Burlington, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Burlington: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Burlington and Penobscot County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Penobscot County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Penobscot County compares with Maine
Penobscot County against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Penobscot County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Penobscot County | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 59.0 | 57.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 46% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.73 | 0.58 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.2% | 3.4% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 24.9% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.1% | 26.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.5% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 51.8% | 48.2% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 23.5% | 19.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Penobscot County has lower values than Maine for deaths per 100 crashes. It stands out for higher injuries per crash, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Penobscot County: March more garbage-truck crashes happen in March than in any other month (24%).
Overview
Penobscot County has recorded 1,066 truck crashes since 2015, with 771 people injured and 15 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
Burlington had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Penobscot County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 12.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 6.3%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 51.8% of truck crashes, against 48.2% across Maine.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 8.6% of truck crashes.
24.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 20.2% across Maine.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Burlington.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 37 of the truck crashes here, or 3.5%, compared with 3.4% in Maine.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in March (24% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 6.1, vs 1.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Burlington fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Penobscot County.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Penobscot County.
- With 24.9% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Maine), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Penobscot County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Penobscot County) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 417 |
| Main Rd | 49 |
| Broadway | 24 |
| Main St | 23 |
| Hammond St | 16 |
| Parking Lot | 14 |
| Western Av | 14 |
| Airline Rd | 13 |
Burlington at a glance
| Population | 435 |
| Land area | 54.0 sq mi |
| Density | 8 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04417) | $46,094 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04417) | $99,322 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Penobscot 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 | 77 | — | 2.4 |
| 2000s | 87 | +13% | 2.3 |
| 2010s | 89 | +2% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 89 | +1% | 1.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 77 a year in the 1990s and 89 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Burlington
How many truck accidents are there in Burlington?
Since 2015, 1,066 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Penobscot County (771 injured, 15 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Burlington?
The worst month is February: 12.9% of truck crashes in Penobscot County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Burlington?
37 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Penobscot County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Burlington compare with Maine?
Per 100,000 residents, Penobscot County has 59.0 truck crashes a year; Maine has 57.4.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Burlington?
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.