Chester, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Chester: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Chester 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
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 |
Compared with Maine, Penobscot County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes. It runs above Maine on injuries per crash, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Penobscot County at a glance: March garbage-truck crashes peak in March (24% of the year's total).
Overview
Since 2015, 1,066 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Penobscot County. They injured 771 people and killed 15.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
With 8 truck crashes reported in Chester since 2015, this page uses Penobscot County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (12.9% of the year) and are lowest in May (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
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Chester since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-116 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
37 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (Maine: 3.4%).
Their busiest month is March, with 24% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 6.1, vs 1.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Chester fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-116 | 1 |
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 |
Chester at a glance
| Population | 552 |
| Land area | 45.8 sq mi |
| Density | 12 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04457) | $56,645 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04457) | $131,339 |
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 Chester
How many truck crashes happen in Chester?
1,066 truck crashes have been reported in Penobscot County since 2015, with 15 deaths and 771 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Chester?
The worst month is February: 12.9% of truck crashes in Penobscot County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Chester?
Since 2015, Penobscot County has reported 37 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.5% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Chester compare with Maine?
The yearly rate is 59.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Penobscot County, vs 57.4 for Maine.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Chester?
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.