Harrisburg, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Harrisburg: 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
6 of 418 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Harrisburg compares with Pennsylvania
Harrisburg against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Harrisburg stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Harrisburg | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 69.1 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 38% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.3% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 64% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.4% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 51% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.6% | 24.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.7% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 33% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.1% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.6% | 24.2% | 24.8% | same |
Harrisburg sits below Pennsylvania on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr.
Harrisburg at a glance: 1 in 77 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 1.3%, vs 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Overview
Since 2015, 418 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Harrisburg. They injured 190 people and killed 6.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 10 days.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 10.5% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (5.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.1% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (9.3%).
4.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Harrisburg is I-83, with 8 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come I-81 (7), I-76 (3) and SR-8004 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 6 of the truck crashes here, or 1.4%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Route planning tips for Harrisburg fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Harrisburg.
- Look at alternatives to I-83 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Harrisburg
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-83 | 8 |
| I-81 | 7 |
| I-76 | 3 |
| SR-8004 | 3 |
| I-283 | 2 |
| SR-114 | 2 |
| SR-230 | 2 |
| SR-8003 | 2 |
| US-11 | 2 |
| US-22 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Harrisburg) |
|---|---|
| I-0083 | 138 |
| SR-0230 | 51 |
| SR-0022 | 38 |
| I-0081 | 32 |
| Industrial Rd | 15 |
| SR-3009 | 13 |
| SR-8003 | 13 |
| SR-3010 | 12 |
Harrisburg at a glance
| Population | 50,649 |
| Land area | 8.1 sq mi |
| Density | 6,238 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Harrisburg 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 | 27 | — | 3.8 |
| 2000s | 26 | -5% | 4.9 |
| 2010s | 29 | +12% | 4.6 |
| 2020s | 35 | +22% | 4.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 27 a year in the 1990s and 35 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 4.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Harrisburg
How many truck crashes happen in Harrisburg?
418 truck crashes have been reported in Harrisburg since 2015, with 6 deaths and 190 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Harrisburg?
NHTSA data shows I-83 with 8 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Harrisburg since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Harrisburg?
The worst month is January: 10.5% of truck crashes in Harrisburg happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Harrisburg?
Since 2015, Harrisburg has reported 6 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Harrisburg compared with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 69.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Harrisburg, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Harrisburg?
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.