Wilmington, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wilmington: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Wilmington compares with North Carolina
Wilmington against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Wilmington stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | Wilmington | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 64.8 | 61.3 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 28% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 18% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.1% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.4% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 78% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.7% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.7% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 17% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.3% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 11.6% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 43% below the state |
Wilmington has lower values than North Carolina for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Wilmington at a glance: 1 in 25 garbage-truck share of crashes is 4.1%, against 2.6% for North Carolina.
Overview
Wilmington has recorded 898 truck crashes since 2015, with 485 people injured and 18 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 6.7%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.3% of truck crashes, vs 41.0% for North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 9.9% of truck crashes.
0.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 1.7% across North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
US-74 leads within 15 miles of Wilmington with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: US-17 (3), US-421 (3) and I-40 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 38 of the truck crashes here, or 4.2%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in October (13% of them).
They recorded 3.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Wilmington fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use US-74, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at October schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 25.7% of truck crashes here, more than North Carolina; adjust start times where you can.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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.
Reporting was incomplete in 2025, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Wilmington
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-74 | 4 |
| US-17 | 3 |
| US-421 | 3 |
| I-40 | 2 |
| SR-133 | 2 |
| SR-87 | 2 |
| Ssr-1336 Sidbury Rd | 2 |
| Covil Ave | 1 |
| Morningside Dr | 1 |
| S 17th St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Wilmington) |
|---|---|
| Carolina Beach Rd | 54 |
| Market St | 53 |
| S College Rd | 33 |
| S 17Th St | 17 |
| Oleander Dr | 14 |
| Shipyard Blvd | 13 |
| Martin Luther King Jr | 12 |
| Eastwood Rd | 12 |
Wilmington at a glance
| Population | 125,284 |
| Land area | 51.4 sq mi |
| Density | 2,439 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28403) | $54,547 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28403) | $388,987 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Wilmington 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 | 43 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 60 | +41% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 81 | +34% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 69 | -14% | 2.2 |
In the 1990s about 43 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 69. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 2.0 a year in 2016–19, 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wilmington
How many truck accidents are there in Wilmington?
Since 2015, 898 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Wilmington (485 injured, 18 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Wilmington?
Since 2015, US-74 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 15 miles of Wilmington: 4.
When do most truck crashes happen in Wilmington?
Truck crashes in Wilmington peak in March, with 10.2% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Wilmington?
38 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Wilmington since 2015, 4.2% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Wilmington compare with North Carolina?
Wilmington records 64.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Wilmington?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
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.