Hellertown, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Hellertown: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Hellertown and Northampton County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Northampton County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Northampton County compares with Pennsylvania
Northampton County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Northampton County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Northampton County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.5 | 57.2 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 35% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 3.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.9% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 46% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.7% | 24.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.9% | 19.0% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.6% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 10% below the state |
| After dark | 24.2% | 24.2% | 24.8% | same |
Northampton County sits below Pennsylvania on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and winter months (nov–mar).
What stands out in Hellertown: I-78 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Hellertown: 6 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,134 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Northampton County. They injured 1,038 people and killed 35.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Hellertown had 11 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Northampton County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (10.3% of the year) and are lowest in April (6.4%).
November through March accounts for 38.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (7.5%).
4.9% 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 Hellertown is I-78, with 6 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come US-22 (3), I-476 (2) and SR-145 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
75 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Their busiest month is November, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.8, vs 1.7 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Hellertown fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-78; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: November is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Northampton County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Northampton County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-78 | 6 |
| US-22 | 3 |
| I-476 | 2 |
| SR-145 | 2 |
| SR-309 | 2 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| SR-378 | 2 |
| Mu-American Pkwy | 1 |
| SR-0033 | 1 |
| SR-0121 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Northampton County) |
|---|---|
| I-0078 | 473 |
| SR-0033 | 216 |
| SR-0022 | 178 |
| SR-0512 | 167 |
| SR-0248 | 107 |
| SR-0191 | 49 |
| SR-0611 | 47 |
| SR-1002 | 41 |
Hellertown at a glance
| Population | 6,145 |
| Land area | 1.3 sq mi |
| Density | 4,684 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 18015) | $60,800 |
| Median home value (ZIP 18015) | $278,736 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Northampton 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 | 97 | — | 2.5 |
| 2000s | 116 | +20% | 3.4 |
| 2010s | 132 | +13% | 3.8 |
| 2020s | 206 | +56% | 2.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 97 to 206. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 3.5 a year in 2016–19, 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Hellertown
How many truck accidents are there in Hellertown?
Northampton County has had 2,134 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,038 people and killing 35.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Hellertown?
I-78 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Hellertown since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Hellertown?
August has the most truck crashes in Northampton County, 10.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Hellertown?
75 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Northampton County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
How does Hellertown compare with Pennsylvania for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Northampton County has 56.5 truck crashes a year; Pennsylvania has 57.2.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Hellertown?
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.