Montclair, NJ truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Montclair: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Montclair and Essex County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Essex County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.6 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.3 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Essex County compares with New Jersey
Essex County against New Jersey and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Essex County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Essex County | New Jersey | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 49.5 | 56.6 | 49.7 | 13% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.3 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 19% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.0% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.9% | 3.3% | 6.2% | 13% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.3% | 26.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.6% | 13.7% | 13.8% | 8% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.5% | 40.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.9% | 19.9% | 24.8% | same |
Essex County has lower values than New Jersey for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above New Jersey on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Montclair at a glance: I-95 deadliest road: 10 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Montclair since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 5,012 crashes involving commercial trucks in Essex County since 2015: 2,742 people were injured and 67 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Only 123 truck crashes were reported in Montclair since 2015; patterns below come from Essex County as a whole.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 9.8% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (7.2%).
November through March accounts for 42.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.9% in New Jersey.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 8.2% of truck crashes.
2.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 3.3% across New Jersey.
Where crashes happen
I-95 leads within 10 miles of Montclair with 10 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-80 (9), I-78 (8) and I-280 (7).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 200 crashes, 4.0% of the total, against 3.6% across New Jersey.
Their busiest month is October, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.6, vs 1.3 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Montclair fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-95, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: October is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Essex County.
- 28.3% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above New Jersey; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Essex County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 10 |
| I-80 | 9 |
| I-78 | 8 |
| I-280 | 7 |
| US-1 | 6 |
| SR-3 | 5 |
| SR-21 | 4 |
| CR-506 Bloomfield Ave | 2 |
| SR-124 | 2 |
| SR-17 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Essex County) |
|---|---|
| I-95, N.J. Turnpike | 745 |
| I-280 | 380 |
| I-78 | 357 |
| US-1 | 313 |
| Nj 21 | 270 |
| SR-506 | 95 |
| I-80 | 79 |
| Doremus Ave | 64 |
Montclair at a glance
| Population | 41,076 |
| Land area | 6.2 sq mi |
| Density | 6,585 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 07042) | $122,847 |
| Median home value (ZIP 07042) | $824,629 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Essex 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 | 226 | — | 5.7 |
| 2000s | 558 | +146% | 3.1 |
| 2010s | 448 | -20% | 3.8 |
| 2020s | 397 | -11% | 5.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 226 to 397. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 4.0 a year in 2016–19 and 5.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Montclair
How common are truck crashes in Montclair?
Since 2015, 5,012 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Essex County (2,742 injured, 67 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Montclair?
NHTSA data shows I-95 with 10 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Montclair since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Montclair?
The worst month is October: 9.8% of truck crashes in Essex County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Montclair?
200 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Essex County since 2015, 4.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Montclair compare with New Jersey?
The yearly rate is 49.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Essex County, vs 56.6 for New Jersey.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Montclair?
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.