Lower Heidelberg, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lower Heidelberg: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lower Heidelberg 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 runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Berks County: March garbage-truck crashes peak in March (13% of the year's total).
Overview
Since 2015, 4,182 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Berks County. They injured 1,968 people and killed 108.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Only 19 truck crashes were reported in Lower Heidelberg since 2015; patterns below come from Berks County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 7.3%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 43.5% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for 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
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Lower Heidelberg since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-183 (4), US-222 (4), SR-61 (3), US-422 (2) and E Mountain Ave (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
168 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.0% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (13%).
They recorded 2.5 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Lower Heidelberg fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Berks County.
- 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 Berks County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-183 | 4 |
| US-222 | 4 |
| SR-61 | 3 |
| US-422 | 2 |
| E Mountain Ave | 1 |
| I-176 | 1 |
| Oley St | 1 |
| Papermill Rd | 1 |
| Rising Sun Av | 1 |
| SR-272 | 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 |
Lower Heidelberg at a glance
| Population | 6,829 |
| Land area | 14.8 sq mi |
| Density | 460 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 19565) | $96,325 |
| Median home value (ZIP 19565) | $299,293 |
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. NHTSA counts 7.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 5.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lower Heidelberg
How many truck accidents are there in Lower Heidelberg?
Since 2015, 4,182 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Berks County (1,968 injured, 108 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Lower Heidelberg?
Truck crashes in Berks County peak in January, with 9.5% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Lower Heidelberg?
Garbage trucks were involved in 168 reported crashes in Berks County since 2015 (4.0% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Lower Heidelberg compare with Pennsylvania?
Berks County records 81.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Lower Heidelberg?
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.