Thomas, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Thomas: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Thomas and Saginaw County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Saginaw 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 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Saginaw County compares with Michigan
Saginaw County against Michigan and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Saginaw County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Saginaw County | Michigan | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.6 | 52.4 | 49.7 | 17% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.1 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.31 | 0.30 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.9% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.2% | 17.7% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.9% | 25.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.8% | 21.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.2% | 44.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 21.1% | 20.7% | 24.8% | same |
Saginaw County sits below Michigan on crashes per 100k residents / yr. It runs above Michigan on garbage-truck share.
The headline for Saginaw County: January 11.2% of truck crashes happen in January, more than any other month.
Overview
Saginaw County has recorded 984 truck crashes since 2015, with 311 people injured and 21 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
Thomas had 34 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Saginaw County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 11.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.9%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.2% of truck crashes, against 44.4% across Michigan.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (7.8%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 17.2% of truck crashes, compared with 17.7% in Michigan.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Thomas since 2015 were spread across roads: CR-GARFIELD Rd (1), CR-GORDONVILLE Rd (1), SR-46 (1), SR-47 (1) and SR-52 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 37 crashes, 3.8% of the total, against 3.2% across Michigan.
Their busiest month is March, with 14% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Thomas fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Saginaw County.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Saginaw County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-GARFIELD Rd | 1 |
| CR-GORDONVILLE Rd | 1 |
| SR-46 | 1 |
| SR-47 | 1 |
| SR-52 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Saginaw County) |
|---|---|
| I-75 | 105 |
| Washington | 74 |
| Gratiot | 47 |
| Midland | 32 |
| State | 31 |
| Dixie | 29 |
| Holland | 26 |
| Michigan | 24 |
Thomas at a glance
| Population | 11,921 |
| Land area | 30.8 sq mi |
| Density | 387 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Saginaw 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 | 57 | — | 2.3 |
| 2000s | 66 | +16% | 2.2 |
| 2010s | 50 | -24% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 97 | +94% | 1.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 57 a year in the 1990s and 97 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 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Thomas
How common are truck crashes in Thomas?
984 truck crashes have been reported in Saginaw County since 2015, with 21 deaths and 311 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Thomas?
Truck crashes in Saginaw County peak in January, with 11.2% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Thomas?
37 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Saginaw County since 2015, 3.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Thomas compared with Michigan?
The yearly rate is 43.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Saginaw County, vs 52.4 for Michigan.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Thomas?
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.