 | +5% | 1.4 |
| 2010s | 26 | +23% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 34 | +33% | 1.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 20 a year in the 1990s and 34 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Oakland
How many truck crashes happen in Oakland?
Garrett County has had 378 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 196 people and killing 17.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Oakland?
January has the most truck crashes in Garrett County, 12.2% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Oakland?
Since 2015, Garrett County has reported 5 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.3% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Oakland compared with Maryland?
Garrett County records 112.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 49.3 across Maryland.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Oakland?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.