Manchester, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Manchester: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Manchester and Kennebec County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kennebec County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.9 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kennebec County compares with Maine
Kennebec County against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kennebec County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kennebec County | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.8 | 57.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 27% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.55 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.4% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 19.7% | 20.2% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.3% | 26.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.4% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.9% | 48.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.2% | 19.1% | 24.8% | same |
Kennebec County sits below Maine on deaths per 100 crashes. It runs above Maine on garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
Manchester at a glance: I-95 3 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Manchester.
Overview
Kennebec County has recorded 854 truck crashes since 2015, with 471 people injured and 20 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 5 days.
Manchester had 18 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Kennebec County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 13.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 4.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 49.9% of truck crashes, vs 48.2% for Maine.
By time of day, 8–9 am stands out with 10.0% of truck crashes.
19.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 20.2% across Maine.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-95 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). It is followed by US-202 (2) and SR-17 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
41 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.8% share (Maine: 3.4%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (20%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 1.9 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Manchester fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-95 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at January schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Kennebec County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 3 |
| US-202 | 2 |
| SR-17 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kennebec County) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 241 |
| Main St | 32 |
| Water St | 22 |
| Western Ave | 21 |
| Kennedy Memorial Dr | 20 |
| US-202 | 17 |
| I-295 | 15 |
| N Belfast Ave | 13 |
Manchester at a glance
| Population | 2,491 |
| Land area | 21.4 sq mi |
| Density | 116 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04351) | $92,031 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04351) | $338,660 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kennebec 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 | 58 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 66 | +13% | 1.6 |
| 2010s | 62 | -6% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 70 | +13% | 1.8 |
In the 1990s about 58 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 70. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.0 a year in 2016–19, 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Manchester
How many truck accidents are there in Manchester?
Since 2015, 854 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Kennebec County (471 injured, 20 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Manchester?
Since 2015, I-95 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Manchester: 3.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Manchester?
The worst month is January: 13.1% of truck crashes in Kennebec County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Manchester?
Garbage trucks were involved in 41 reported crashes in Kennebec County since 2015 (4.8% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Manchester compare with Maine?
Per 100,000 residents, Kennebec County has 55.8 truck crashes a year; Maine has 57.4.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Manchester?
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.