Waynesville, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Waynesville: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Waynesville and Haywood County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Haywood County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 967 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Haywood County compares with North Carolina
Haywood County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Haywood County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Haywood County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 130.9 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 2.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 56% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.55 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 17% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.4% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 83% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.3% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 1.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 15.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 34% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.2% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 1.6× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.7% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 29.6% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 1.5× the state |
Haywood County sits below North Carolina on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Haywood County: 1 in 227 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 0.4%, vs 2.6% in North Carolina.
Overview
Police reported 967 crashes involving commercial trucks in Haywood County since 2015: 525 people were injured and 10 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 4 days.
Only 186 truck crashes were reported in Waynesville since 2015; patterns below come from Haywood County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is September with 10.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 6.6%.
November through March accounts for 38.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.0% in North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 4–5 pm, with 7.4% of truck crashes.
2.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 1.7% across North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Waynesville since 2015 were spread across roads: I-40 (1), US-19B (1), US-23 (1), US-276 (1) and US-74 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 5 of the truck crashes here, or 0.5%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Route planning tips for Waynesville fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 2.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above North Carolina; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Haywood County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 1 |
| US-19B | 1 |
| US-23 | 1 |
| US-276 | 1 |
| US-74 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Haywood County) |
|---|---|
| Pilot Truck Stop | 19 |
| Champion Drive | 9 |
| Russ Ave | 5 |
| Champion Dr | 4 |
| Brown Ave | 3 |
| Cold Springs Creek Rd | 2 |
| Commerce Street | 2 |
| Crabtree Rd | 2 |
Waynesville at a glance
| Population | 10,709 |
| Land area | 9.0 sq mi |
| Density | 1,195 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Haywood 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 | 51 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 56 | +9% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 65 | +16% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 84 | +29% | 0.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 51 to 84. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Waynesville
How many truck accidents are there in Waynesville?
967 truck crashes have been reported in Haywood County since 2015, with 10 deaths and 525 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Waynesville?
September has the most truck crashes in Haywood County, 10.8% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Waynesville?
Garbage trucks were involved in 5 reported crashes in Haywood County since 2015 (0.5% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Waynesville compare with North Carolina?
Haywood County records 130.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Waynesville?
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.