Raleigh, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Raleigh: 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
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 0.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Raleigh compares with North Carolina
Raleigh against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Raleigh stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Raleigh | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 62.3 | 61.3 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 72% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.62 | 0.66 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.4% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.5% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.1% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.0% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 16.0% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 22% below the state |
Compared with North Carolina, Raleigh is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
The headline for Raleigh: +104% change in yearly reported truck crashes from the 2000s (173) to the 2010s (353).
Overview
Police reported 3,569 crashes involving commercial trucks in Raleigh since 2015: 2,224 people were injured and 25 were killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
June has the most truck crashes, 10.1% of the yearly total, while September has the fewest (7.2%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 41.0% of truck crashes, against 41.0% across North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 8.2% of truck crashes.
1.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 1.7% across North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
I-40 leads within 15 miles of Raleigh with 8 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: US-401 (6), US-64 (5) and I-440 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
98 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.7% share (North Carolina: 2.6%).
Their busiest month is January, with 11% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 0.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Raleigh fleets
- Build extra time into June routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-40, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Raleigh
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 8 |
| US-401 | 6 |
| US-64 | 5 |
| I-440 | 4 |
| US-1 | 4 |
| US-70 | 4 |
| SR-98 | 3 |
| I-540 | 2 |
| Atlantic Ave | 1 |
| I-87 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Raleigh) |
|---|---|
| Capital Blvd | 252 |
| Glenwood Ave | 137 |
| New Bern Ave | 62 |
| Wake Forest Rd | 50 |
| Wade Ave | 38 |
| S Wilmington St | 37 |
| Six Forks Rd | 34 |
| Poole Rd | 34 |
Raleigh at a glance
| Population | 499,825 |
| Land area | 150.9 sq mi |
| Density | 3,312 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Raleigh 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 | 78 | — | 6.3 |
| 2000s | 173 | +122% | 5.6 |
| 2010s | 353 | +104% | 5.0 |
| 2020s | 238 | -33% | 6.0 |
In the 1990s about 78 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 238. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 6.0 a year in 2016–19, 6.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Raleigh
How many truck crashes happen in Raleigh?
Since 2015, 3,569 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Raleigh (2,224 injured, 25 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Raleigh?
I-40 had 8 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 15 miles of Raleigh since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Raleigh?
The worst month is June: 10.1% of truck crashes in Raleigh happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Raleigh?
98 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Raleigh since 2015, 2.7% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Raleigh compare with North Carolina?
The yearly rate is 62.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Raleigh, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Raleigh?
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.