Portsmouth, NH truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Portsmouth: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Portsmouth and Rockingham County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Rockingham County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.6 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Rockingham County compares with New Hampshire
Rockingham County against New Hampshire and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Rockingham County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Rockingham County | New Hampshire | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 36.3 | 30.4 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 46% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.9% | 4.2% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.1% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 15% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.3% | 29.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.2% | 22.8% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.0% | 47.6% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.8% | 16.3% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Rockingham County has lower values than New Hampshire for deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above New Hampshire on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and after dark.
The headline for Portsmouth: I-95 6 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Portsmouth.
Overview
Police reported 1,352 crashes involving commercial trucks in Rockingham County since 2015: 530 people were injured and 19 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
Only 172 truck crashes were reported in Portsmouth since 2015; patterns below come from Rockingham County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (11.4% of the year) and are lowest in September (6.4%).
November through March accounts for 47.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 47.6% in New Hampshire.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (8.3%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 17.1% of truck crashes, compared with 20.2% in New Hampshire.
Where crashes happen
I-95 leads within 10 miles of Portsmouth with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-33 (2), Main Street (1) and Ocean Road (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 64 of the truck crashes here, or 4.7%, compared with 4.2% in New Hampshire.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in February (12% of them).
They recorded 1.6 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Portsmouth fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-95 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Rockingham County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 6 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| Main Street | 1 |
| Ocean Road | 1 |
| SR-236 | 1 |
| Spaulding Tpke | 1 |
| US-4 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Rockingham County) |
|---|---|
| Calef Hwy | 11 |
| Plaistow Rd | 8 |
| SR-101 | 7 |
| Lafayette Rd | 7 |
| Ocean Rd | 6 |
| Main St | 6 |
| Indian Rock Rd | 5 |
| E/Exeter-Hampton Expy | 4 |
Portsmouth at a glance
| Population | 22,938 |
| Land area | 15.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1,465 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Rockingham 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 | 62 | — | 2.6 |
| 2000s | 87 | +39% | 2.2 |
| 2010s | 113 | +30% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 106 | -6% | 2.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 62 to 106. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Portsmouth
How common are truck crashes in Portsmouth?
Since 2015, 1,352 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Rockingham County (530 injured, 19 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Portsmouth?
I-95 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Portsmouth since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Portsmouth?
February has the most truck crashes in Rockingham County, 11.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Portsmouth?
Since 2015, Rockingham County has reported 64 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Portsmouth compared with New Hampshire?
The yearly rate is 36.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Rockingham County, vs 30.4 for New Hampshire.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Portsmouth?
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.