West Gardiner, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in West Gardiner: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in West Gardiner 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 runs above Maine on garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
West Gardiner at a glance: I-95 3 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of West Gardiner.
Overview
Kennebec County has recorded 854 truck crashes since 2015, with 471 people injured and 20 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 5 days in fully reported years.
Only 45 truck crashes were reported in West Gardiner 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.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 10.0% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 19.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maine: 20.2%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of West Gardiner is I-95, with 3 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by US-202 (2), SR-27 (1) and SR-9 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 41 crashes, 4.8% of the total, against 3.4% across Maine.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (20%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 1.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for West Gardiner 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-27 | 1 |
| SR-9 | 1 |
| Sr-Lewiston Road | 1 |
| Sr-Route 197 | 1 |
| Windsor Rd | 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 |
West Gardiner at a glance
| Population | 3,700 |
| Land area | 24.6 sq mi |
| Density | 150 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04344) | $71,635 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04344) | $255,892 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 58 a year in the 1990s and 70 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.0 a year in 2016–19, 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about West Gardiner
How many truck crashes happen in West Gardiner?
854 truck crashes have been reported in Kennebec County since 2015, with 20 deaths and 471 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in West Gardiner?
NHTSA data shows I-95 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of West Gardiner since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in West Gardiner?
Truck crashes in Kennebec County peak in January, with 13.1% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in West Gardiner?
Since 2015, Kennebec County has reported 41 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.8% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in West Gardiner 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 West Gardiner?
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.