Palmdale, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Palmdale: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Palmdale and Dauphin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Dauphin County numbers.
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. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr and in rain, sleet or snow.
Dauphin County at a glance: 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.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Palmdale had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Dauphin County numbers.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (6.7%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.1% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
By time of day, 3–4 pm stands out with 7.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 5.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
I-81 leads within 10 miles of Palmdale with 16 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-300 (2), SR-934 (2) and Eby Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 35 of the truck crashes here, or 1.1%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (17%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 5.9 deaths compared with 2.0 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Palmdale fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Dauphin County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-81; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Dauphin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 16 |
| SR-300 | 2 |
| SR-934 | 2 |
| Eby Rd | 1 |
| I-76 | 1 |
| Jonestown Rd | 1 |
| Ridge Rd | 1 |
| SR-0039 | 1 |
| SR-22 | 1 |
| SR-230 | 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 |
Palmdale at a glance
| Land area | 1.5 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 17033) | $72,945 |
| Median home value (ZIP 17033) | $382,900 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 192 a year in the 1990s and 265 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 4.2 a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Palmdale
How common are truck crashes in Palmdale?
Since 2015, 3,229 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Dauphin County (1,233 injured, 62 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Palmdale?
NHTSA data shows I-81 with 16 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Palmdale since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Palmdale?
August has the most truck crashes in Dauphin County, 9.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Palmdale?
35 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dauphin County since 2015, 1.1% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Palmdale compared with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 93.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Dauphin County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Palmdale?
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.