Waterville, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Waterville: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Waterville 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 |
Compared with Maine, Kennebec County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
Kennebec County at a glance: January worst month: 13.1% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 854 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kennebec County since 2015: 471 people were injured and 20 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 5 days.
Only 111 truck crashes were reported in Waterville since 2015; patterns below come from Kennebec County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 13.1% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (4.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 49.9% of truck crashes, against 48.2% across Maine.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (10.0%).
Road surface: 19.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maine: 20.2%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Waterville since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-104 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 41 of the truck crashes here, or 4.8%, compared with 3.4% in Maine.
Their busiest month is January, with 20% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.9 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Waterville fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
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) |
|---|---|
| SR-104 | 3 |
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 |
Waterville at a glance
| Population | 17,336 |
| Land area | 13.5 sq mi |
| Density | 1,281 per sq mi |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 58 to 70. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Waterville
How many truck accidents are there in Waterville?
854 truck crashes have been reported in Kennebec County since 2015, with 20 deaths and 471 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Waterville?
The worst month is January: 13.1% of truck crashes in Kennebec County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Waterville?
Since 2015, Kennebec County has reported 41 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.8% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Waterville compared with Maine?
Per 100,000 residents, Kennebec County has 55.8 truck crashes a year; Maine has 57.4.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Waterville?
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.