Bern, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bern: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bern and Berks County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Berks County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Berks County compares with Pennsylvania
Berks County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Berks County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Berks County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 81.3 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 8.5% | 9.1% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.5% | 24.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.1% | 19.0% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.5% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 23.4% | 24.2% | 24.8% | same |
It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr and garbage-truck share.
Bern at a glance: US-222 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Bern: 7 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 4,182 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Berks County. They injured 1,968 people and killed 108.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
With 79 truck crashes reported in Bern since 2015, this page uses Berks County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 9.5% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (7.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.5% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.1%).
8.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
US-222 leads within 10 miles of Bern with 7 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come SR-61 (5), SR-183 (4) and US-422 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
168 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.0% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in March (13% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.5, vs 2.6 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Bern fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to US-222 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Berks County.
- 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 Berks County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-222 | 7 |
| SR-61 | 5 |
| SR-183 | 4 |
| US-422 | 2 |
| E Mountain Ave | 1 |
| I-176 | 1 |
| Oley St | 1 |
| Papermill Rd | 1 |
| Rising Sun Av | 1 |
| SR-4017 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Berks County) |
|---|---|
| I-0078 | 1,095 |
| SR-0222 | 639 |
| SR-0422 | 349 |
| SR-0061 | 231 |
| SR-0183 | 147 |
| SR-0073 | 92 |
| SR-0012 | 70 |
| SR-0724 | 56 |
Bern at a glance
| Population | 6,787 |
| Land area | 19.3 sq mi |
| Density | 351 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 19533) | $105,179 |
| Median home value (ZIP 19533) | $308,433 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Berks 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 | 256 | — | 7.2 |
| 2000s | 283 | +11% | 7.7 |
| 2010s | 278 | -2% | 5.7 |
| 2020s | 374 | +34% | 5.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 256 to 374. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 7.0 a year in 2016–19, 5.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bern
How many truck crashes happen in Bern?
4,182 truck crashes have been reported in Berks County since 2015, with 108 deaths and 1,968 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Bern?
Since 2015, US-222 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Bern: 7.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Bern?
Truck crashes in Berks County peak in January, with 9.5% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Bern?
168 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Berks County since 2015, 4.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Bern compare with Pennsylvania for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 81.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Berks County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Bern?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.