Portland, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Portland: 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
4.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Portland compares with Maine
Portland against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Portland stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Portland | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 52.8 | 57.4 | 49.7 | 8% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 42% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.51 | 0.58 | 0.49 | 12% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 6.2% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.8× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.4% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 54% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.2% | 26.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.6% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 35% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 48.0% | 48.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 20.1% | 19.1% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Maine, Portland is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above Maine on garbage-truck share.
The headline for Portland: 1 in 16 garbage-truck share of crashes is 6.2%, against 3.4% for Maine.
Overview
Police reported 434 crashes involving commercial trucks in Portland since 2015: 227 people were injured and 6 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 10 days.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 10.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.5%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 48.0% of truck crashes, against 48.2% across Maine.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.4%).
Road surface: 9.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maine: 20.2%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-95 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (2). It is followed by District Rd (1), Riverside St (1) and SR-22 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 28 crashes, 6.5% of the total, against 3.4% across Maine.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in October (29%).
They recorded 4.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.5 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Portland fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Portland.
- Check whether your routes use I-95, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: October is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Portland.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Portland
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 2 |
| District Rd | 1 |
| Riverside St | 1 |
| SR-22 | 1 |
| SR-26 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Portland) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 59 |
| I-295 | 47 |
| Congress St | 33 |
| Forest Av | 33 |
| Riverside St | 27 |
| Washington Av | 15 |
| Warren Av | 11 |
| Parking Lot | 10 |
Portland at a glance
| Population | 69,568 |
| Land area | 21.5 sq mi |
| Density | 3,230 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04108) | $94,318 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04108) | $636,700 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Portland 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 | 28 | — | 2.2 |
| 2000s | 32 | +15% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 40 | +27% | 2.4 |
| 2020s | 30 | -27% | 1.4 |
In the 1990s about 28 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 30. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Portland
How many truck accidents are there in Portland?
434 truck crashes have been reported in Portland since 2015, with 6 deaths and 227 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Portland?
NHTSA data shows I-95 with 2 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Portland since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Portland?
July has the most truck crashes in Portland, 10.6% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Portland?
Garbage trucks were involved in 28 reported crashes in Portland since 2015 (6.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Portland compared with Maine?
Portland records 52.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.4 across Maine.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Portland?
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.