Catawba, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Catawba: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Catawba and Catawba County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Catawba 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 Catawba County compares with North Carolina
Catawba County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Catawba County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Catawba County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 73.7 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 24% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.59 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.9% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.3% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.9% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.5% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.1% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 16% below the state |
Catawba County has lower values than North Carolina for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and after dark. It runs above North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Catawba: I-40 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Catawba: 5 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,434 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Catawba County. They injured 844 people and killed 27.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 3 days.
Only 85 truck crashes were reported in Catawba since 2015; patterns below come from Catawba County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is November with 9.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 7.5%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.5% of truck crashes, against 41.0% across North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 8.0% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 1.9% of truck crashes, compared with 1.7% in North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Catawba is I-40, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come SR-16 (3), US-70 (3) and SR-10 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 53 crashes, 3.7% of the total, against 2.6% across North Carolina.
Their busiest month is July, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 1.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Catawba fleets
- Build extra time into November routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along I-40; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: July is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Catawba County.
- 1.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above North Carolina; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Catawba County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 5 |
| SR-16 | 3 |
| US-70 | 3 |
| SR-10 | 1 |
| SR-150 | 1 |
| SR-90 | 1 |
| Ssr-1003 Buffaloe Shoals Rd | 1 |
| Ssr-1491 Section House Rd Nw | 1 |
| US-64 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Catawba County) |
|---|---|
| Rock Barn Rd Ne | 40 |
| Conover Blvd | 25 |
| Thornburg Dr Ne | 19 |
| 1St St | 15 |
| Startown Rd | 14 |
| 1St Ave Sw | 11 |
| 8Th St Dr Se | 11 |
| Mcdonald Pkwy Se | 11 |
Catawba at a glance
| Population | 729 |
| Land area | 4.6 sq mi |
| Density | 157 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28609) | $77,679 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28609) | $235,084 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Catawba 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 | 68 | — | 3.5 |
| 2000s | 89 | +30% | 2.0 |
| 2010s | 116 | +30% | 2.0 |
| 2020s | 111 | -4% | 2.2 |
In the 1990s about 68 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 111. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Catawba
How common are truck crashes in Catawba?
1,434 truck crashes have been reported in Catawba County since 2015, with 27 deaths and 844 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Catawba?
I-40 had 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Catawba since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Catawba?
The worst month is November: 9.1% of truck crashes in Catawba County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Catawba?
Garbage trucks were involved in 53 reported crashes in Catawba County since 2015 (3.7% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Catawba compared with North Carolina?
The yearly rate is 73.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Catawba County, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Catawba?
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.