Steelton, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Steelton: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Steelton 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. It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in 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.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Steelton had 26 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
The worst month is August with 9.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 6.7%.
November through March accounts for 40.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (7.8%).
Road surface: 5.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Steelton is I-83, with 10 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come I-81 (6), I-76 (4) and SR-230 (3).
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 Steelton fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along I-83; 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.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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-83 | 10 |
| I-81 | 6 |
| I-76 | 4 |
| SR-230 | 3 |
| SR-8004 | 3 |
| I-283 | 2 |
| SR-300 | 2 |
| SR-8003 | 2 |
| US-22 | 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 |
Steelton at a glance
| Population | 6,358 |
| Land area | 1.9 sq mi |
| Density | 3,355 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 17113) | $68,244 |
| Median home value (ZIP 17113) | $160,962 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 192 to 265. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. 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 Steelton
How many truck accidents are there in Steelton?
Since 2015, 3,229 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Dauphin County (1,233 injured, 62 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Steelton?
I-83 had 10 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Steelton since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Steelton?
Truck crashes in Dauphin County peak in August, with 9.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Steelton?
Garbage trucks were involved in 35 reported crashes in Dauphin County since 2015 (1.1% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Steelton compared with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 93.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Dauphin County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Steelton?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.