Dauphin County, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Dauphin County: 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
5.9 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Dauphin County compares with Pennsylvania
Dauphin County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Dauphin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 93.8 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 23% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.38 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 19% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 69% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.7% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 37% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.6% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 8% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.8% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.1% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.2% | 24.2% | 24.8% | same |
Dauphin County has lower values than Pennsylvania for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Dauphin County: 1 in 88 garbage-truck share of crashes is 1.1%, against 3.6% for Pennsylvania.
Overview
Police reported 3,229 crashes involving commercial trucks in Dauphin County since 2015: 1,233 people were injured and 62 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (6.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.1% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (7.8%).
5.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-81 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (6). It is followed by I-83 (3), SR-230 (3) and US-22 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 35 of the truck crashes here, or 1.1%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in March (17% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 5.9, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Dauphin County fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-81, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March 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
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 Dauphin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Dauphin County) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 6 |
| I-83 | 3 |
| SR-230 | 3 |
| US-22 | 3 |
| I-283 | 2 |
| I-76 | 2 |
| SR-25 | 2 |
| SR-300 | 2 |
| SR-8003 | 2 |
| I-0083 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Dauphin County) |
|---|---|
| I-0081 | 856 |
| I-0083 | 545 |
| SR-0022 | 325 |
| SR-0300 | 146 |
| I-6000 | 142 |
| I-0283 | 132 |
| SR-0230 | 98 |
| SR-0039 | 61 |
Dauphin County at a glance
| Population | 293,029 |
| Land area | 524.9 sq mi |
| Density | 558 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP average) | $78,404 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Dauphin 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 | 192 | — | 3.8 |
| 2000s | 216 | +12% | 4.9 |
| 2010s | 222 | +3% | 4.6 |
| 2020s | 265 | +20% | 4.2 |
In the 1990s about 192 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 265. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 4.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Cities, towns & communities in Dauphin County
ZIP codes in Dauphin County
Nearby counties
Questions fleets ask about Dauphin County
How many truck accidents are there in Dauphin County?
Dauphin County has had 3,229 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,233 people and killing 62.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Dauphin County?
Since 2015, I-81 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes in Dauphin County: 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Dauphin County?
Truck crashes in Dauphin County peak in August, with 9.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Dauphin County?
35 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dauphin County since 2015, 1.1% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Dauphin County compare with Pennsylvania?
Per 100,000 residents, Dauphin County has 93.8 truck crashes a year; Pennsylvania has 57.2.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Dauphin County?
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.