Spindale, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Spindale: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Spindale and Rutherford County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Rutherford County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 309 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Rutherford County compares with North Carolina
Rutherford County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Rutherford County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Rutherford County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 39.4 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 36% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.58 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 12% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.7% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 73% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.4% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 18% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.6% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.2% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.3% | 41.0% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 17.2% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Rutherford County has lower values than North Carolina for crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above North Carolina on deaths per 100 crashes.
The headline for Rutherford County: 1 in 143 crashes involve a garbage truck (2 since 2015), vs 2.6% across North Carolina.
Overview
Rutherford County has recorded 309 truck crashes since 2015, with 180 people injured and 9 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 14 days.
Only 32 truck crashes were reported in Spindale since 2015; patterns below come from Rutherford County as a whole.
When crashes happen
September has the most truck crashes, 13.3% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (4.9%).
November through March accounts for 37.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.0% in North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 10.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.4% 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 Spindale happened on US-64 (2), US-74 (2), Ssr-1510 Hudlow Rd (1), US-221 (1) and US-74A (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 0.6%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Route planning tips for Spindale fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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 Rutherford County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-64 | 2 |
| US-74 | 2 |
| Ssr-1510 Hudlow Rd | 1 |
| US-221 | 1 |
| US-74A | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Rutherford County) |
|---|---|
| College Ave | 6 |
| Railroad Ave | 5 |
| College Avenue | 5 |
| S Broadway St | 4 |
| W Main St | 3 |
| Withrow Rd | 3 |
| Buffalo Creek Rd | 2 |
| Charlotte Rd | 2 |
Spindale at a glance
| Population | 4,168 |
| Land area | 5.4 sq mi |
| Density | 771 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28160) | $40,868 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28160) | $178,444 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Rutherford 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 | 18 | — | 1.4 |
| 2000s | 26 | +44% | 1.0 |
| 2010s | 28 | +5% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 24 | -14% | 1.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 18 to 24. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Spindale
How common are truck crashes in Spindale?
Since 2015, 309 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Rutherford County (180 injured, 9 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Spindale?
Truck crashes in Rutherford County peak in September, with 13.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Spindale?
Since 2015, Rutherford County has reported 2 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.6% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Spindale compared with North Carolina?
Per 100,000 residents, Rutherford County has 39.4 truck crashes a year; North Carolina has 61.3.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Spindale?
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.