Franklin, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Franklin: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Franklin and Macon County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Macon County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 202 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Macon County compares with North Carolina
Macon County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Macon County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Macon County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.9 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 28% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.60 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 9% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 17% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.1% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 38% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 9% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.4% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 32.6% | 41.0% | 41.9% | 21% below the state |
| After dark | 8.6% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 58% below the state |
Macon County sits below North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above North Carolina on deaths per 100 crashes and in rain, sleet or snow.
Macon County at a glance: 8.6% after dark, against 20.4% across North Carolina.
Overview
Since 2015, 202 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Macon County. They injured 121 people and killed 5.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 21 days.
Only 174 truck crashes were reported in Franklin since 2015; patterns below come from Macon County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 11.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 4.0%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 32.6% of truck crashes, vs 41.0% for North Carolina.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out with 10.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Franklin happened on US-23 (1) and US-64 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 4 crashes, 2.0% of the total, against 2.6% across North Carolina.
Route planning tips for Franklin fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Macon 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Macon County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-23 | 1 |
| US-64 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Macon County) |
|---|---|
| Highlands Rd | 3 |
| Sylva Rd | 3 |
| East Main St | 2 |
| East Main Street | 2 |
| Highlands Road | 2 |
| Big Bear Lane | 1 |
| Bilo'S Pva | 1 |
| Circle Trce | 1 |
Franklin at a glance
| Population | 4,362 |
| Land area | 4.9 sq mi |
| Density | 882 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Macon 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 | 4 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 12 | +172% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 16 | +39% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 17 | +4% | 0.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 4 to 17. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Franklin
How many truck crashes happen in Franklin?
202 truck crashes have been reported in Macon County since 2015, with 5 deaths and 121 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Franklin?
The worst month is July: 11.9% of truck crashes in Macon County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Franklin?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Macon County since 2015, 2.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Franklin compared with North Carolina?
The yearly rate is 43.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Macon County, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Franklin?
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.