Harrisburg, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Harrisburg: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Harrisburg and Cabarrus County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cabarrus County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Cabarrus County compares with North Carolina
Cabarrus County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cabarrus County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | Cabarrus County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 69.5 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.2 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 52% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.67 | 0.66 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.5% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.9% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 45% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.5% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.9% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.2% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.9% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 7% below the state |
Cabarrus County sits below North Carolina on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and after dark. It runs above North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Harrisburg: I-85 deadliest road: 8 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Harrisburg since 2015.
Overview
Cabarrus County has recorded 1,874 truck crashes since 2015, with 1,259 people injured and 22 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
Only 104 truck crashes were reported in Harrisburg since 2015; patterns below come from Cabarrus County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 6.4%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 39.2% of truck crashes, against 41.0% across North Carolina.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (7.6%).
Road surface: 0.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Harrisburg is I-85, with 8 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: I-485 (6), SR-24 (4) and US-601 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 61 of the truck crashes here, or 3.3%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Their busiest month is May, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 1.7, vs 1.2 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Harrisburg fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along I-85; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Cabarrus County.
- 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.
Crash reporting for 2025 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Cabarrus County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-85 | 8 |
| I-485 | 6 |
| SR-24 | 4 |
| US-601 | 4 |
| US-29 | 2 |
| Blair Rd | 1 |
| SR-218 | 1 |
| SR-73 | 1 |
| Ssr-1002 | 1 |
| Ssr-1139 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cabarrus County) |
|---|---|
| Concord Pkwy | 63 |
| Poplar Tent Rd | 50 |
| Davidson Hwy | 30 |
| Warren C Coleman Blvd | 20 |
| S Cannon Blvd | 18 |
| Derita Rd | 15 |
| Kannapolis Pkwy | 12 |
| Odell School Rd | 11 |
Harrisburg at a glance
| Population | 20,335 |
| Land area | 12.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1,618 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28075) | $144,288 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28075) | $483,068 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cabarrus 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 | 53 | — | 2.5 |
| 2000s | 95 | +81% | 2.7 |
| 2010s | 154 | +62% | 2.1 |
| 2020s | 143 | -7% | 1.8 |
In the 1990s about 53 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 143. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Harrisburg
How many truck accidents are there in Harrisburg?
Since 2015, 1,874 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cabarrus County (1,259 injured, 22 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Harrisburg?
I-85 had 8 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Harrisburg since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Harrisburg?
The worst month is March: 10.2% of truck crashes in Cabarrus County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Harrisburg?
Since 2015, Cabarrus County has reported 61 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.3% of its truck crashes.
How does Harrisburg compare with North Carolina for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Cabarrus County has 69.5 truck crashes a year; North Carolina has 61.3.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Harrisburg?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.