Lowell, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lowell: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lowell and Gaston County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Gaston 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 1.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Gaston County compares with North Carolina
Gaston County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Gaston County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Gaston County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 73.6 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 28% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.70 | 0.66 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.0% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.1% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 38% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.0% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.3% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.0% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.8% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Gaston County has lower values than North Carolina for deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
Lowell at a glance: I-85 deadliest road: 13 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Lowell since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 2,086 crashes involving commercial trucks in Gaston County since 2015: 1,440 people were injured and 38 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
With 175 truck crashes reported in Lowell since 2015, this page uses Gaston County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while December has the fewest (7.2%).
November through March accounts for 40.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.0% in North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 7.5% of truck crashes.
1.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 1.7% across North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-85 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (13). It is followed by I-485 (4), US-29 (3) and SR-273 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
61 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.9% share (North Carolina: 2.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in November (18% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 1.7 deaths compared with 1.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Lowell fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-85 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: November is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Gaston 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 Gaston County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-85 | 13 |
| I-485 | 4 |
| US-29 | 3 |
| SR-273 | 2 |
| US-321 | 2 |
| US-74 | 2 |
| Brookshire Blvd | 1 |
| Brownstone Ct | 1 |
| Moores Chapel Rd | 1 |
| Mt Holly Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Gaston County) |
|---|---|
| N Chester St | 60 |
| E Franklin Blvd | 34 |
| W Franklin Blvd | 16 |
| S York Rd | 16 |
| Bessemer City Rd | 16 |
| Gastonia Dallas Hwy | 16 |
| N New Hope Rd | 15 |
| S New Hope Rd | 15 |
Lowell at a glance
| Population | 3,863 |
| Land area | 3.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1,051 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28098) | $53,000 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28098) | $199,174 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Gaston 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 | 91 | — | 3.0 |
| 2000s | 118 | +30% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 151 | +28% | 2.7 |
| 2020s | 178 | +18% | 3.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 91 to 178. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.8 a year in 2016–19 and 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lowell
How common are truck crashes in Lowell?
Gaston County has had 2,086 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,440 people and killing 38.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Lowell?
NHTSA data shows I-85 with 13 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Lowell since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Lowell?
The worst month is March: 9.4% of truck crashes in Gaston County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Lowell?
61 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Gaston County since 2015, 2.9% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Lowell compare with North Carolina?
Gaston County records 73.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Lowell?
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.