Allentown, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Allentown: 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
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 0.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Allentown compares with Pennsylvania
Allentown against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Allentown stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Allentown | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.0 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 41% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 69% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.40 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 15% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.2% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.6% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 61% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.1% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 28.4% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.5× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.3% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 13% below the state |
| After dark | 25.1% | 24.2% | 24.8% | same |
Allentown has lower values than Pennsylvania for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above Pennsylvania on garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Allentown: I-78 most fatal truck crashes within 15 miles of Allentown: 13 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 503 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Allentown. They injured 198 people and killed 4.
That averages about one truck crash every 8 days in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 11.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 5.6%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 37.3% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 9.7% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 3.6% of truck crashes, compared with 9.1% in Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-78 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (13). Next come US-222 (12), US-22 (5) and SR-309 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
20 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.0% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (25% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 0.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Allentown fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-78 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: August is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Allentown.
- 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 Allentown
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-78 | 13 |
| US-222 | 12 |
| US-22 | 5 |
| SR-309 | 4 |
| I-476 | 3 |
| SR-145 | 3 |
| SR-248 | 2 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| SR-378 | 2 |
| SR-663 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Allentown) |
|---|---|
| I-0078 | 146 |
| SR-2005 | 32 |
| SR-0145 | 30 |
| SR-1002 | 29 |
| SR-2002 | 21 |
| Sumner Av | 8 |
| American Py | 8 |
| SR-1005 | 7 |
Allentown at a glance
| Population | 127,138 |
| Land area | 17.6 sq mi |
| Density | 7,239 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Allentown 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 | 18 | — | 4.9 |
| 2000s | 22 | +23% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 34 | +57% | 4.9 |
| 2020s | 46 | +33% | 4.2 |
In the 1990s about 18 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 46. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 4.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Allentown
How common are truck crashes in Allentown?
503 truck crashes have been reported in Allentown since 2015, with 4 deaths and 198 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Allentown?
Since 2015, I-78 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 15 miles of Allentown: 13.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Allentown?
The worst month is August: 11.1% of truck crashes in Allentown happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Allentown?
Since 2015, Allentown has reported 20 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.0% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Allentown compared with Pennsylvania?
Allentown records 34.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Allentown?
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.